Alumni Clubs:

FACULTY

Andrew M. Boxer, AM’83, PhD’90, assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the U of C’s Evelyn Hooker Center for Gay and Lesbian Mental Health, died of lung cancer January 13. He was 46. Boxer studied adolescent mental-health issues, particularly the social, sexual, and psychological challenges facing homosexual youths. With Gilbert Herdt, he wrote the 1993 book, Children of Horizons: How Gay and Lesbian Youth Are Leading a New Way Out of the Closet. On the board of Horizons Community Services, he posthumously received the group’s 1999 Humans First Award. Survivors include his partner, Monte Hetland; his mother; and two sisters.

Henrietta M. Herbolsheimer, SB’36, MD’38, associate professor emerita at the Pritzker School of Medicine, died March 22 in Chicago at age 86. Herbolsheimer worked at the Illinois Department of Health for ten years before joining the U of C in 1951. She was director of student health at University Hospitals from 1955 to 1964. Retiring in 1980 to direct the Chicago Health Department’s adult health and occupational medicine programs, she received the Benjamin Rush Award from the American Medical Association in 1985. Survivors include a sister, Catherine Herbolsheimer Hoobler, SB’38.

Daniel J. Pachman, former instructor of pediatrics at the Pritzker School of Medicine, died March 20 in Chicago at age 87. Pachman taught at Pritzker from 1937 to 1940 after interning at the U of C. A WWII veteran, he chaired pediatric departments at several Chicago-area hospitals and taught at local medical schools. He is survived by his wife, Vivian; two daughters, Lauren M. Pachman, MD’61, and Grace Pachman Allison, MAT’69, JD’79; and three grandchildren.

James W. Ryan, associate professor of clinical radiology and medicine, died February 2 of cancer in Chicago. He was 64. An expert in detection of cancer regrowth, Ryan wrote some 30 articles and book chapters and was a founding member of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. The retired Army Reserves colonel served in Panama in the 1960s and earned a Bronze Star in the Persian Gulf. He had been chief of nuclear medicine at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Fort Howard, MD, and taught at the University of Maryland Hospital before coming to the U of C in 1978. Ryan is survived by his wife, Diana, and a sister.

Fritz Schlenk, former professor of biochemistry, died July 6, 1998, in Downers Grove, IL, at age 88. Schlenk was on the faculty at Chicago and a research associate at Argonne National Laboratory from 1954 to 1974, later joining the University of Illinois at Chicago. He specialized in the study of transamination, an enzyme reaction that indicates tissue damage to the heart and liver after a heart attack or organ failure. He retired in 1985. Survivors include his wife, Tilde; a daughter; a brother; and a grandson.

Winfield S. Smith, a former lecturer at the Graduate School of Business, died February 12 in Hyde Park at age 75. Smith was an economist for the Federal Reserve Bank before joining the GSB—where he also was associate editor of the Journal of Business—in 1959. He retired in 1976. A lover of Gilbert & Sullivan, he was president, technical director, and producer of Hyde Park’s Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company. Survivors include a son, a daughter, a half-brother, and a half-sister.

Jack Tanzman, X’45, former assistant professor of social work, died February 24 in Phoenix at age 83. Tanzman was a psychiatric social worker at Great Lakes Naval Hospital before teaching at Chicago during the 1950s. He also had a private practice in social work. He is survived by his wife, Mary Tanzman, AM’63; a son; a daughter; two brothers; a sister; and two grandchildren.

Leonard M. Weinstein, AB’37, clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at the Pritzker School of Medicine from 1984 to 1989, died April 9 in Chicago. He was 83. Weinstein, a WWII veteran, practiced at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center for more than 50 years. He also taught orthopedic surgery at Northwestern and the University of Illinois at Chicago. A former president of the Chicago Orthopedic Society, he had a private practice in the city until the early 1990s. Survivors include his wife, Arlene; a daughter; and three grandchildren.

Walter Wild, senior research associate in the astronomy department, died January 11 in Chicago of heart disease. He was 44. Wild researched adaptive optics at a military laboratory before joining the U of C in 1991. A designer of software that could improve telescopes’ image resolution through the use of adaptive optics, he also studied Einstein’s theory of relativity, gamma rays, and celestial mechanics. He is survived by his wife, Krystina; a son; and his mother.

FRIENDS

Dorothy Jean Barker MacLean, an advocate of higher education for whom the University’s MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics was named, died February 24 in Chicago at age 93. MacLean, a Wyoming schoolteacher in the 1920s and a member of the Winnetka, IL, school board in the 1940s and 1950s, also funded programs at Smith College, Dartmouth College, and Colorado College. Survivors include two sons, David and Barry, and 11 grandchildren.

1920s

Janet Lewis, PhB’20, a writer of poetry, short stories, children’s books, novels, and opera librettos, died November 30 in Los Altos, CA, at age 99. Lewis, who published poetry in every decade of the century, began as a poet of the imagist school, but soon branched into other areas of literature, writing a collection of short stories and three historical novels. One of her novels, The Wife of Martin Guerre, inspired an opera, for which Lewis penned the libretto. She is survived by a daughter, a son, and three grandchildren.

David L. Sternfield, PhB’27, died August 27, 1998, in Schaumburg, IL, at age 94. Sternfield, a WWII veteran, owned a series of restaurants in Chicago, including David’s Inn, before retiring in 1972. He is survived by his son, Bruce.

Ida Brevad DePencier, PhB’28, AM’50, a retired Laboratory Schools teacher, died November 11, 1998, in Cape Coral, FL, at age 105. DePencier, who won a 1996 Alumni Service Citation, taught fifth grade at the Lab Schools from 1925 to 1958. She became a docent at the Oriental Institute Museum in 1970. DePencier wrote The History of the Laboratory Schools, published in 1967, which was the basis for the 1996 book she co-wrote, Experiencing Education, 100 Years of Learning at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. She is survived by her niece, Dorothy Burhans.

Marion A. Budinger, PhB’29, a retired elementary school principal, died April 7 in Alsip, IL, at age 91. Budinger taught in the Chicago public schools from 1930 to 1952 before becoming principal of Gladstone Elementary School and Ethan Allen Branch School, retiring in 1972. Budinger also taught religious classes at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. She is survived by a nephew and a niece.

1930s

Francis S. Wilson Jr., PhB’30, a retired investment banker, died March 31 in Lake Forest, IL, at age 92. Wilson was the midwestern analyst for Standard & Poor’s, became executive vice president of H. M. Byllesby and Co., and ended his career with Woolard and Co. He retired in 1978 and served on the boards of Planned Parenthood, the Association House of Chicago, and the Traveler’s Aid Society. He is survived by his wife, Kathryn A. Wilson, PhB’20; four sons; and nine grandchildren.

Benjamin M. Brodsky, PhB’31, JD’33, a retired tax attorney and former managing partner at the law firm of Gottlieb and Schwartz, died January 5 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, at age 88. After stints with the Public Works Administration, the Treasury Department, the IRS, the Justice Department, and the Judge Advocate General’s Department, Brodsky joined Gottlieb and Schwartz in 1946, retiring in 1984. He is survived by his wife, Erika; three daughters; and seven grandchildren.

Walter D. Herrick, PhB’31, a retired attorney specializing in wills and estates, died January 30 in La Grange Park, IL, at age 89. Herrick had represented the city of Oak Park and the Oak Park Board of Education and worked at the law firm of Herrick, Peregrine, Towle, and Howie. He retired in 1986. Herrick was active in the Oak Park Community Chest and the First Congregational Church of Oak Park. He is survived by his wife, Ruth; a son; a daughter; and two sisters.

Hertsell S. Conway, SB’32, PhD’37, died January 11 in Munster, IN, at age 84. An associate editor of Chem Abstracts, Conway was a research chemist and head of information services at the American Oil Company for 30 years. A teacher at Temple Beth-El in Hammond, IN, he volunteered for Hadassah and the Oriental Institute. He is survived by a son, a daughter, and five grandchildren, including Naomi S. Jacobs, AB’94.

Gertrude Dempster Davis, PhB’32, a retired elementary and junior-high school teacher in Hazel Crest, IL, died January 24 in Olympia Fields, IL. She was 88. Davis was active in the Illinois Education Association and volunteered at a local residence for the mentally ill. She is survived by a son and a daughter.

Jessamine M. Durante, PhB’32, a former vice president of Harris Bank in Chicago, died April 6 in Hilton Head, SC, at age 88. Hired as a secretary, Durante became the bank’s first female vice president and pioneered banking services for women, especially widows, before retiring in the 1970s. Survivors include her niece, Cynthia Desmond.

William M. Batten, X’34, former chair of the New York Stock Exchange and former chair and chief executive of the J. C. Penney Company, died January 22 in Hilton Head, SC. He was 89. A WWII veteran, Batten began his career at Penney’s, rising to president and chief executive in 1958. He chaired the company from 1964 to 1974. Leading the New York Stock Exchange from 1976 to 1984, he oversaw a $70 million renovation of the exchange floor and the installation of electronic equipment that tripled daily trading capacity. Survivors include his wife, Kathryn; a son; a daughter; a sister; and two grandchildren.

Theodore A. Fox, SB’37, MD’37, former team physician for the Chicago Bears, died March 28 in Evanston, IL, at age 86. A WWII veteran, Fox was the team’s doctor for 31 years, until 1978. He also practiced orthopedic medicine at Illinois Masonic Hospital and taught orthopedic surgery at the University of Illinois. Survivors include his wife, Marcella; two daughters; two sisters; and three grandchildren.

Hope Petersen Hooe Stepan, AB’37, JD’40, died February 12 in Chicago at age 83. Stepan served as assistant to the legal attaché in the American embassy in Costa Rica before becoming an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago. Stepan was also active in civic, legal, and arts organizations. She is survived by a son; a sister, Lois Petersen Collor, PhB’35; and two grandchildren.

Lewis B. Hamity, AB’39, a former Chicago Bears player, died February 22 in Winnetka, IL, at age 81. Hamity played on the 1941 NFL championship team before becoming a salesman for Phil Maid Lingerie. Later the WWII veteran bought Mapes and Sprowl Steel, serving first as president, then as chair from 1990 until his death. He is survived by his wife, Iris; a son; two daughters; and six grandchildren.

Toyse T. Kato, AB’39, died March 12 in Riverdale, UT, at age 83. Kato, a farmer and operator of a trucking business that shipped local produce to wholesalers, was a former board member of the Riverdale Irrigation and Canal System and past president of the Japanese American Citizens League. Survivors include his wife, Maxie; a daughter; a brother; three sisters; and three grandsons.

Irving B. Slutsky, SB’39, SM’41, former executive vice chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, died April 9 in Evanston, IL, at age 80. A WWII veteran, Slutsky began teaching chemistry at Wright College in 1946 before becoming the school’s registrar and then the president of Crane College—now Malcolm X College. As executive vice chancellor, he oversaw the development of seven Chicago college campuses. He is survived by his wife, Bette Coleman Slutsky, SB’45, SM’46; a son, Michael H. Slutsky, JD’76; a sister; and four grandchildren.

Morris Tish, AB’39, AM’40, professor of English and journalism, died February 8 in Skokie, IL, at age 80. Tish, a WWII veteran, taught at the City Colleges of Chicago for 44 years. He taught Shakespeare and poetry on Channel 11’s T.V. College for 12 years. Tish was a nationally ranked table-tennis player and a gold life master in duplicate bridge. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne Harris Tish, AB’51; two sons; a sister; and four grandchildren.
James Weishaus, SB’39, founder and former medical director of the Day Treatment Clinic at Northridge Hospital in the San Fernando Valley, died June 21, 1998, in Studio City, CA. He was 79. Weishaus, a veteran of WWII and the Korean War, maintained a private practice in couples therapy and psychopharmacology until his death. He is survived by his wife, Sylvia Silverstein Weishaus, AB’42; two sons; three sisters; and a grandson.

1940s

Bernard M. Abraham, SB’40, PhD’46, a retired physicist, died February 26 in Oak Park, IL, at age 80. Abraham worked on the Manhattan Project and joined Argonne National Laboratory in 1947, inventing a process to produce tritium for the hydrogen bomb. Abraham spent much of his career at Argonne and as a research professor at Northwestern University. He was an Oak Park village trustee and past president of the school board. Survivors include his wife, Annabel; two sons, including Daniel E. Abraham, AB’74; a daughter, Abigail Abraham, JD’92; a sister; and two grandchildren.

Helen Lasker Stout, AM’40, a social worker, writer, and artist, died February 26 in Seattle at age 89. Stout was a social worker for the Children’s Home Society in Seattle from 1955 to 1974. She then wrote and illustrated six self-published books, illustrated a book of poetry, and exhibited her paintings and prints. Stout also volunteered for the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. She is survived by two sons, David and Peter Gilmartin.

Charlotte Hilton Lyons, X’43, died December 24, 1997, in Washington, DC, at age 96. Lyons taught art and art history in Chicago and Massachusetts, and she held more than two dozen art exhibits of her prints, which were recognized in 1992 as a “National Treasure” by the Cambridge Art Association. She is survived by a daughter, Irene Lyons Berns, AB’48; a son, Philip B. Lyons, AB’53, AB’61, AM’63, PhD’71; and three grandchildren.

John F. Deters, SM’45, former chair of Valparaiso University’s chemistry department, died March 31 in Shakopee, MN, at age 83. A research chemist with the Standard Oil Company from 1939 to 1954, he retired from Valparaiso in 1981. A longtime elder of Valparaiso’s First Presbyterian Church, he is survived by his wife, Ruth Ketler Deters, AM’33, SM’43; two sons; a daughter; a sister; and seven grandchildren.

George W. McGurn, LLM’46, of Wheaton, IL, died February 6 at age 84. A WWII veteran, McGurn retired from the Army Reserves as a colonel in 1966. He was chief counsel of the Illinois Toll Highway Commission from 1958 to 1964. McGurn specialized in transportation and construction issues at the law firm he founded in 1964, Healey and McGurn. He retired in 1981. Survivors include his wife, Antoinette; two sons; two stepsons; four daughters; and 17 grandchildren.

1950s

William D. Alton, AB’51, former director of University Theater at Chicago, died March 22, 1998, in New York City. President of Alton Films, Alton was an actor, director, and teacher who also taught drama at Bennington and Sarah Lawrence Colleges. He was a founding member and director with Second City and Playwrights Theater in Chicago.

Cyrus C. DeCoster, AM’40, PhD’51, former chair of Northwestern University’s Spanish and Portuguese department, died January 29 in Evanston, IL, at age 84. DeCoster, a WWII veteran, taught at Carleton College and chaired the Romance languages department at the University of Kansas. He taught Spanish at Northwestern from 1969 until his retirement in 1985, specializing in 19th- and 20th-century peninsula Spanish literature. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; three sons; a daughter, a sister; and three grandchildren.

Bess House Hopkins, X’51, died of cancer January 16 in Cambridge, MA, at age 66. Hopkins worked as a paralegal, a real-estate agent, and an assistant to cooking expert Julia Child on the television show The French Chef. She is survived by three sons, a daughter, a sister, and six grandchildren.

Fumi Yamamoto, AB’51, died January 9 in Champaign-Urbana, IL, at age 76. An editor, Yamamoto rewrote classic plays for children.

Alfred D. (“Al”) Remson, AB’56, PhD’63, of Bucks County, PA, died of a heart attack December 8 at age 64. Remson worked with Benton & Bowles Advertising Agency and the Chicago Tribune market research department before becoming a New York–based consultant. He was an ardent supporter of theater who volunteered time and skill in the marketing of Off-Broadway productions. Survivors include his wife, Alverne, and two sons.

C. David Peebles, JD’59, a retired attorney, died January 3 in Fort Wayne, IN, at age 64. Peebles co-wrote four volumes of West’s Indiana Practice. He is survived by his wife, Donna; a son; and two daughters.

1970s

Sergei P. Ignashev, AM’76, acting head of the cataloging department at the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), died May 27, 1998, in Chicago from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He was 60. Ignashev was a linguistics and literature bibliographer who translated many works between the Tagalog and Russian languages before emigrating from the Soviet Union to the United States. He joined the CRL in 1975. Survivors include his wife, Diane Nemec Ignashev, AM’76, PhD’84, and a sister.

1980s

Stephen Diamond, AB’83, artistic director of the Discovery Theatre at the Smithsonian Institute, died February 26 of neuroendocrine cancer. He was 37. Diamond was managing director of the Tree House at the Philadelphia Zoo before joining the Smithsonian in 1994. He was also active in the International Museum Theatre Alliance. Survivors include his wife, Marie-Elise, and a son.

1990s

Stanley Owens, MBA’94, former chair of Mayor Richard J. Daley’s Advisory Commission on School Board Nominations, died March 1 in Chicago at age 85. Owens worked for Mesirow & Co. in the 1930s before moving to Continental Coffee Co.—now CFS Continental Inc.—where he became vice chair of the board of directors, retiring in 1984. Owens was a former president of the Boone Elementary School PTA and his synagogue, Emmanuel Congregation. He is survived by a son, a daughter, and four grandchildren