Faculty and staff

Willard G. Manning Jr. died November 25 in Brookfield, IL. He was 68. Manning taught at the University from 1997 until his retirement in 2011, both at Chicago Harris and in the Biological Sciences Division. His research in health economics focused on how costs and insurance coverage affect demand for health care. He was well known for his work on the RAND Health Insurance Experiment, an eight-year study of alternative insurance plans. He is survived by his wife, Erika; two daughters; and two grandchildren.

Martin Riesebrodt died December 6 of cancer in Berlin, Germany. He was 66. Professor emeritus of the sociology of religion in the Divinity School and Department of Sociology, Riesebrodt joined the University’s faculty in 1990. His work emphasized the value of looking across different religions and spiritual traditions to find larger insights about the relationship between religion and society. He was internationally recognized for his expertise on German sociologist Max Weber. In retirement, he taught at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland. He is survived by his wife, Brigitte, and a son.

Michael R. Sosin, AB’72, died November 25 after an extended illness. He was 64. Named the Emily Klein Gidwitz Professor at the School of Social Service Administration in 1997, Sosin was part of the SSA faculty for a total of 26 years. His research focused on the issues of homelessness, substance abuse services, and poverty in cities. He was especially interested in the relationship between social institutions and underprivileged clients. Sosin was the editor of the well-respected Social Service Review from 1998 to 2014, the oldest scholarly journal in the field. He is survived by his sister.

Donald Steiner, SM’56, MD’56, died November 11 in Chicago. He was 84. The A. N. Pritzker Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in Medicine and in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Steiner had been a member of the University faculty since 1960. He is widely known for discovering that the body creates insulin not from two protein chains but from one, which he called proinsulin. This discovery led to a deeper understanding of how the body produces and processes insulin and other hormones, as well as advances in diabetes research and treatments. Steiner won many national and international awards for his work and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. In 2014 he was awarded the University of Chicago Alumni Association’s Alumni Medal. He is survived by a niece and nephew.

1930s

Margaret (Ridgely) Dalby, PhB’35, died in Hobart, IN, on September 8. She was 100. Dalby taught elementary school English until her marriage in 1940; later she was an avid volunteer for organizations that included the Gary (IN) Junior Assembly, the Beta Rho chapter of Tri-Kappa, Gary St. Mary’s Mercy Hospital Junior League, and St. Mary’s Medical Center Auxiliary in Hobart. She is survived by two daughters, five sons, six granddaughters, five grandsons, and seven great-grandchildren.

Cynthia M. Grabo, LAB’32, AB’36, AM’41, died August 17 in Springfield, VA. She was 98. Recruited in 1942 by US Army Intelligence, Grabo worked as an intelligence analyst in Latin America and the Soviet Union; later she served on the US Watch Committee and its successor the Strategic Warning Staff. For her contributions, she was awarded the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Exceptional Civilian Service Medal. She is survived by two nieces, including Cynthia (Moyer) Turner, EX’70; two nephews, including Michael R. Moyer, AB’87; two great-nieces; and two great-nephews.

1940s

Colin Gordon Thomas Jr., SB’40, MD’43, died September 2 in Chapel Hill, NC. He was 96. A US Army veteran, Thomas spent more than 60 years on the faculty of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, serving as chair of its department of surgery and chief of its division of general surgery. A renowned surgeon, researcher, and teacher, he developed innovative methods for intestinal and endocrine surgeries and authored 165 scholarly articles. Thomas received the Medical and Biological Sciences Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 1982. He is survived by two daughters, two sons, three granddaughters, a grandson, and two great-grandchildren.

Donald Wollett, AB’41, died September 23 on Whidbey Island, WA. He was 95. Wollett served in the US Navy during WW II and went on to practice and teach labor and constitutional law, serve as a salary arbitrator for Major League Baseball, and arbitrate more than 3,000 labor grievances. He was the author of Getting on Base: Unionism in Baseball (2008) and coauthor of Dog Law (2013). Survivors include a son, two granddaughters, and one grandson.

Eugene Pomerance, SB’42, MBA’47, died September 10 in Lombard, IL. He was 92. A WW II veteran, Pomerance had a long career in marketing research, retiring as worldwide director of marketing services for Foote, Cone & Belding. He then studied landscape design and worked in that field in DuPage County and Chicago; he also served on the boards of local and national organizations devoted to parks and conservation. He is survived by two daughters, a son, a sister, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. His wife, Virginia “Ginny” (Lus) Pomerance, EX’45, died in 2011.

Abdul Kayeum, AM’43, AM’48, died September 5, 2012, in Derwood, MD. He was 93. A native of Afghanistan, Kayeum was a leader and advocate for many modernization efforts in the country. He was the head of a large agricultural and hydroelectric public works project there modeled on America’s Tennessee Valley Authority, and when he rose to cabinet-level positions in the Afghan government, he pushed for greater access to education and more rights for women. He is survived by his wife, Joan Kayeum, AM’47; four daughters; one son; and five grandchildren.

Marjory (Mather) Greene, LAB’44, PhB’46, died September 23 in Batavia, IL. She was 87. When she lived in Aurora, IL, and Santa Fe, NM, Greene was an active volunteer in community organizations that included the YWCA, American Association of University Women, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, and Minerva Coterie Literary Society. She was also a gardener and arts patron. She is survived by her husband, William Alexander Greene, MBA’57; two daughters; a son; three granddaughters; and six grandsons.

Howard Holtzer, SB’47, PhD’52, of Philadelphia, died November 5. He was 92. A developmental biologist, Holtzer was best known for his research on inductive signals between tissues and communication between cells during development. He joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania’s anatomy department in 1953 and remained active in the department until a few years before his death. He is survived by his wife, Sybil Holtzer, PhD’55.

Glen Lindahl, AB’47, of Dubuque, IA, died October 29. He was 95. Lindahl served in the US Army Air Forces during WW II and, after graduating from the University, worked for several financial companies as a claims adjuster. He was passionate about music and played in a number of bands throughout his life. He is survived by three daughters, one son, a sister, a brother, two granddaughters, two grandsons, and seven great-grandchildren.

Werner Zimmt, PhB’47, SB’47, SM’49, PhD’51, died September 12 in Tucson, AZ. He was 93. A WW II veteran, he worked for 34 years as a chemist at DuPont in Philadelphia. After retiring in 1984, Zimmt was an adjunct professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering at the University of Arizona and a museum fellow at the Arizona State Museum. Survivors include two daughters, one son, six grandchildren, three step-daughters, four step-grandchildren, and four step-great-grandchildren.

Irving Rimer, AM’47, died October 14 in Chapel Hill, NC. He was 93. A public information executive with the American Cancer Society for more than 30 years, Rimer was an advocate of reduced smoking rates in the United States and a champion of using public service announcements on TV to change health behaviors. In retirement, Rimer helped start the annual Celebration of Life reunion for burn survivors at the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Health Care. He is survived by three daughters, a granddaughter, and a grandson.

Gordon C. Tullock, JD’47, died November 3 in Des Moines, IA. He was 92. Tullock is best known for his work in economics—he coauthored The Calculus of Consent (1962), considered a founding text of public choice theory. He also developed the theory now known as rent seeking and formulated the Tullock Paradox. He taught at numerous universities throughout his career, most recently at George Mason University. He is survived by a sister.

Clarence Roger Anderson, SB’48, MBA’50, of State College, PA, died April 5. He was 90. A veteran of both the Army Reserve Corps and the US Air Force, he received two Air Force Commendation Medals and the Department of Defense Meritorious Service Medal. After retiring from the military, Anderson worked at Business Management Associates in Oakton, VA, as a senior consultant and a member of its board of directors. Survivors include a daughter, a son, a granddaughter, and three grandsons.

1950s

Edward Alan Wolpert, AB’50, AM’54, PhD’59, MD’60, died November 2 in Scottsdale, AZ. He was 84. A psychiatrist and the former director of clinical services at the Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, Wolpert had also been associate professor at the Pritzker School of Medicine. He is considered a pioneer in the use of lithium to treat manic depression and was a past president of the Illinois Psychiatric Society in Chicago. Survivors include three sons and four grandchildren.

Sheldon Patinkin, LAB’50, AB’53, AM’56, died September 21 in Chicago. He was 79. A writer, director, and teacher who influenced generations of actors and comedians, Patinkin cofounded the Playwrights Theatre Club in Hyde Park in the early 1950s and went on to direct many shows at Second City and Steppenwolf Theatre Company, whose theater school he helped establish. He chaired the theater department at Columbia College Chicago for nearly 30 years. Survivors include a sister, Ida Goldberger, AB’46, and a brother.

Michael “Mike” Nichols, EX’53, died November 19 in New York City. He was 83. An acclaimed director, producer, and actor, Nichols is one of a dozen or so people to have won an Oscar, Tony, Emmy, and Grammy. He is best known for directing films including The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Primary Colors, as well as Broadway classics such as Barefoot in the Park and Death of a Salesman. He directed his first play at the University of Chicago and performed with the Compass Players in Hyde Park, the forerunner to the Second City. He is survived by his wife, news anchor Diane Sawyer; two daughters; a son; a brother; and four grandchildren, including Saskia D. Jensen, ’16.

Elin (Ballantyne) Christianson, AB’58, AM’61, died June 25 in Hobart, IN. She was 77. She began her career as the editor of the Hobart Herald and later became head librarian at the J. Walter Thompson Company, an adjunct lecturer at UChicago’s Graduate Library School, and an assistant professor at the library school of Indiana University. Christianson was the president of the Hobart Historical Society for 33 years. She is survived by her husband, Stanley B. Christianson, MBA’60; a daughter; a son, David Christianson, SB’93; and two sisters.

Suzanne (Vietorisz) Klinghammer, AB’57, of San Diego, CA, died March 20, 2013. She was 80. With her husband—biologist Erich Klinghammer, AB’58, PhD’62—she founded Wolf Park, a research and educational facility in Battle Ground, IN. After earning a law degree from Indiana University, Klinghammer practiced tax and estate law for 23 years in Indiana and taught a course at Purdue University on legal and financial information for women. She is survived by a daughter and three sisters, including Erika Vietorisz Nadas, AB’73. Her husband died in 2011.

William Scott, AB’52, of Lawrence, KS, died August 12. He was 82. Scott was a professor of English at the University of Kansas for more than 55 years, specializing in the works of Shakespeare. He was also well known for his involvement with the American Association of University Professors and for his work on faculty rights. He is survived by a daughter, a son, a granddaughter, and a grandson.

Jack M. Siegel, AM’48, JD’51, of Wilmette, IL, died September 23. He was 88. A US Navy veteran, Siegel was an expert in municipal law who served for more than 50 years as attorney for numerous Illinois suburban municipalities and appeared twice before the US Supreme Court on behalf of towns he represented. He worked most recently as counsel at the Chicago office of Holland & Knight. Survivors include his wife, Jeanne; a daughter, Julie (Siegel) Halpern, AB’78; a son; and three grandchildren.

Joseph Maheras, SB’59, of Billings, MT, died January 10, 2014. He was 76. A Vietnam-era veteran who served as a brigade surgeon, Maheras went on to a long career as a board-certified internist in the Billings area. He enjoyed outdoor activities and volunteered for the Boy Scouts of America for many years; he was also an accomplished musician and singer. He is survived by his wife, Mary; a daughter; two sons; three sisters; a brother; and three grandsons.

1960s

Emil H. Vajda, AM’52, PhD’60, of Marquette, MI, died September 23. He was 88. A WW II veteran, Vajda spent 35 years teaching sociology at Northern Michigan University, where he served as the sociology department’s first chair and retired as professor emeritus. He volunteered frequently on local government committees and for nonprofit organizations including the Boy Scouts and the League of Women Voters. Survivors include three sons, a sister, a granddaughter, and three grandsons.

George H. Landis, MBA’60, of Naples, FL, died October 28. He was 87. Landis began his career in management in 1950 with Carson, Pirie, Scott, and Company. In 1992 he retired from Mid-America Federal Savings Bank near Chicago where he had worked as a bank officer and manager of the loan servicing operations. He is survived by a daughter, a son, and five grandchildren.

Alan Boughner, AB’61, of Indian Head Park, IL, died June 27. He was 75. He spent most of his career in data processing and technology, including many years with Budget Rent-a-Car. Boughner studied philosophy with vigor in retirement. He is survived by two daughters; a brother, Martin Boughner, AB’68; and a granddaughter.

Judith Lilly, AM’61, died October 23. She was 79. An English and social studies teacher, Lilly also managed her own income tax business. She enjoyed entertaining, music, traveling, reading, and volunteering in numerous community organizations. She is survived by her husband, Frederick Lilly, MBA’67; a daughter; a son; and two grandchildren.

Paul R. Libby, PhD’62, died July 31 in Tonawanda, NY. He was 79. A biochemist, he spent most of his career as a cancer researcher at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY. He enjoyed gardening and was an American Contract Bridge Association Gold Life Master. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Libby, AB’60; three sons, including Kenneth A. Libby, AB’82; and three granddaughters.

Roland J. Bailey, MBA’63, died April 22 in Chicago. He was 98. Bailey retired in 1982 as the manager of hospital budget operations for the University of Chicago Hospitals. Cofounder of the Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company in 1960, he served as its music director for 25 years. He was also a volunteer board member for organizations including Chicago Commons and the Hyde Park Historical Society. Survivors include his wife, Helen; a daughter, Katherine Linehan, LAB’61, AB’65; two sons, Stephen Bailey, AB’60, PhD’66, and Thomas Bailey, LAB’60; seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and two stepsons.

Robert B. Fisher, MBA’64, of Northbrook, IL, died September 19. He was 83. A US Air Force communications officer, Fisher held a degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Illinois in addition to his UChicago degree. He is survived by two sons and a sister.

Ernesto Fontaine, AM’58, PhD’64, of Santiago, Chile, died January 21. He was 79. Fontaine was one of the “Chicago Boys,” a group of economists, mostly from Chile, who trained under Milton Friedman, AM’33, and Arnold Harberger, AM’47, PhD’50. A professor emeritus of economics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Fontaine also served as a consultant to the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Organization of American States. He is survived by two daughters and a son.

Frederick Williams Laing Jr., MBA’64, of Hillsdale, NY, died September 15. He was 78. A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Laing retired as a major in the Air Force in 1979 and began raising fish and growing produce at his White Oak Farm in Hillsdale. An accomplished musician, he played multiple instruments and served as music director of the River Bank Banjo Band for more than 25 years. Survivors include his wife, Sally; a daughter; two sons; a sister; and eight grandchildren.

Mary Ethel Steger, AM’65, of Lansing, IL, died June 5. She was 86. Steger was a longtime guidance counselor and teacher in the south suburbs of Chicago. She is survived by a brother.

Nicholas Vick, MD’65, died October 2 in Evanston, IL. He was 74. Vick was well-known for his research on brain tumors and treatment options. He was the former chair of the neurology department at NorthShore Evanston Hospital, where he founded a regional clinical neuro-oncology program in the 1970s. He also taught medical students at UChicago and at Northwestern University. At Northwestern, he spent 31 years on the faculty and received the school’s outstanding teacher award nine times. He is survived by his wife, Lois; three sons, including Stephen Vick, AM’99; a sister; four granddaughters; and a grandson.

Joseph M. Scoblic, MBA’66, of New York City, died June 16. He was 74. He was a US Army veteran who spent four decades working for the bank now known as Citigroup, retiring as a managing director in 2004. Scoblic was a skilled carpenter and a world traveler who loved visiting America’s national parks. Survivors include his wife, Barbara; two sons; and a grandson.

Herbert H. Kemp Jr., MBA’68, died August 10 in Fort Myers, FL. He was 81. During the Korean War, Kemp enlisted in the US Navy, serving on submarines and aircraft carriers. After selling computer systems for IBM and working as an information technology consultant at Touche Ross, he spent 30 years as chief information officer at the DoALL Company, a manufacturer of industrial saw blades. He is survived by his wife, Sandy; two sons; two granddaughters; and two grandsons.

1970s

Daniel James Donahue, MBA’71, died October 21 in Pacific Palisades, CA. He was 75. A US Army veteran, he headed the Army’s guerilla warfare training school in Korea in the early 1960s. Donahue worked at Merrill Lynch for 37 years before founding Fieldpoint Private Bank and Trust in Greenwich, CT, of which he was chairman emeritus. He volunteered for a number of nonprofit and community organizations. He is survived by his wife, Judy; a daughter; two sons; and seven grandchildren.

Marsden W. Longden, MBA’71, died October 4 in Evanston, IL. He was 71. A certified financial planner, Longden was passionate about folk dancing, which he performed and taught with his wife, Sanna, in Evanston and around the world for decades. He was also an accomplished tenor who performed with local theatrical and opera groups, including the North Shore Choral Society. Survivors include his wife, a stepdaughter, and a stepson.

Douglas Ray Mandell, AB’72, died April 4 of colon cancer in Poissy, France. He was 63. Mandell was an archivist at the Smithsonian Institution before moving to France in the late 1970s, where he worked as a computer engineer at Aérospatiale (now part of Airbus Group). For most of his career, Mandell was the quality control manager for the software that launched Ariane 4 rockets carrying communications, Earth observation, and scientific research satellites. In his final assignments he helped develop software for the Ariane 5 rocket and the Automated Transfer Vehicle that supplies the International Space Station. Away from work, Mandell wrote poetry and translated French poetry. His poem “Potter’s Song” won first prize in this magazine’s 2003 alumni poetry contest. He is survived by his wife, Rosemie Delay-Mandell; a son; and a sister.

Elizabeth Norment, EX’74, died of cancer October 13 in New York City. She was 61. A stage and screen actor who spent several seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, she also appeared in numerous television series. Her most recent role was that of Nancy Kaufberger on the Netflix series House of Cards. She is survived by her mother, three sisters, and a brother.

Philip M. Moore, MBA’76, of Aurora, IL, died September 2. He was 78. The former chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurse Association of Chicago, Moore also taught at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He was a devout Catholic who was active in the Knights of Columbus, an oblate of Marmion Abbey, and a trustee of Marmion Academy in Aurora. He is survived by his wife, Marian; three sons; a granddaughter; and seven grandsons.

1980s

Caryn Berman, AM’80, of Lincolnwood, IL, died of ovarian cancer September 1. She was 61. Berman, a psychotherapist and social worker, was a longtime leader in the Chicago LGBT community. As a public-health advocate, she was instrumental in creating policies, programs, and organizations to help people with HIV and AIDS. Berman was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1995. She is survived by her wife, Laura Cuzzillo, AB’76, MBA’88; a sister; and a brother.

Christine M. Long, MBA’83, CER’92, died June 2, 2013, after a brief illness in Chicago. She was 54. Long worked in Chicago’s business and banking community for three decades. Under her tenure as CFO, the Cash Station ATM network grew into the state’s largest automated teller network. She also held positions as executive vice president of R. H. Meissner & Company. and as chief financial and administrative officer of Miami Corporation. In 1990 Long was named one of Crain’s Chicago Business’s 40 Under 40 honorees. Resigning from Miami Corporation in 2012, Long became a consultant. Survivors include her father and stepmother, two sisters, and two brothers.

Karen Michelle Eschenbach, AB’83, of Mamaroneck, NY, died January 8. She was 52. A longtime health care administrator, Eschenbach began her career as administrative director of clinical laboratories at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and most recently was the lead administrator for research and grants in the department of medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. She was on the editorial board of the Journal of the Society of Research Administrators and served on the boards of many professional organizations. Survivors include her parents and a sister, Vivien J. Zepf, AB’87.

John Potts, MBA’86, of Maineville, OH, died December 12. He was 58. Potts’s career included positions in the health care and material handling industries, and he was also a longtime employee of Crown Lift Trucks. A Green Bay Packers and University of Wisconsin football fan, he enjoyed cooking and home improvement projects. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and four grandchildren.

David Walton, AB’89, of Eugene, OR, died of complications of diabetes January 9. He was 47. He held positions in computer services at several institutions, including UChicago, and had worked most recently in the information services department at the University of Oregon. Walton was an accomplished musician who played the piano and cello. He is survived by five siblings.

2000s

Annie Campbell Higgins, PhD’01, of Chicago, died September 18. She was 57. After studying at Al-Azhar University in Cairo on a Fulbright grant, Higgins taught Arabic and Near Eastern studies at institutions including UChicago, the University of Illinois, and the College of William & Mary. An activist on behalf of international peace, she was a dedicated volunteer in Palestinian refugee camps. Survivors include two sisters.