The University of Chicago Magazine

Trustees

B. Kenneth West, MBA’60, a banking executive and former University trustee (1981–96), died May 13 in Libertyville, IL. He was 72. After Navy service, West joined Harris Bank in 1957, becoming president in 1980 and CEO and chair in 1984. During his tenure he presided over the acquisition of 12 community banks; he retired as CEO in 1993 and chair in 1995. West chaired several local organizations, including the U of C board of trustees. He is survived by his wife, Karen, a stepdaugher, a stepson, and two grandchildren.

Faculty and Staff

Heinrich Fleischer, an organist of the late-romantic school, died February 28 in Crystal, MN. He was 93. A professor of organ playing in his native Germany, in 1949 Fleischer was invited to join Valparaiso University and then the U of C, where he taught and played for ten years, before moving to the University of Minnesota in 1959. He retired in 1983. Fleischer played at local churches, edited organ and choral music, authored music essays, and gave recitals internationally. Survivors include a daughter, a son, a brother, and two grandchildren.

James E. Jones, an ob-gyn, died May 24 in Chicago. He was 77. After serving in the Air Force, Jones practiced in Chicago. In the late 1960s he joined the U of C Lying-In Hospital, becoming the University’s first African American physician granted admitting privileges. Jones belonged to the Art Institute of Chicago’s African and Amerindian department advisory committee and was a Museum of Contemporary Art trustee for more than 20 years. He is survived by his wife, Jetta; two daughters, including Courtney Aurora Jones, U-High’83; and a son.

Robert B. Karp, professor emeritus of surgery, died with his wife Sondra in a car crash May 18 in Châteauroux, France. He was 72. After service in the Army, Karp joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In 1983 he moved to the U of C, where he chaired the surgery department and founded the heart-transplant program, retiring in 2000. Author of many articles and textbook chapters, Karp also took humanitarian trips to India and Pakistan, where he taught surgical techniques. Survivors include a daughter, a son, and two grandchildren.

Maria Medenica, associate professor emeritus of medicine, died June 25 in Chicago. She was 81. Medenica, a native of Yugoslavia, received her medical degree from Belgrade University in 1954. An expert on the use of electron microscopy in skin-disease diagnosis, she came to the University in 1960, first as a resident, then as a dermatology-research trainee. She spent four years on the University of Illinois dermatologic faculty before returning to teach at U of C in 1974. She retired last year and this year received a Golden Key Award for service to the University. Survivors include two sons and one grandson.

Leo Nedelsky, physics professor emeritus, died July 19 in Santa Cruz, CA. He was 102. Born near Nova Sibersk, Russia, Nedelsky fought in the White Army during the Russian Revolution, immigrating to Seattle in 1923. He worked as a shoemaker and lumberjack before receiving his bachelor’s in engineering from the University of Washington, followed by a physics doctorate from Berkeley, where he taught until coming to U of C in 1940. He won a 1962 Quantrell Award for undergraduate teaching and retired in 1975. Survivors include his wife, Ruth; daughter Jennifer Nedelsky, U-High’66, AM’74, PhD’77; sons Thomas Nedelsky, U-High’70, and Michael Nedelsky, U-High’61, AB’65, PhD’71; and daughter-in-law Barbara (Stromsky) Nedelsky, AM’70.

Kathleen A. Zar, a science librarian, died June 30 in Chicago. She was 60. Zar joined the staff of the University of Chicago Library in 1967 as the geology and geophysical sciences librarian. When the independent John Crerar Library merged with the University of Chicago Library in the 1980s, she became head of reference and subject services for the science libraries. In 1994 Zar was appointed director of the Science Libraries Division, retiring in spring 2006. She is survived by her husband, Howard Zar, SB’61, SM’66.

1920s

Alice Crandall Park, SB’24, died May 21 in Washington, DC. She was 104. A genealogist, Park published five books on her Dutch, Scottish, and French Huguenot ancestors. She was a birdwatcher, a pianist, and chair of her apartment building’s grounds committee. Park also belonged to the PTA, the League of Women Voters (chairing the Fairfax County chapter), and Daughters of the American Revolution. Survivors include a daughter, a son, four grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded by her husband, Lee Park, LLB’21.

1930s

Burton Duffie, SB’31, AM’34, a Chicago Public Schools administrator, died May 27 in Delray Beach, FL. He was 98. A math teacher, Duffie was named Tilden High School assistant principal in 1945. After running an Air Force school during WW II, he became the city schools’ director of education extension, overseeing evening, summer, adult, and Americanization programs. Duffie belonged to the Citizenship Council of Metropolitan Chicago, the Illinois Education Association, and the National Education Association. He is survived by a son.

Lois Keller Schilling, PhB’33, an executive secretary and elementary-school teacher, died May 17 in Marshall, MN. She was 93. She taught in the Chicago Public Schools for more than 20 years and for 28 years after her retirement volunteered at nonprofit organization Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. She is survived by a son; daughter Sara Schilling Johnson, SB’67; son-in-law Allan E. Johnson, AB’67, PhD’81; and three sisters, including Helen Keller Isaacson, PhB’34.

Edward D. Friedman, AB’35, JD’37, a labor attorney, died April 4 in Truro, MA. He was 93. During his government-service career, Friedman worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Office of Price Administration, the Department of Labor, and the National Labor Relations Board. In 1959 he moved to the labor subcommittee of the U.S. Senate, where his projects included Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. He retired to private practice in 1969. Mayor of Garrett Park, MD, from 1960 to ’66, he also served on the board of New York’s Beth Israel Medical Center. Survivors include his wife, Carol; two daughters; two sons; and five grandchildren.

Robert R. Ware Jr., X’36, died April 19 in Oak Park, IL. He was 93. Joining his family’s firm, the Chicago Roller Skate Company, Ware became vice president of manufacturing and retired in 1983. A member of the Chicago Yacht Club for 50 years, he played the harmonica, visiting elementary schools to make presentations about the instrument. Survivors include a daughter, a brother, two grandsons, and three great-grandchildren.

John M. “Jack” Bracken, AB’37, AM’46, a social-studies teacher and high-school administrator, died April 13 in Palo Alto, CA. He was 90. After WW II Army service and brief stints in government work and journalism, Bracken began his education career in Michigan, later moving to Nevada and then California. Retiring from the Palo Alto school district in 1975, he volunteered with his church, youth music programs, and a center for the developmentally disabled. Survivors include a daughter, two sons, and a sister.

Betty (Farrell) Clo Tuttle, AB’37, died May 17 in Province, RI. She was 90. A homemaker, Tuttle gardened, collected antiques, and was a painting conservator. Survivors include two daughters, a son, a brother, and seven grandchildren.

1940s

Marjorie Kuh Morray, AB’40, an English professor, died May 20 in Corvallis, OR. She was 87. A high-school English teacher for 15 years, Morray later lived in Spain, France, and Latin America, teaching at several universities. She specialized in training teachers of English as a second language and joined the faculty of Oregon State University and the English Language Institute, retiring in 1983. Survivors include her husband, Joseph; two sons; and five grandchildren.

Albert Goldstein, SB’42, a general practitioner, died May 6 in Pomona, CA. He was 85. Enrolling in medical school after working on the Manhattan Project, Goldstein served in Japan and then at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam. He later founded a private practice in Pomona, keeping patient fees low (no more than $5 a visit) by assisting in surgeries at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. He volunteered at the L.A. County Fair and at a local school for troubled youth, and continued to see patients part time after his 1990 retirement. Survivors include his wife, Aurlene; two daughters; a sister; and three grandsons.

Irving T. Diamond, AB’43, PhD’53, psychology professor emeritus, died September 14, 2004, in Durham, NC. He was 81. A WW II Army veteran, Diamond joined Chicago’s faculty, teaching for ten years until his 1958 move to Duke University. There he became the James B. Duke professor of psychology and directed the neurobiology program, researching human and animal sensory systems until his 1992 retirement. A prolific author, Diamond was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Society of Experimental Psychology; he received the American Psychological Association’s distinguished scientific contribution award. He was preceded in death by his wife, Michelle H. Diamond, AB’53, AB’55, AM’55.

Barbara Salisbury Buitron, X’44, a poet, died May 5 in Watsonville, CA. She was 86. Buitron traveled the world with her late husband, Anibal Buitron, AM’50, an Ecuador native who worked with UNESCO, assisting on his projects and translating his publications into English. In 1974 she retired to California, where she enjoyed gardening. Survivors include her second husband, Gary; a daughter; a son; and a granddaughter.

Constance Allenberg Katzenstein, PhB’46, AM’49, PhD’71, a psychotherapist, died April 29 in Santa Cruz, CA. She was 79. A student of Bruno Bettelheim, Katzenstein taught at the Wright Institute Los Angeles, had a private practice, and founded a crisis-intervention program, retiring in 1993. She is survived by two daughters, two sons, and nine grandchildren.

Philip Rieff, AB’46, AM’47, PhD’54, a sociologist, died July 1 in Philadelphia. He was 83. After WW II service, Rieff taught at Brandeis University; the University of California, Berkeley; Harvard University; the University of Munich; and, until his 1992 retirement, the University of Pennsylvania, where he was the Benjamin Franklin professor of sociology. A staunch critic of academe, Rieff was the author of works including the early Freud: The Mind of the Moralist (Viking, 1959) and last January’s Sacred Order/Social Order: My Life Among the Deathworks (University of Virginia Press). Rieff, who was divorced from Susan Sontag, AB’51, in 1958, is survived by his wife of 43 years, Alison D. Knox; a son; and a grandson.

Elaine R. Hackett, AB’47, an occupational therapist and librarian, died January 30 in Fairfax, VA. A WW II Navy veteran, Korean War Army veteran, and Air Force second lieutenant, Hackett retired from service in 1956. She then earned a master’s in library science and worked in Army libraries in Italy and Germany until her 1993 retirement. Survivors include sister Genevieve H. Jones, SB’43; sister-in-law Merilyn Hackett, PhB’45; a nephew; and 11 nieces, including Joan Hackett Romero, U-High’70, Patricia Hackett Gilbert, U-High’74, MBA’82, and Susan Hackett, U-High’71.

Paul Rosenblum, AB’47, JD’51, a real-estate attorney, died April 22 in Jerusalem. He was 78. Rosenblum practiced in Chicago until his 1997 retirement. Survivors include his wife, Miriam Abbell Rosenblum, U-High’45, PhB’49, AM’53; five sons, including Jonathan Rosenblum, AB’73, and Maxwell Rosenblum, MBA’86; two brothers; 33 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Robert R. Zimmerman, MBA’47, a human-resources manager, died April 6, 2005, in Cincinnati. He was 86. After WW II Air Force service, Zimmerman had a career that included service at the Continental Can Company of Chicago, Booz Allen Hamilton, Federated Department Stores, Central Bancorporation, and Schonberg Associates of Cincinnati, from which he retired in 1993. A founding member of the University of Cincinnati’s Institute for Learning in Retirement, he also volunteered locally, helping place the unemployed, and taught courses in play reading, participating in area theater. He is survived by his wife, Helen Sperry Zimmerman, PhB’49, SB’49, and two sons.

James R. Compton, MBA’48, a philanthropist, died March 18 in Tiburon, CA. He was 84. A WW II Marine veteran, Compton worked briefly at FMC Corporation and IBM. Devoted to local cultural organizations, peace activism, and environmental causes, he served as president (1973–2002) of his family’s trust, the Compton Foundation, focusing particularly on river conservation. Compton enjoyed skiing, kayaking, hang-gliding, and windsurfing. Survivors include his wife, Patricia; three sons; three stepsons; a sister; and three grandchildren.

J. Edwin Seegmiller, MD’48, a geriatrician, died May 31 in La Jolla, CA. He was 85. Recruited in 1966 from the National Institutes of Health, where he studied hereditary disease, he helped launch the biochemical genetics program at the University of California, San Diego. In 1983 he founded what is now the UCSD Stein Institute for Research on Aging, directing the institute until his 1990 retirement. Seegmiller belonged to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Survivors include his wife, Barbara; two daughters; two sons; three stepsons; two sisters; and 17 grandchildren.

Eric Schopler, AB’49, AM’55, PhD’64, a psychologist, died July 7 in Chapel Hill, NC. He was 79. After Army service, Schopler joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied autism for more than 40 years. Rejecting the prevailing notion that the disorder was caused by parental behavior, he founded Division TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children), developing programs that have influenced autism services worldwide. Editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (1974–97), Schopler received many honors, including the North Carolina Award (the state’s highest honor) and the Autism Society of North Carolina’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; a daughter; two sons; and seven grandchildren.

Bernard H. Siegan, JD’49, a law professor, died March 27 in Encinitas, CA. He was 81. A WW II Army veteran, Siegan practiced law in Chicago until 1973, when he joined the University of San Diego, becoming a distinguished professor at the USD School of Law. In 1987 he was nominated by President Reagan for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals but was rejected by the Senate for his libertarian views. An influential constitutional scholar, Siegan wrote several articles and books, including Economic Liberties and the Constitution (U of C Press, 1980). Survivors include his second wife, Shelley, and a stepson. He was preceded by his first wife, Sharon Siegan, AB’47, AM’50.

1950s

Helen E. Howard, AM’50, died April 19 in Mill Valley, CA. She was 89. A riveter during WW II, Howard was a social worker until moving into real estate in California. She was a lifelong writer, publishing a children’s book. Survivors include her partner, Ann, and a brother.

Walter J. Smalakis, AB’52, AM’54, a WW II Army veteran, died April 16 in Cooperstown, NY. He was 86. He worked as a teacher and social worker, including time spent at Quaker study center Pendle Hill. In the 1970s he became a full-time cabinet maker. A lover of philosophy, Smalakis passed many of his retirement days perusing the open stacks of the local library. Survivors include three children and six grandchildren.

Gerhard O. W. Mueller, JD’53, a professor emeritus of criminal justice and maritime crime, died April 20 in Sonoma Beach, CA. He was 82. Joining Rutgers University in 1974, Mueller was chief of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice branch (1974–82) and executive secretary to the United Nations Congresses on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (1975 and 1980). He also partnered with the Coast Guard, investigating coastal security. Survivors include his wife, Freda Adler.

Hans A. Schmitt, AM’43, PhD’53, a history professor emeritus, died February 15 in Charlottesville, VA. He was 84. Emigrating from Germany to the United States in 1938, Schmitt joined the Army during WW II. His 40-year career teaching modern European history brought him to institutions including Tulane University, New York University, and the University of Virginia, from which he retired in 1991. Schmitt was an editor and prolific author of scholarly books and articles. He is survived by his wife, Florence; a daughter; two sons; a brother; and four grandchildren.

Philip E. Montag, AB’58, an educator, died January 21 in Chicago. He was 75. An Iowa native, he came to Chicago after four years in the Air Force. He spent 34 years at the Laboratory Schools, where he taught high-school social studies, served as department chair for many years, and retired as dean of students. Survivors include his wife, Carol Montag, MST’66; son Patrick Montag, U-High’86; stepson Nicholas Samuels, U-High’90; two sisters; and five brothers.

1960s

Charles Dalton, MBA’60, died May 21 in Chicago Heights, IL. He was 79. A WW II Navy veteran, Dalton joined Chicago Title and Trust Company, where he rose to senior vice president, retiring in 1991. He also was president of the South Suburban Mass Transit Authority and later finance chair of the Regional Transportation Authority. Survivors include his wife, Marjory; two daughters; and five grandchildren.

Richard Lindhe, PhD’62, an accounting professor, died June 21, 2005, in Peterborough, NH. He was 82. A WW II Navy veteran, Lindhe worked for the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company and taught for five years at the GSB. He moved to Indianapolis’s Butler University and then Boston’s Northeastern University, where he taught for 24 years until his 1990 retirement. Lindhe was a member of the American Accounting Association. Survivors include his wife, Betty; two daughters; three sons; and eight grandchildren.

Lawrence G. “Larry” Becker, JD’64, a trial attorney, died April 3 in Sausalito, CA. He was 66. After forming a private practice and becoming a certified public accountant, Becker joined the IRS’s Office of Chief Counsel. A 30-year Bay Area resident, he was a lover of horse racing, founder of Becker Thoroughbreds, and a United States Tennis Association official. Survivors include his wife, Cindy; a brother, James Becker, U-High’60; and a sister, Frances Becker, U-High’62.

William S. Zaferson, AM’65, a classicist, died May 2 in Chicago. He was 81. During WW II, Zaferson served with the Royal British Army for the Allied invasion of his native Greece. An essayist and author, he belonged to the American Philosophical Association. He was a lover of poetry, good music, and operas. He is survived by his wife, Toni Adelgunde Zaferson.

Martha Bacher Eaton, PhD’67, a teacher and clinical psychologist, died May 13 in Santa Barbara, CA. She was 70. Specializing in the treatment of children, Eaton practiced in San Bernardino, at the Claremont Colleges counseling center, in the greater Los Angeles area, and eventually in Santa Barbara, where she settled in 1980. Survivors include a brother.

Patrick Keenan, JD’69, a law professor, died of heart failure May 3 in Detroit, MI. He was 61. Keenan began his career practicing at law clinics set up by DePaul University, where he also taught for four years. In 1976 he joined the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he taught for nearly 30 years. Appearing regularly on local media, CNN, and MSNBC, Keenan served as editor in chief of the Michigan Business Law Journal. Survivors include his wife, Margaret; a daughter; two sons; his mother; four brothers; and three sisters.

1970s

Peter Benedict, AM’64, PhD’70, a foreign-service officer, died of cancer May 16 in Chapel Hill, NC. He was 67. After working with Ford Foundation humanitarian programs in Iran, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates, Benedict joined the U.S. Agency for International Development in 1976. With USAID, he managed U.S. foreign-assistance programs in Mauritania, Niger, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe; served in the Washington, DC, headquarters; and wrote several books and articles on the Middle East. Retiring from government service after 23 years, Benedict then served as an executive with Family Health International, Chemonics International, and RTI International. Survivors include his current wife, Page; his former wife, Cordelia Dahlberg, U-High’53, AM’67; two daughters; two sons; and a granddaughter.

Elizabeth Ann Kutza, PhD’77, died of cancer June 9 in Portland, OR. She was 61. In 1987, after teaching at Chicago, Kutza joined Portland State University’s Institute on Aging, directing it until 2003, when she became a professor in PSU’s school of Community Health. She wrote reports on aging and health policy for House and Senate committees, served on advisory boards for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Oregon Department of Transportation, and chaired the advisory committee at the Layton Aging & Alzheimer’s Disease Center (1988–91). Survivors include a brother.

L. Gaunce Lewis Jr., SM’76, PhD’78, a mathematician, died of a brain tumor May 17 in Oswego, NY. He was 56. After Navy service, Lewis taught for three years at the University of Michigan. In 1981 he joined Syracuse University, becoming a full professor in 1993. An expert on algebraic topology, Lewis spent a year as a fellow at Germany’s University of Göttingen and two sabbatical years at MIT. He was active with the First United Methodist Church of Oswego. Survivors include his wife, Kathleen Edwards Lewis, SM’75, PhD’80; his mother; and two sisters.

1980s

David M. Michaels, AB’80, a singer and actor, died of coronary arteriosclerosis April 6 in Seattle. He was 47. A longtime Chicago resident, Michaels was active in local theater, particularly in Gilbert & Sullivan productions. After moving to Seattle four years ago, he joined several local folk groups. Michaels was also a member and officer of Toastmasters International. Survivors include his parents and a sister.

Phillip M. Clinnin, MBA’83, a construction executive, died of cancer March 8 in Lansing, IL. He was 51. During his 30-year career with Inland Steel Company (now Mittal Steel), Clinnin held positions in construction, engineering, and logistics. He coached youth football and Little League baseball and served on the board of Hammond’s Northwest Family Services. Survivors include his wife, Judy; a daughter; two sons; two brothers; and two sisters.

John L. Lawson, MD’83, a rheumatologist, died March 28 in Arlington, VA. He was 48. A resident at Harvard’s Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a fellow at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery, Lawson later joined Group Health in DC. After private practice, he moved to Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates, where he worked until his death. Lawson was a member of the Arthritis Foundation and president (2003–04) and chair (2004) of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia. Survivors include his partner Damon and his mother.

2000s

Trevor White, ’07, died of composite lymphoma April 26 in Kansas City, KS. He was 21. Valedictorian of his high school, White was concentrating in linguistics, studying German, teaching himself Yiddish, and entertaining plans to take up Chinese. He is survived by his parents and a sister.