In Memoriam

August 2025

The University recently learned of the passing of these Cornellians

Editor’s note: Please submit notification of alumni deaths—including an obituary, if possible—to the University at cubio-deceased@cornell.edu. Once the University records an alumni death in its database, the relevant information is forwarded to Cornellians for inclusion in a future In Memoriam section; deaths are generally listed three to four months after the University receives notice. If you have questions, please contact Alexandra Bond ’12 at abb83@cornell.edu.

1930s

’38 BA, JD ’40—Donald H. Perkins of Wellesley, MA, August 28, 2003; attorney at St. Andre, Perkins, and Smith; active in professional and alumni affairs. Pi Kappa Phi.

1940s

’42 BS CALS—Jane Williams Harvey of Westborough, MA, March 8, 2025; guidance counselor, Westborough High School; enjoyed choral singing; active in community, religious, and alumni affairs.

’47, BArch ’46—Betty Carter Taylor of Hilton Head Island, SC, formerly of Wellsville, NY, November 16, 2024; enjoyed travel, golf, tennis, card games, and gardening; active in community and alumni affairs. Kappa Kappa Gamma.

1950s

’50 BS HE—Diantha Francis Paré of Oberlin, OH, formerly of Oak Ridge, TN, June 21, 2024; special education teacher; member, League of Women Voters; active in civic, community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs.

’50 BEE—Richard P. Prybyl of The Villages, FL, formerly of Ithaca, NY, August 31, 2022; vice president, Augant Inc.; active in alumni affairs.

’50 BA, MD ’54—John F. Rose of Lancaster, PA, December 31, 2024; urologist; veteran; recipient, Wallace M. Yater Medal; enjoyed travel, camping, and fishing; active in professional and alumni affairs. Psi Upsilon. Surviving spouse: Lillias McLellan Rose ’54.

’50 BME—Frank C. Stanbrook of Richfield, OH, September 18, 2010; production control manager, Tomlinson Industries; active in alumni affairs. Delta Tau Delta.

’50 JD—Robert O. Wright of Palm Harbor, FL, March 24, 2025; patent attorney; president, Williams Steel Wheel and Rim Corp.; vice president, H.P. Snyder Manufacturing Co.; president, Advanced Terminals Inc.; president, Wright Yacht Co.; marketing manager, Galsen & Galsen PC; also worked at Pickard & Burns, Hoffman Laboratories, General Dynamics Electronics, and Sylvania Electronics Systems; veteran; Scout leader; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs.

’51 BS Hotel—Peter S. Fithian of Honolulu, HI, April 1, 2025; founder and president, Greeters of Hawaii Ltd.; trustee emeritus, International Game Fish Association; veteran; founder, Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament; helped establish the Japan Game Fish Association; member, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council; conservationist; mentor; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Kappa Sigma.

’52 PhD—Harold L. Brode of Pacific Palisades, CA, December 29, 2016; nuclear weapons-effects physicist; pioneered computer simulations of nuclear explosions at the RAND Corp.; co-founder, R&D Associates; vice president of strategic systems, Pacific-Sierra Research Corp.; chairman, U.S. Defense Nuclear Agency’s Scientific Advisory Group for Effects; author; active in professional affairs.

’52 BS CALS—Joan Cruthers Flood of Raleigh, NC, February 5, 2025; housewife; caregiver; West Highland terrier aficionado; enjoyed animals, gardening, and cooking; active in alumni affairs. Alpha Phi.

’52 BS ILR—Harold Tanner of New York City, June 14, 2025; investment banker, philanthropist, and chairman emeritus, Cornell University Board of Trustees; founder, Tanner & Co., a NYC investment banking firm; managing director and head of corporate finance, Salomon Brothers; COO, Blyth Eastman Dillon & Co.; executive VP, Rothschild Inc.; VP, director, and director of research, Blyth & Co.; veteran; mentor; Cornell foremost benefactor, University Council life member, and co-chair of Cornell’s first $1.5 billion endowment campaign, the largest-ever completed in higher education at that time; worked to fund and secure the new location for the Cornell Club–New York on East 44th St.; helped implement initiatives to strengthen Cornell’s teaching, research, outreach, and student life; established and endowed the deanship and a scholarship fund in the College of Arts and Sciences; leader in the Jewish community, including as president and board chair of the American Jewish Committee and chair of the Conference of Jewish Presidents; enjoyed NYC theater; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs.

’53 BA—Margaret Horsfall Schadler of Niskayuna, NY, April 18, 2025; professor of biology and associate dean for undergraduate programs, Union College; established the Steinmetz Symposium for undergraduate research; enjoyed international travel and the outdoors; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Delta Delta Delta.

’53—Donna Waetjen Snoek of Holland, MI, January 4, 2025; nurse’s aide; active in community and religious affairs.

’54, BArch ’55—Gale H. Brooks of Andover, NY, March 4, 2025; historical preservation architect; curator, Western New York Historical Collection at Hinkle Memorial Library, Alfred State College; worked at Syracuse University and the University of Cincinnati; also worked at the National Trust for Historic Preservation; veteran; election inspector; active in civic, community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs.

’55—Walter U. Andrews of Fairport, NY, May 26, 2019; worked at the Xerox Corp.; veteran.

’55 BA, MEd ’61—John A. Kerr Jr. of DeKalb, IL, April 17, 2025; professor emeritus of Spanish and Portuguese, Northern Illinois University; also taught at Ohio State and Stanford universities; high school teacher, McDonogh School; veteran; pilot; enjoyed animals, photography, models, and languages; active in professional and alumni affairs.

’55 BA, MD ’58—Irwin R. Merkatz of Rye, NY, October 31, 2024; professor and chairperson emeritus, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center; researched high-risk pregnancies and the relationship between low serum levels of alpha fetal protein and the risk of genetic disorders; veteran; Scout leader; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Surviving spouse: Ruth Blatt Katz ’60, BS Nurs ’61.

’55—Owen L. Murray of Altamont, NY, January 22, 2019; worked in Dairy Industry Services at the New York State Department of Agriculture; veteran; chief, Altamont Fire Department; enjoyed travel and collecting dairy and firefighting memorabilia; active in civic, community, professional, and religious affairs.

’55, BArch ’56—Peter P. Romeo of Webster, NY, April 3, 2025; architect, SWBR Architects; veteran; enjoyed travel and gardening; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Sigma Pi.

’55—Susan Gichner Rosenthal of Chevy Chase, MD, July 30, 2022. Alpha Epsilon Phi.

’56 MD—Charles H. Beckmann of Helotes, TX, February 15, 2024; cardiologist; worked at Wilford Hall Medical Center on Lackland Air Force Base and at Skinner Clinic; veteran; Scoutmaster; enjoyed international travel, hunting, fishing, and trap/skeet shooting; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs.

’56, BEP ’57—Don P. Moon Jr. of Bremerton, WA, formerly of Waukegan, IL, April 2, 2025; president emeritus, dean of students, and business manager at Shimer College; Episcopalian priest; nuclear engineer at Argonne National Laboratory; also taught at Sauk Valley Community College; recipient, Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award; political activist; enjoyed travel, reading, and playing bridge and cribbage; active in civic, community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Phi Kappa Sigma.

’56 BS CALS—Leland C. Mote of Big Bear Lake, CA, April 3, 2025; real estate broker; owner, First Columbia Realty; active in professional and alumni affairs. Theta Chi.

’56 PhD—Frederick W. Schmidlin of Pittsford, NY, October 23, 2019; principal scientist, Xerox Corp.; founder, Xi-Tech; also worked at Space Technology Corp. and General Technology Corp.; veteran; patent holder; enjoyed travel, skiing, sailing, and fishing; active in professional affairs.

’57 BS Chem E—Henry G. Kammerer of Washington, DC, formerly of Grand Island, NY, April 6, 2024; engineer, Atlantic Research Corp. Lambda Chi Alpha.

’57 BS HE—Janet Charles Lutz of Lafayette Hill, PA, January 30, 2025; worked at Security On-Line Systems; lifelong learner; enjoyed international travel, classical music, theater, cooking, gardening, swimming, and playing tennis; active in community, religious, and alumni affairs. Kappa Kappa Gamma. Surviving spouse: William E. Lutz ’57, BEE ’58.

’58 BEP—John B. Denniston of Blue Ridge Summit, PA, formerly of Washington, DC, April 12, 2025; attorney, Covington & Burling LLP; specialist in government contracts; also worked at Rocketdyne; Fulbright Scholar; enjoyed international travel, trekking, reading, running, hiking, skiing, biking, and paddle sports; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

’58 DVM—Charles A. Hjerpe of Davis, CA, December 24, 2023; professor emeritus of veterinary medicine and director of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, UC Davis; helped create the Veterinary Medicine Teaching & Research Center in Tulare, CA; Fulbright Scholar in Portugal; mentor; active in professional and alumni affairs. Lambda Chi Alpha. Surviving spouse: Suzanne Davis Hjerpe ’58.

’58 BS CALS—Ralph E. Lamar III of Hackettstown, NJ, December 22, 2024; Presbyterian minister; humanitarian and advocate for world peace; recipient of a national leadership award from 4-H; active in community, religious, and alumni affairs. Acacia.

’58 BS Hotel—John H. West of Jacksonville, FL, January 22, 2025; hotelier; resident manager, the Breakers in Palm Beach; also managed other hotel properties in Florida, Ohio, Connecticut, and Michigan; veteran; enjoyed movies; active in professional and alumni affairs. Pi Kappa Alpha.

’59 BS HE—Marian Montgomery Randall of Fort Wayne, IN, April 3, 2025; taught at La Jolla Country Day School; helped found and taught at the Canterbury School; enjoyed reading; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Kappa Kappa Gamma.

1960s

’60 BS Hotel—John F. Brown of Hazlet, NJ, formerly of Eatontown, NJ, April 25, 2023; operations manager, DNV Fireplace Management; veteran; active in alumni affairs.

’60 BS Hotel—Bruce T. Kerfoot of Osceola, MO, formerly of Grand Marais, MN, October 10, 2024; chairman, Gunflint Lodge Inc.; veteran; recipient, Silver Beaver Award, Boy Scouts of America; enjoyed international travel, fishing, camping, and gardening; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Kappa Sigma.

’60 BS CALS—Larry J. Littlefield of Seattle, WA, formerly of Stillwater, OK, and Albuquerque, NM, April 19, 2021; professor and head of the Department of Plant Pathology at Oklahoma State University; also taught at North Dakota State, Purdue, and Oxford universities; also worked at the USDA Office of International Cooperation and Development; expert on wheat mosaic virus and rust fungi; author; led wildflower hikes in New Mexico; enjoyed hiking, trail maintenance, photography, concerts, and theater; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs.

’60, MS ’68—James E. Lonergan of Ashtabula, OH, formerly of Washington, DC, March 18, 2022; engineer; U.S. government analyst.

’60, BArch ’61—James R. Nelson of Naples, FL, formerly of Kennett Square, PA, January 17, 2025; architect; veteran; enjoyed travel, watercolor painting, ice skating, dancing, rowing, skiing, and tennis; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Tau Kappa Epsilon.

’60, BArch ’61—Kenneth H. Woolf of Pensacola, FL, November 6, 2024; architect; veteran; Rotarian; Scout leader; active in civic, community, professional, and alumni affairs. Pi Kappa Phi.

’61 BA—Ascanio S. Boccuti of Baltimore, MD, April 12, 2025; attorney; active in professional and alumni affairs. Phi Kappa Psi. Surviving spouse: Jean Travis Boccuti ’61.

’61, BME ’62—William C. Hinds of Alamo, CA, May 14, 2021; professor emeritus, UCLA School of Public Health; professor of environmental health engineering, Harvard University School of Public Health; researched aerosols and industrial hygiene controls of airborne contaminants; author; active in professional and alumni affairs. Delta Kappa Epsilon.

’61 BS CALS—Alice Bruno Schmeelk of Woodstock, IL, February 17, 2020; chair of the science departments at St. Scholastica and St. Gregory High School; active in alumni affairs.

’61 BS CALS—William G. Schmeelk of Woodstock, IL, October 13, 2023; microbiologist, Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago; veteran; active in alumni affairs. Pi Kappa Phi.

’61 BS CALS—Neila Cruickshank Werner of Huntington Station, NY, October 26, 2022; public school teacher; legal assistant; active in alumni affairs. Kappa Delta.

’62 BS CALS—Robert F. Day of Hampstead, NH, September 4, 2019; worked at St. Therese Medical Center; veteran; active in alumni affairs. Alpha Zeta.

’63, BEP ’64—William H. MacInnis of Seneca, SC, formerly of Marietta, GA, March 13, 2024; engineer at Lockheed-Martin; veteran; active in religious affairs. Kappa Delta Rho.

’63 BS Hotel—A. Bruce McFarland of Charleston, SC, May 21, 2023; general manager, Mills House Hotel and Kites Fly’n Hi.

’63 BA—Stephen E. Wholley of Charlotte, NC, June 14, 2024; worked at Inner City Media Corp. and Newsweek; active in alumni affairs. Kappa Sigma.

’64—Edward F. Beadel of Thousand Island Park, NY, July 27, 2023; network administrator and analytical chemistry instructor, SUNY Oswego; enjoyed boats, skiing, and golden retrievers; active in community and professional affairs. Alpha Sigma Phi.

’64 BS CALS—Joseph D. Doleski of Victor, NY, formerly of Warrenton, VA, November 16, 2022; worked in information technology at the U.S. Department of Agriculture; enjoyed home improvement projects and antiques.

’64—Michael L. Hexter of Aurora, OH, August 18, 2023.

’64 BA—Russell H. Krauss of Nampa, ID, September 25, 2020; senior vice president and chief actuary at a life insurance company; founder of a software and actuarial consulting practice; author.

’64 MA—Barry F. Mason of London, UK, March 31, 2025; worked at Anglo Manx Bank Ltd.; president, Baton Rouge Bank & Trust Co.; active in alumni affairs.

’64 BS HE—Nancy Cohen Nowak of Englewood, CO, May 30, 2022; psychotherapist/mediator, Center for Divorce and Parenting; active in religious and alumni affairs. Alpha Epsilon Phi.

’64, BEP ’65—John H. Perine of Bethesda, MD, May 4, 2023; aeronautical engineer; owner and president, Perine Associates Inc., a computer software development and systems integration firm; enjoyed singing with the Victorian Lyric Opera and with former members of the Sherwoods a cappella group; active in community and alumni affairs. Alpha Delta Phi.

’64 BS ILR—Lawrence J. Siegel of Great Neck, NY, February 15, 2025; vice president, United Way of New York; executive director for development, New York University Medical Center; senior director of university campaigns, New York University; executive director, Stony Brook Foundation Realty; active in professional and alumni affairs. Pi Lambda Phi. Surviving spouse: Patricia Minikes Siegel ’67.

’65 BA—Michael J. Feldberg of Pittsfield, MA, December 4, 2024; executive director, American Jewish Historical Society; author; historian; scholar; mentor; active in professional and alumni affairs. Tau Delta Phi.

’65 BA—Stephen L.W. Greene of McKinleyville, CA, February 4, 2025; professor of journalism, San Jose State University; newspaper reporter, Mendocino Grapevine; also wrote for Irving Wallace’s The People’s Almanac; author; active in professional affairs. Phi Delta Theta.

’66 BS CALS—Stanley T. Kochanoff of Falmouth, NS, November 21, 2024; landscape consultant/planner, Environova Planning Group Inc.; certified arborist; enjoyed hockey; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Beta Theta Pi. Surviving spouse: Margaret Lavery Kochanoff ’65.

’66 MD—Glenn A. Meltzer of Worcester, MA, February 2, 2025; ophthalmologist; founder, Meltzer Eye Care Center; also served in the U.S. Public Health Service; multilinguist; artist; enjoyed ballroom dancing, boating, and swimming; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs.

’67 BCE—Gerald L. Katz of Nutley, NJ, formerly of Washington, DC, June 13, 2024; civil engineer; active in alumni affairs. Tau Kappa Epsilon.

’67 BA—John T. Sugrue of Glendale, MO, August 15, 2023; negotiator in the steel industry; real estate developer; avid golfer; active in community and alumni affairs. Delta Upsilon.

’68 JD—Lawrence N. Cohn of Washington, DC, March 27, 2025; communications attorney at Cohn & Marks; avid reader; enjoyed racquetball and swinging kettlebells; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs.

’68—Daniel E. Fravil of Ithaca, NY, September 28, 2010; restaurateur; track and cross country coach, Ithaca High School; active in community affairs. Alpha Tau Omega.

’69 BA—Kathryn L. Holliday of Washington, DC, February 19, 2025; vice president of credit pricing analytics, Fannie Mae; also worked at the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and the Federal Reserve Bank; taught in the graduate business school, College of William and Mary; certified Level 5 Pilates instructor; active in professional and alumni affairs. Pi Beta Phi.

1970s

’70 BS CALS—Floyd C. Duger of Elbridge, NY, February 15, 2025; Baptist minister; chaplain, Cayuga Community College; administrative officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture; active in civic, community, religious, and alumni affairs. Alpha Gamma Rho.

’70 BEP—William M. Rappoport of Guilford, CT, July 14, 2024; manager and advanced development engineer, Optical & Space Systems Division, Goodrich Corp.; also worked at Hughes Electronics and Raytheon Corp.; active in professional and alumni affairs. Alpha Epsilon Pi.

’70 BEE, MEE ’71—Robert L. Shedden of La Habra Heights, CA, August 5, 2024; worked in electric system planning, system operations, and power contracts at Southern California Edison; Scout leader; volunteer fireman; enjoyed bicycling, skiing, and hiking; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Delta Phi.

’71 BCE, MBA ’78—Jerrold K. Day of Vero Beach, FL, March 17, 2025; partner/president, Daylar Group; designed and built golf course communities; CEO, Pressure Pak Inc.; also worked at Allied Info Systems; author; patent holder; mentor; enjoyed golf; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Chi Phi.

’71 BS ILR—Joel Y. Moss of Atlanta, GA, February 9, 2025; attorney; enjoyed travel and fine dining; active in alumni affairs. Phi Epsilon Pi.

’72—Philip M. Gartland of Demarest, NJ, January 1976; studied veterinary medicine.

’73 MPS—Arthur W. Evans of West Pittston, PA, November 1, 2020; owner, Evans Hardware; vice president, Custom Management; assistant administrator, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital; active in alumni affairs.

’73 MA, PhD ’74—Daniel M. Shapiro of Burnaby, BC, January 19, 2025; professor and dean, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University; professor of economics, Concordia University; author; mentor; enjoyed international travel and bicycling; active in professional affairs.

’75 BEP, PhD ’81—Michael B. Frish of Medford, MA, March 5, 2025; manager of industrial sensors, Physical Sciences Inc.; expert in the fields of photonics and spectroscopy; pioneer in the development of gas detection and analytic instruments; patent holder; author; mentor; pilot; enjoyed hockey; active in professional and alumni affairs.

’76 BCE—Robert R. Behn of Bedminster Township, PA, April 1, 2025; project manager of heavy civil construction, PKF-Mark III Inc. and Allan A. Myers; veteran; avid bicyclist; active in community, professional, and religious affairs.

’78, BS HE ’79—Eugenia Carswell of Buffalo, NY, August 6, 2020; administrator; active in alumni affairs.

’78 BA—William B. O’Neill of Albuquerque, NM, March 31, 2025; New Mexico state legislator; executive director of New Mexico’s juvenile parole board; founder of a halfway house for individuals released on parole; advocated bills to remove barriers for formerly incarcerated individuals to get work; poet; novelist; playwright; active in civic, community, professional, and alumni affairs.

’79 BA—Carl F.W. Adamec of Schenectady, NY, October 3, 2024; attorney; Mason; avid reader; enjoyed international travel, music, contra dancing, horseback riding, soccer, bowling, baseball, chess, backgammon, and card and computer games; active in community, religious, and alumni affairs.

’79 BA—Cornelia Dana Mead of Owego, NY, April 12, 2025; assistant vice president for Student Affairs Administration and Auxiliaries, Binghamton University; created and supported the financial, regulatory, and freight accounting systems for the Tioga Central Railroad Co.; also worked at Riverow Bookshop; chair, State Employees Federated Appeal; avid reader; enjoyed hiking, running, cross-country skiing, word games, podcasts, news magazines, and baking; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Surviving spouse: James G. Mead ’74, BS ’79.

1980s

’80 BA—Jill A. Silverstein of St. Louis, MO, April 17, 2024; attorney at Rosenblum, Goldenhersh, Silverstein, and Zafft; specialist in employment and civil rights law; producer at PGAV Inc. and Blue Road Productions; also worked as an assistant U.S. attorney; lifelong learner; enjoyed the arts; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Sigma Delta Tau.

’85 BS CALS—Carmel Gallagher Delaney of Windham, NY, March 17, 2025; president, International Educational Resources; brand manager at Procter & Gamble’s office in Warsaw, Poland; enjoyed gardening and knitting; active in professional and alumni affairs.

’88 BArch—Eric C. Lehto Jr. of Hartford, CT, formerly of New York City, March 1, 2025; architect; worked at the Community Builders and Gotham Organization; enjoyed dogs; active in professional affairs.

1990s

’92 BS CALS—Jennifer L. Abbott of Geneva, NY, August 13, 2024; children’s librarian, Victor Farmington Library; accountant, Seneca/Cayuga ARC; enjoyed international travel and photography; active in professional and alumni affairs.

’92, BA ’95—Cynthia J. Herrick of Richford, NY, March 10, 2025; mathematics teacher, Ithaca Central School District; helped coordinate a mosaic mural at Rawley Park; enjoyed international travel, trivia nights, music, painting, embroidery, needle felting, cross-stitching, quilting, stained glass art, and crocheting; active in community affairs.

’94 MS, PhD ’96—Liese E. Van Zee of Bloomington, IN, February 13, 2024; professor of astronomy, Indiana University; researched dwarf galaxies as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory; research associate, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics; chair, Committee on Radio Frequencies of the National Academy of Sciences; active in professional affairs.

2000s

’07 JD—Daniel C. Fisch of Irwindale, CA, April 11, 2025; attorney advisor, Social Security Administration; District Court law clerk, Central District of California; also worked at Cahill, Gordon & Reindel LLP; enjoyed travel, music, culture, the arts, horse racing, target shooting, brewing beer, and baking bread; active in community, professional, and religious affairs.

Top: Photo by Lindsay France / Cornell University.

Published August 1, 2025