The University of Chicago Magazine June 1996
Lillian Eichelberger, SM'19, PhD'21, CLA'66, professor emerita of biochemistry in the Pritzker School of Medicine, died January 12 in Chicago at age 98. During WWII she helped develop chloroquinine, a synthetic drug to fight malaria, after the Japanese had cut off the Allies' supply of quinine. Eichelberger enlisted the aid of convicted murderer and former U of C student Nathan Leopold to convince other prisoners to be test subjects--in exchange for being bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitoes, they received shorter sentences.
John Lee Hubby, a retired professor in the BSD and a leader in understanding the relationship between evolution and genetic variation, died March 28 at his Santa Fe, NM, home. The 64-year-old was a pioneer in developing gel electrophoresis, a now-standard and essential biochemical technique, and is best known for two 1966 papers written with then-colleague Richard C. Lewontin, CLA'73, detailing their findings of great genetic diversity among normal flies of the same species. Hubby joined the faculty in 1960, retiring in 1985. He is survived by his wife, Marian; a daughter; and two sons.
Georgine A. Kavka, a Chicago psychiatrist and former U of C lecturer in psychiatry, died February 6. The 74-year-old did penicillin research in Washington during the 1940s and later completed her residency at Billings Hospital. She is survived by her husband, Jerome; a daughter; three grandchildren; a sister; and a brother.
Philip B. Kurland, the William R. Kenan, Jr., distinguished service professor emeritus in the College and the Law School, died April 16 in Chicago at age 74. The internationally renowned constitutional scholar is credited with fundamentally reshaping understanding of the U.S. Constitution, particularly its system of checks and balances, separation of church and state, and judicial restraint. As chief consultant to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Separation of Powers (1967-74), Kurland reviewed the Watergate transcripts, concluding they would support an impeachment charge against Nixon. After working for the Justice Department and practicing law in New York City, he joined Northwestern's faculty in 1950 and then Chicago's in 1953. He founded the Supreme Court Review in 1960 and edited it until 1988; he also wrote and edited several books and co-edited, with U of C professor Ralph Lerner, the five-volume The Founders' Constitution. Survivors include his wife, Alice; three daughters; a stepdaughter; two stepsons; and a sister.
Gertrude Griffin Stutz, PhB'20, of Topeka, KS, died January 30 at age 97. A volunteer for civic, religious, and educational activities, she was state president of the League of Women Voters. Survivors include a son, Richard, and eight grandchildren.
John G. Stutz, PhB'20, a pioneer in municipal management, died December 7. He was 102. Executive director of the League of Kansas Municipalities (1920-55), he helped found the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Stutz established the Stutz-Heimatfels, Inc., in 1972 and was president until 1987. He was survived by his wife, Gertrude (see above); a son, Richard; and eight grandchildren.
Mina Morrison Diether, PhB'22, of Pasadena, CA, died February 14 at age 96. A former schoolteacher, she was active in many philanthropic and civic organizations. Survivors include a daughter, Jeannie, and two granddaughters.
Alma Cramer Livermore, PhB'23, a social worker and longtime Evanston political activist, died February 15. The 95-year-old had cofounded the Democratic Party of Evanston in 1954. Survivors include three cousins.
Ernest Samuels, PhB'23, JD'26, AM'31, PhD'42, professor emeritus of English at Northwestern and a noted author, died February 12. He was 92 and had joined the Northwestern faculty in 1942 after a brief career as a lawyer; he retired in 1971. In 1965 he won the Pulitzer prize for the third volume in a trilogy on Henry Adams, Henry Adams: The Major Phase. He is survived by his wife, Jayne; two daughters, Susanna Samuels Epp, SM'65, PhD'68, and Elizabeth Samuels, JD'80; a son; a brother; a sister; and seven grandchildren.
Andrew J. Johnson, PhB'28, died in San Diego on February 2. He was 90. Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth, and his son, Andrew.
Augusta Rickover Berman, PhB'29, of Chicago, died October 24 at age 88. She worked for the Chicago Tribune and was active in the PTA and Jewish charitable organizations. She is survived by a daughter, Margaret Berman Lurie, MAT'68, and a son, Lawrence Berman, SB'69.
Daniel L. Benton, PhB'30, JD'32, of Deerfield, IL, and Palm Springs, FL, died January 12 in California. He was 86. Among survivors are two sons, a daughter, and seven grandchildren.
Rose Crapple Blondin, PhB'32, AM'33, died May 7, 1995, at age 84. After retiring as a social worker and executive secretary, she graduated in 1967 from the University's Basic Program of Liberal Arts for Adults--a program in which she continued to study until the week of her death. She is survived by her husband, Edward; two daughters, including Joanne Blondin, AB'64; and three grandchildren.
Mildred Shaffer Buchsbaum, SB'32, SM'33, a retired research assistant who'd worked on antileukemia drugs, died January 16 at age 83. An editor for the Boxwood Press, she coauthored Basic Ecology with her husband, Ralph M. Buchsbaum, SB'28, PhD'32. The Buchsbaums and their daughter, Vicki Pearse, and son-in-law, John S. Pearse, SB'58, wrote Animals without Backbones and Living Invertebrates. She is survived by her husband, her daughter, her son, and three grandsons.
Carl H. Denbow, SB'32, SM'34, PhD'37, a retired professor of mathematics, died recently at age 84. His dissertation contained a mathematical discovery that led to multiphased rocketry. The WWII veteran taught at the Naval Graduate School and chaired Ohio University's math department, helping start its Ph.D. program. Denbow also directed NSF institutes for high-school teachers, and directed Peace Corps programs in Cameroon. Survivors include a daughter, Signe.
Raymond E. Zenner, SB'33, a physicist and engineer, died April 1, 1995, at age 84. The Roswell, NM, resident worked for many years at Armour Research Foundation before becoming a partner in an engineering firm. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, and a son.
Betty Hansen Wilson, PhB'34, died January 1 in San Francisco. She was 82. Survivors include a daughter, Linda, and a son, Scott.
Marjorie Daniel Cole, AM'32, PhD'35, of Concord, MA, died January 17, 1995. She was 84. She worked as a reference librarian at the Newberry Library and later for 19 years as manager of the Concord Bookshop. Survivors include her husband, Allan B. Cole, AM'37, PhD'40.
Robert H. Ebert, SB'36, MD'42, a leader in medical education, died January 29 in Boston. He was 81. Early in his career, Ebert treated survivors of the atomic blast at Nagasaki. As dean of the Harvard Medical School (1965-77), he started the Harvard Community Health Plan, the first university-sponsored HMO. After retiring, he was president of the Milbank Memorial Foundation, which supports health projects. Survivors include his wife, Barbara; three children; a brother, Richard V. Ebert, SB'33, MD'37; and five grandchildren.
James B. Handy, X'37, of Glenview, IL, died February 1. Survivors include his wife, Marion Oliver Handy, AB'37; two sons; a daughter; and five grandchildren.
Solomon Kobrin, AB'37, AM'39, a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Southern California, died January 15. He was 85. His research focused on street gangs; deviant behavior; and programs for crime control, delinquency prevention, and juvenile justice. Kobrin joined the USC faculty in 1967 and retired in 1975; his research, however, continued to the time of his death. Survivors include his wife, Charlotte Adland Kobrin, PhB'33; a daughter; a son; and a grandson.
Arthur O. Seltzer, AB'38, AM'41, a retired economist, died January 27. He was 79. The Park Ridge, IL, resident had been a faculty member of the College, Beloit College, Northwestern, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Survivors include his wife, Natalie Rosenthal Seltzer, AB'44, AM'48, and a brother, George Seltzer, AB'40, PhD'56.
Edith M. Jordan, AM'39, a professor emerita in Rutgers University's social-service school, died November 3 at age 86. She also was an associate director in the social-service department of New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center for 16 yeahjrs. Survivors include a sister, Gladys.
Jean Weber Sacks, AB'39, former assistant director of the U of C Press and manager of the journals division, died March 4 in Memphis, TN. She was 77. Sacks joined the Press as editorial assistant to the director in 1962, became journals manager in 1966, and was assistant director from 1971 until her retirement in 1984. She founded Signs: The Journal of Women in Culture and Society and wrote The History of Journals from Chicago. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Koons Tabakoff, AM'69; two sons; and a grandson.
Virginia Ferrara Cannon, MD'40, a Detroit-area physician for more than 50 years, died February 10 at age 79. She began her career as an industrial physician for Chrysler; later she entered private practice in Detroit and eventually moved her practice to suburban Birmingham. She is survived by two daughters, a son, three grandchildren, two brothers, and two sisters.
Fredrik G. Feltham, AB'40, AM'40, PhD'51, professor emeritus of English at San Francisco State University, died January 4 in San Jose. The 85-year-old specialized in 17th-century literature while on the SFSU faculty (1950-75) and taught English to immigrants in evening programs throughout the Bay Area. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Einbecker Feltham, AB'42, AM'43; a son; a daughter; and a grandson.
Joffre A. Heineck, SB'40, a retired liaison officer for the Naval Intelligence Command, died June 4, 1995. The Annapolis, MD, resident was 76. Before joining the Navy in 1961, the WWII and Korean War veteran was a bacteriologist at Armour and a chemical sales representative. Upon retiring in 1975, he worked in a family wholesale engine and repair firm and as a travel agent. Survivors include his wife, Joan Kammerer Heineck, SB'40; a daughter; two sons; two sisters; and six grandchildren.
Hugo T. Victoreen, SB'43, a retired director of the Wilmington, DE, water-department laboratory, died March 18, 1995. A member of the Delaware River Keeper Network and a past president of Wilmington's trail club, Victoreen had hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. He is survived by his wife, Alice Nixon Victoreen, MAT'44, MAT'44, and three children.
Miles Jaffe, AB'46, JD'50, a lawyer who represented several major riverfront developers, died February 3 from injuries suffered in a fall at his Harbor Springs, MI, home. He was 68. In 1991 he retired as a partner from the Detroit law firm Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn. A member of the American Jewish Committee, he worked to build bridges between Christians and Jews. The WWII and Korean War veteran is survived by his wife, Lee; a daughter; a son, David B. Jaffe, AB'78, JD'81; his mother; three grandchildren; and a sister.
Edna Denison Ferguson, AM'47, a retired social worker, died February 2 at age 83. The Seattle resident had counseled adults in the workplace, parents of children with disabilities, and troubled teenagers. Survivors include a daughter, a son, a sister, and grandchildren.
Aaron Ganz, SB'47, PhD'50, a retired pharmacologist, died March 4 in Encinitas, CA. He was 72. A resident of the Washington, DC, area for 34 years, he worked for the NIH and the National Institute for Dental Research. The WWII veteran also taught at the University of Tennessee and Temple University. Survivors include a daughter, a son, two brothers, a sister, and two grandchildren.
Richard L. Foskett, SB'48, a retired vegetable breeder and professor of horticulture, died January 28 in Fort Collins, CO, at age 74. He taught at South Dakota State and Colorado State, retiring in 1968 to go into private business. In 1995 he traveled to Hungary with Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance. Survivors include his wife, Eleanore; three daughters; and ten grandchildren.
James A. Cleary, AB'50, a retired high-school history teacher, died August 4, 1995, in Lexington, KY, at age 68. He taught at Chicago's Fenger High School and also worked for the Illinois Central Railroad and Metra. He is survived by two daughters, Susan and Joan, and four grandchildren.
Marvin Fox, PhD'50, a rabbi, scholar of Jewish thought, and former director of the Near Eastern and Judaic studies department at Brandeis University, died February 8. The 73-year-old was a chaplain during WWII and taught philosophy at Ohio State for 26 years. In 1974 he went to Brandeis. Retiring there in 1993, Fox then taught religion and philosophy at Boston University. He is survived by his wife, June; two sons; a daughter; and 11 grandchildren.
Solon B. Cousins, Jr., AM'51, retired national executive director of the YMCA and former head of the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, died February 27. The WWII veteran was 70. He began his career with the YMCA in 1954, rising through the ranks to serve as executive director from 1980 to 1990. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; four sons; and three grandchildren.
Morris S. Schwartz, AM'46, PhD'51, a retired professor of sociology at Brandeis University, died November 4 in his home in Newton, MA. He was 78. Specializing in social psychology, he researched at Chestnut Lodge Sanitarium and taught at Brandeis for 35 years. He is survived by his wife, Charlotte Green Schwartz, AB'45, AM'47, and two sons.
David Rosenthal, PhD'52, an expert on schizophrenia, died February 26 in Rising Sun, MD. He was 77. Working for the NIH from 1955 until his retirement in 1981, he discovered substantial evidence of genetic transmission of schizophrenia. He is survived by his wife, Marcia; two daughters; a son; three brothers; and six grandchildren.
Nathan Hoffman, MBA'53, former director of purchasing for Helene Curtis Industries, died January 11 in Park Ridge, IL. After nearly 40 years with Helene Curtis, he retired in 1981 and began volunteering at Oakton Community College. He is survived by his wife, Libbie; a son; a daughter; and five grandchildren.
David K. Hartley, AM'55, a consultant in real-estate appraisals in Washington, DC, died January 24. He was 64. Survivors include his brother, Paul Hartley, and an aunt, Lorene Hartley Tuta, SM'29.
James E. Beaver, JD'58, a law professor at Seattle University, died February 16 at age 65. Following work for the Chicago law firm of Kirkland, Ellis, Hodson, Chaffetz & Masters, he taught at the University of Washington, Indiana University, and Tacoma's fledgling University of Puget Sound (which in 1994 was acquired by Seattle University). Survivors include his wife, Anita.
P. David Hubbard, MBA'58, retired CFO at the Harris Trust & Savings Bank, died March 15 in his Skokie, IL, home. The 60-year-old joined the bank in 1961; upon his retirement in 1994 he did volunteer work for the Sisters of the Cenacle. He is survived by his wife, Sandra; a son; a daughter; a brother; and a sister.
Bernard J. Kelly, MBA'58, of Chicago, died January 27. The WWII veteran is survived by his son, Brian; a sibling; and nieces and nephews.
Alphonso Westbrooks, AM'58, a public-relations official and media consultant, died January 29 at age 61. The Chicago resident represented the Churches of God in Christ at state and national levels and was a retired division superintendent for Commonwealth Edison. He also was assistant pastor of St. Paul Church of God in Christ. Survivors include his wife, Alice; three daughters; a brother; and three sisters.
Jerome Taylor, AM'45, PhD'59, professor emeritus of English language & literature at the University of Wisconsin, died January 21 at age 77. The author of seven books, he had also taught at Dartmouth, Notre Dame, and Chicago. Survivors include his wife, Rose; five sons; four daughters, including Jane Taylor Fary, AB'71; and 13 grandchildren.
Rex E. Lee, JD'63, former president of Brigham Young University and solicitor general of the U.S. under Ronald Reagan, died March 11 of cancer at age 61. In 1971, he became the founding dean of the BYU Law School, where his eight-year tenure was interrupted by two years as head of the Justice Department's civil division under Gerald Ford. Lee was named solicitor general in 1981 and resigned four years later to pursue a private practice. He was chosen president of BYU in 1989 and retired recently because of his health. Survivors include his wife, Janet; two sons, including Thomas R. Lee, JD'91; five daughters; and ten grandchildren.
Arthur W. Luers, MBA'63, of Mill Creek, WA, died September 9. He worked for Northern Illinois Gas Company for 40 years, retiring in 1987. Survivors include his wife, Edith.
Laurie A. Phillips, AB'67, a clinical psychologist in New York City, died March 31, 1995, of breast cancer. The 49-year-old was also a teacher and supervisor at the Women's Therapy Centre Institute. Survivors include her husband, Harry; a son; her parents; a sister, Karen E. Phillips, AB'89; and a brother.
Jerry C. Bradshaw, MBA'68, former chair and CEO of Gary-Wheaton Bank, died February 20 of pancreatic cancer. He was 64. He assumed the bank's leadership in 1972, helping it become a major suburban bank. When First Chicago acquired the bank in 1988, Bradshaw became executive vice-president and chair of First Chicago's Community Banking Group. He was board chairman of Marianjoy and a founding director of the Du Page Community Foundation. Survivors include his wife, Betty; a daughter; a brother; a sister; and a grandson.
Roger C. Lourens, MBA'69, died October 30, 1994. He is survived by his wife, Rosemary; a son; and a daughter.
Peter Gram Swing, PhD'69, professor emeritus of music at Swarthmore, died February 15 at age 73. The first recipient of the Daniel Underhill chair of music and Swarthmore's first full-time music professor, he joined the faculty in 1955, chairing the department from 1958 to 1974, and retired in 1989. The WWII veteran also was on staff of the Berkshire Music Festival (1962-86). He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; a daughter; a son; and two grandchildren.
Richard A. Schoenherr, AM'67, PhD'70, died January 9 of a heart attack in Madison, WI. He was 60. A former priest who taught at the University of Wisconsin for 25 years, the sociologist was best known for demographic studies charting the decline of the Catholic priesthood. His final book, Goodbye Father: Celibacy and Patriarchy in the Catholic Church, will be published this year. Survivors include his wife, Judith; two sons; a daughter; eight brothers; and two sisters.
Steven A. O'Brien, AM'74, a vice-president of Family Service Centers of South Cook County, died March 16 of a heart attack at age 45. He had joined the agency in 1989 as a psychotherapist and clinical coordinator. Previously he had worked at the Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois and at Northwestern, and was a founding member of Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS). He is survived by two brothers, Kerry and Neil.
Lee Szyska Laney, AB'75, a teacher and author in Silver Spring, MD, died March 6 of cancer. She was 42. A medical student at George Washington University at the time of her death, she is survived by her husband, Orin; a son; a daughter; her parents; a brother; and a sister.
Peggy Kramer Nathan, AM'75, a clinical social worker, died March 18 at her Highland Park, IL, home. She was 71. Besides having a private practice, she was on staff at the VA Hospital in North Chicago, established a support group for wives of Alzheimer's disease patients, and led a hospice support group for veterans' families. She is survived by her husband, Lionel M. Nathan, CLA'78; a son, Walter R. Nathan, AM'75; a daughter; and three grandchildren.
Richard H. Peiser, AM'76, a research librarian for North West Educational Cooperative Library in Des Plaines, IL, died February 19 in a car accident after suffering a heart attack while driving. The Arlington Heights resident was 50. Before joining the library staff 15 years ago, he was a librarian at Emory and Chicago. Survivors include his mother, Edith, and a sister, Ruth.
James D. Pitts, MBA'79, retired vice-president of public affairs for Peoples Gas, Light & Coke, died at his Woodlawn home March 11. He was 57. Instrumental in the "Add a Dollar" program that helps needy families with their heat bills, he joined Peoples Gas as a clerk in 1956. He was active in organizations such as the Mental Health Association of Greater Chicago and the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission of the State of Illinois. Survivors include his wife, Gloria, and a stepson.
James J. Jarrell, MBA'82, an engineer with the Natural Gas Pipeline Company, died January 31 at age 58. The Libertyville, IL, resident is survived by his wife, Carol; a son; a sister; and a brother.