Deaths: Faculty

Edward C. Banfield, AM'50, PhD'51, former faculty member and opinion maker on urban--policy issues, died September 30 in Vermont. He was 83. Banfield was a professor emeritus of government at Harvard University, noted for his sharp criticism of mainstream liberal domestic policy, particularly federal aid for the urban poor. Survivors include his wife, Laura Fasano; a daughter; a son; and four grandchildren.

Jerald C. Brauer, PhD'48, a theologian and former Divinity School dean, died September 26 in Chicago. He was 78. An ordained Lutheran minister and an authority on Puritanism and the history of Christianity in America, Brauer served on the faculty for 49 years, retiring in 1991. He wrote and edited numerous books. Survivors include his wife, Muriel; a daughter; two sons, including Christopher N. Brauer, AM'77; and four grandchildren.

Michael Danos, a visiting scholar at the Enrico Fermi Institute, died August 30 in Washington, DC. He was 77. A physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology for 40 years, Danos also founded the Rayex Co., where he developed high--power X--ray tubes for small CAT scanners. In 1990, he became a visiting scholar at the U of C, retiring in 1994. Survivors include his wife, Sheila Fitzpatrick, a distinguished service professor in history at the U of C; two daughters; a son; two brothers; and two grandchildren.

Earl A. Evans, professor emeritus and former chair of biochemistry and molecular biology, died October 5 in Chicago at age 89. Regarded as a magnanimous leader and scientific pioneer, Evans contributed to modern molecular biology with his study of radioactive isotopes. At 21, he completed the first part of a 15--year process to identify the amino acids that make up protein. After joining the U of C in 1937, he proved that animals, like photosynthetic plants, could use carbon dioxide for carbohydrates. Evans retired in 1980, after publishing more than 90 research papers and receiving numerous honors. He is survived by a son and a great niece.

Nathaniel Kleitman, PhD'23, a sleep researcher and retired professor emeritus of psychology, died August 13 in Los Angeles at age 104. In 1953, Kleitman and his associates identified the period of sleep known as REM, rapid eye movement. His cumulative studies on sleep deprivation established sleep research as a separate and important medical field. He is survived by two daughters.

J. John Sepkoski Jr., a paleontologist and professor of geophysical sciences, died May 1 of heart failure in Chicago. He was 50. In 1984, Sepkoski attracted national attention for his conclusion that mass extinctions strike every 26 million years. Sepkoski made other important discoveries illuminating the fossil record. Survivors include his wife, Christine M. Janis; his son, David C. Sepkoski, AM'96; his father; and two sisters.

Mildred Thurston, a retired professor of education, died in Indianapolis on July 19. She was 93. Thurston organized the Children's Center at the American Baptist Assembly in Greenlake, WI, serving on the board of directors for 39 years. She taught childhood education at various institutions for more than 40 years, including the Dalton School, Indiana University, and the University of Chicago. Survivors include one nephew and three nieces.

Robert G. Sachs, a theoretical physicist and former director of the Argonne National Laboratory and the Enrico Fermi Institute, died April 14 in Chicago at age 82. Sachs helped establish Argonne and studied asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the universe, and the physics of time reversal. Sachs also created the division of particles and fields at the American Physical Society. Survivors include his wife, Carolyn; three daughters; two sons; three stepchildren; and 14 grandchildren.

Tang Tsou, AM'45, PhD'51, a professor emeritus in political science, died August 7 in Hyde Park. He was 80. An expert on modern China, Tsou was an independent thinker who was often at odds with leaders in the U.S., China, and Taiwan. He wrote six books on Chinese politics, and was named an honorary professor at Beijing University in 1986 and an honorary member of the Chinese Academy of the Social Sciences in 1997. Tsou is survived by his wife, Yi--Chuang Lu, AM'42, PhD'50.

Radovan H. Zak, a professor in medicine; neurobiology, pharmacology and physicology; and organismal biology and anatomy, died September 21 in Chicago at age 68. Zak's research concerned the abnormal growth and thickening of the heart wall that can result from high blood pressure or partial aortal blockage. He joined the U of C faculty in 1965, winning both the Quantrell award and the University's Gold Key award in 1989. He is survived by his wife, Emilia; two sons; and one grandson.