In Memoriam February 2025 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 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. 1940s ’45 BS Hotel—Joan Staudinger Dickinson of Northampton, MA, February 8, 2007; taught children with reading disabilities; directress of services, Stouffer’s Restaurant; enjoyed travel and gardening; active in civic and community affairs. ’45—Marjorie Kampel Palesch of Daniel Island, SC, May 10, 2020. ’45, BA ’44—Carol Senft Reiman of Easton, MD, August 1, 2024. Alpha Epsilon Phi. ’46, BS HE ’47—Jean Smith Browne of Lawrence, KS, August 15, 2024; certified financial planner; teacher; enjoyed bridge; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Delta Gamma. 1950s ’50 BEE—David J. Inkeles of Palm Desert, CA, November 8, 2023; vice president, Smith Barney; also worked at Loeb & Co.; active in professional and alumni affairs. ’50 BS Nurs—Ruth Kemper Robson of Tucson, AZ, July 23, 2024; labor and delivery nurse; enjoyed international travel, hiking, tennis, opera, and classical music; active in community affairs. ’50 BCE—Walter R. Umbach of Saratoga, CA, March 15, 2024; president, Envirep Inc.; veteran; member, Coast Guard Auxiliary; soccer coach; enjoyed remodeling; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Beta Theta Pi. ’51, BME ’52—Charles E. Sporck of Sunnyvale, CA, October 12, 2024; president and CEO, National Semiconductor; manufacturing plant manager, Fairchild Camera and Instrument; also worked at General Electric; veteran; enjoyed travel and skiing; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’53 BS ILR—Judith Resnik Chabon of Cincinnati, OH, October 18, 2024; longtime supporter of Cornell men’s ice hockey; active in alumni affairs. ’53 BA—John M. Otter III of Granville, OH, October 23, 2024; vice president, NBC; active in professional and alumni affairs. Delta Kappa Epsilon. ’55 BA—Joseph H. Reich of Fisher Island, FL, September 29, 2024; co-founder, Beginning with Children Foundation; co-manager, Centennial Associates; partner, Reich & Tang financial management firm; adjunct faculty, Columbia University; co-founder and chairman, New York Charter School Center; founding director, Hunt Institute; veteran; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Tau Delta Phi. ’56 DVM—Donald C. Fox of Fort Davis, TX, October 11, 2024; veterinarian; veteran; justice of the peace, Kinderhook, NY; Boy Scout leader; member, Lions Club; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Alpha Psi. ’56 BA—George A. Nicholson of Grosse Pointe, MI, November 24, 2024; certified public accountant; veteran; hockey coach; volunteer, Habitat for Humanity; enjoyed skiing, running, hiking, and tennis; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Delta Kappa Epsilon. ’57 LLB—Donald M. Flanagan of Binghamton, NY, October 23, 2024; attorney; city court judge; representative, Broome County Legislature; veteran; mentor; avid reader; active in civic, community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. ’57 BA—Sandra Mortola Gilbert of Berkeley, CA, November 10, 2024; professor emerita of English, University of California, Davis; feminist literary critic; poet; memoirist; editor; also taught at California State, Hayward, and Indiana University; co-author, The Madwoman in the Attic; enjoyed international travel, music, good food, and fine wine; active in professional and alumni affairs. ’57 BA—Jeffrey Laikind of New York City, October 18, 2024; investment officer; managing director, Prudential Bache Securities and Furman Selz Capital Management; vice president, Wertheim & Co.; also worked at Darien Rowayton Bank; veteran; active in professional and alumni affairs. Phi Sigma Delta. ’58 BA—Sandra Hemming Cole of Yarmouth Port, MA, October 13, 2024; church organist; music instructor and assistant choir director/accompanist, Cape Cod Community College; elementary school teacher; active in community and professional affairs. Kappa Kappa Gamma. ’58 BA—Thomas A.A. Oleson of Gig Harbor, WA, formerly of Mexico City, Mexico; November 13, 2024; investor; vice president, International Proteins; also worked at Cargill; author; editor-at-large, The Prancing Horse; enjoyed international travel, Historical Board wargaming, and Ferraris; active in community, professional, and religious affairs. ’59 BA—Sandra Strebel Peavey of Hingham, MA, February 7, 2024; trial attorney; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Kappa Delta. 1960s ’60 JD—Bruno Colapietro of Endicott, NY, October 11, 2024; attorney; adjunct professor, SUNY Binghamton and Cornell Law School; Rotarian; enjoyed playing hockey; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Surviving spouse: Jane Larson Colapietro, MS ’60. ’61 BS Hotel—Harris Rosen of Orlando, FL, November 25, 2024; president and COO, Rosen Hotels & Resorts Inc.; veteran; philanthropist; founder, Tangelo Park and Parramore programs to provide free preschool to children ages 2–4; established the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida; founder, Rosen Medical Center; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Tau Epsilon Phi. ’62—Carol Mickelson Gesslein of Lansing, NY, October 17, 2024; owner, Carol’s Creations; seamstress; teacher; homemaker; gardener; enjoyed international travel and researching family genealogy; active in community, religious, and alumni affairs. Alpha Omicron Pi. Surviving spouse: George J. Gesslein ’60, BS ’61. ’62 BA, MA ’63—Judith Revitch Porter of Ardmore, PA, October 21, 2024; professor and chair of sociology, Bryn Mawr College; helped start Prevention Point Philadelphia, a nonprofit harm reduction and addiction treatment center; author; active in civic, community, professional, and alumni affairs. Surviving spouse: Gerald J. Porter, PhD ’63. ’62 BA—J. Bolling Sullivan III of Beaufort, NC, October 17, 2024; professor of biochemistry, Duke University Marine Laboratory; lepidopterist and expert in moth taxonomy; research associate at major natural history museums; hardware store owner; author; active in community and professional affairs. Sigma Alpha Epsilon. ’63 DVM—Thurston Dale of Medina, NY, November 7, 2024; veterinarian; owner, Ridge Animal Hospital; president, Medina Central School District Board of Education; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Alpha Zeta. ’63—William J. Kennedy of Cary, IL, November 4, 2024; Sunday school teacher; enjoyed international travel and choral singing; active in community and religious affairs. ’63 JD—Charles L. Nickerson of Wells, ME, October 14, 2024; attorney; veteran; secretary, Sanford-Springvale Chamber of Commerce; member, Kiwanis; active in civic, community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. ’64 BA, MD ’68—Lois J. Copeland of Ho Ho Kus, NJ, October 14, 2024; internal medicine physician; member, President’s Council of Cornell Women; author; enjoyed painting and photography; active in civic, community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’64 BS Hotel—Noel M. Groeschel of St. Petersburg, FL, August 22, 2024; senior vice president and managing director at Dean Witter Reynolds, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, and Fox-Pitt Kelton; hotelier; veteran; mentor; enjoyed gardening and reading; active in professional and alumni affairs. ’64 BA—Zoe Walter Klippert of Moraga, CA, January 2, 2024; editor and writer, Zoe Klippert Associates; Pi Beta Phi. Surviving spouse: Walter E. Klippert II ’63, B Chem E ’64, ME ’67. ’64, BEE ’65, ME ’66—William E. MacMillan of Jackson, MI, April 27, 2024; worked at Consumers Energy; active in alumni affairs. Pi Kappa Phi. Surviving spouse: Gudrun Rule MacMillan ’64. ’64 BS CALS—Charles F. Zambito of Woodbury, NJ, November 6, 2024; owner, Zambito Produce Sales; veteran; enjoyed vacations at the Jersey Shore; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’65, BS CALS ’68—J. Michael Kimball of Ithaca, NY, November 27, 2024; co-owner, Kimball Real Estate; architect and designer; developer, Campus Hill Apartments; basketball coach; enjoyed fly fishing and fly tying; active in community, professional, and religious affairs. ’66 BA—Michael V. Corrigan of Sarasota, FL, October 28, 2024; attorney; enjoyed travel, sailing, cooking, golfing, and classical music; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Tau Kappa Epsilon. ’67 JD—William A. Kaplin of Winchester, VA, October 21, 2024; professor of law, Catholic University; expert in constitutional law; attorney, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; law clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals; author; enjoyed travel, music, and watching basketball; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. ’68 BA—Richard B. Kasdan of Pittsburgh, PA, November 1, 2024; neurologist; avid Pittsburgh sports fan; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Tau Delta Phi. ’68 MPA—William P. White III of Bryn Mawr, PA, October 22, 2024; executive vice president, Turn Key Environmental Service and Advance Remedial Technology; network administrator; also worked for the Office of Management and Budget, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Energy; Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria; enjoyed international travel, sailing, classical music, studying physics, and reading; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. 1970s ’70 MPA—Andrew W. Dahl of Naples, FL, November 30, 2024; executive vice president, Magenta Care Continuum; president and CEO, Mid America Health Partners; consultant; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’70 DVM—Edward L. Tillotson of Killawog, NY, October 27, 2024; veterinarian; basketball coach; member, Lions Club; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Alpha Gamma Rho. ’70 BS HE—Judith Epstein Wacht of Purchase, NY, November 10, 2024; teacher; high school guidance counselor; adjunct professor, Mercy College; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Delta Phi Epsilon. ’73 MS—Linda M. Nelson of Henderson, NV, and Santa Ana, CA, November 18, 2024; elder housing specialist, Orange County Housing Authority; VISTA volunteer; active in community and religious affairs. ’73 BS ILR—Alexander W. Nixon of Mount Dora, FL, November 23, 2024; owner, Joseph C. Hansen Co.; city administrator, Umatilla, FL; telecommunications analyst and investment banker, Solomon Brothers; chairman of special projects, New York City Ballet; active in community, professional, and religious affairs. Theta Delta Chi. ’74 MS, PhD ’80—Anne Gibson Young of Rochester, NY, November 10, 2024; professor emerita of physics, Rochester Institute of Technology; teaching fellow, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; also taught at the Coast Guard Academy and Vassar College; avid reader; instructor, Rochester Scottish Country Dance Society; enjoyed international travel, music, theater, and musicals; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. ’75 BS ILR, JD ’78—Paul N. D’Onofrio of Delmar, NY, and New Rochelle, NY, November 12, 2024; labor attorney; lobbyist, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Sheet Metal Workers; labor counsel, New York State Legislature; also worked at the National Labor Relations Board; active in civic, community, and professional affairs. ’75 BS ILR—Howard E. Green of Los Gatos, CA, October 18, 2024; marketing executive in the computer industry; president, CGNET Services International; helped launch Apple’s first videoconferencing product (now FaceTime) and Apple Speech; consultant; enjoyed international travel, good food and wine, and Yogi Berra quotes; active in professional and alumni affairs. ’75 BS CALS—Joseph W. Laubenstein of The Woodlands, TX, September 23, 2024; director of coal combustible residuals, Waste Connections; national director of marketing, Synagra; golf course superintendent; enjoyed cooking; active in community, professional, and religious affairs. Phi Kappa Tau. ’75 MS—Robert D. Sopuck of Lake Audy, MB, October 23, 2024; member of Canadian Parliament for the Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette electoral district; director of Environmental Affairs, Pine Falls Paper Plant; policy analyst, Delta Waterfowl Foundation; fisheries biologist, Canadian federal and provincial governments; director, Sustainable Development Coordination Unit, Manitoba; environmental consultant; author; outdoorsman; enjoyed fishing, hunting, foraging, and camping; active in civic, community, and professional affairs. ’75 MA—Marian Ham Van Soest of Ithaca, NY, November 1, 2024; director, Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service of Tompkins County; accomplished painter and watercolorist; member, State of the Art Gallery; also taught at National Cathedral School; enjoyed travel, baking, and Scrabble; active in community and professional affairs. ’76—William G. Bowman of Mohegan Lake, NY, November 10, 2024; worked at IBM and Seagram’s; head lifeguard, Peekskill Parks and Recreation; avid horseback rider; black belt in judo and jujitsu; enjoyed hunting and camping; active in community and alumni affairs. Delta Upsilon. ’76 JD—David A. Dubow of Ithaca, NY, October 27, 2024; attorney; partner, Barney Grossman Dubow & Troy LLP; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’77—John E. Davis of Cazenovia, NY, October 25, 2024; veterinarian; founded four animal clinics; avid fan of the New York Yankees, Syracuse basketball, and the New York Giants; enjoyed hunting; active in professional affairs. 1980s ’80 MA, PhD ’90—William J. Skipper of Ithaca, NY, December 12, 2024; professor, SUNY Cortland; enjoyed gardening, playing piano, photography, drawing, and reading; active in community and professional affairs. ’81 BS Hotel—Jay C. Bloom of Honolulu, HI, October 12, 2024; president and CEO, Hawaiiana Management Co.; operated Rangetsu restaurant; manager of arena and racetrack restaurants, Sport Services Inc.; avid lacrosse player; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’86 MS, PhD ’90—Rita Sharma of Lucknow, India, formerly of New Delhi, India, October 31, 2024; principal secretary and financial advisor, Government of India Ministry of Agriculture and Department of Finance of Uttar Pradesh; member and secretary, National Advisory Council; helped draft the Right to Food legislation and implemented programs addressing poverty, infrastructure, employment, risk management, and intellectual property; active in civic, community, professional, and alumni affairs. 1990s ’90 BS CALS—Kevin B. Dunn of Rochester, NY, November 14, 2024; computer support specialist, SUNY Brockport; lifelong learner; avid reader; enjoyed restoring old cars and television sets, and drumming; active in community affairs. ’94 BS Hotel—Hanifmohamed H. Jivraj of Brooklyn, NY, March 24, 2024; director of revenue management, Essex House; manager, hotel consulting, American Express; assistant director, New York Hilton & Towers; also worked at Orbitz; active in professional and alumni affairs. 2000s ’01 MBA—John T. DuGene of St. Louis, MO, formerly of Boulder, CO, June 24, 2024; commander, Joint Warfare Analysis Center; commanding officer, VF-45 “Blackbirds” Fighter Squadron; air boss, USS Carl Vinson; math and basic life skills teacher at Homeboy Industries in East Los Angeles; enjoyed international travel, mountaineering, meditation, and the tango; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. 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. Top: Photo by Cornell University. Published February 1, 2025