In Memoriam January 2024 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 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. 1940s ’40 BA, MD ’43—Cedric C. Jimerson of Reading, PA, July 4, 2021; chief of surgery, Community General Hospital (later St. Joseph’s Hospital); veteran; president, Berks County Medical Society; active in religious affairs. ’44—Caroline Gould Barrett of Medford, OR, February 12, 2021; co-developer, writer, and narrator of “As It Was” on Jefferson Public Radio, a program of general-interest vignettes on the regional history of Southern Oregon and Northern California; also published a compilation of six years of “As It Was” segments; enjoyed genealogy, painting, weaving, pottery, gardening, creating wildflower stationery, and studying history; active in community and humanitarian affairs. ’44 PhD—Ulrich P. Strauss of Highland Park, NJ, August 7, 2015; award-winning research scientist in physical chemistry; professor emeritus of chemistry and chair of the department, Rutgers University; expert in polyelectrolytes and creator of “polysoaps,” prefabricated soap micelles; veteran; Guggenheim fellow; prolific author; accomplished pianist; enjoyed international travel, mountain hiking, gourmet food, bridge, chess, and BBC historical specials; active in cultural and professional affairs. ’45 BFA—Doris Merson Koczko of Longboat Key, FL, May 15, 2023; fine arts teacher, High School of Music and Art in NYC and Dominican College, Orangeburg, NY, specializing in oil painting and watercolor; also worked as an interior decorator and textile designer; accomplished stained-glass artist; enjoyed international travel, swimming, tennis, golf, birding, card games, reading, and adult education classes; active in community, cultural, religious, and alumni affairs. Alpha Epsilon Phi. ’46 BArch—Irene Roth Pipes of Cambridge, MA, and Key Biscayne, FL, July 31, 2023; president and principal patron, American Association of Polish Jewish Studies; active in academic, artistic, cultural, and social affairs. ’48 BS HE—Doris Wolfe Schultz of Shelter Island, NY, formerly of West Islip, NY, September 26, 2023; teacher, West Islip Public Schools; enjoyed sailing, gardening, and women’s groups; active in community, religious, and alumni affairs. Chi Omega. ’49—Raymond S. Yerden of Woodinville, WA, September 21, 2023; worked for Bell Laboratories and Grumman Aerospace; veteran. 1950s ’53 BS Hotel—Charles M. Ackerman of Boca Raton, FL, formerly of Seattle, WA, September 4, 2023; stockbroker; active in charitable and alumni affairs. Beta Sigma Rho. ’53 BS CALS—William Z. Lidicker Jr. of Berkeley, CA, April 27, 2022; population ecologist, naturalist, and award-winning mammalogist; professor emeritus of zoology and vice chair of the department, University of California, Berkeley; associate director and curator of mammals, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, UC Berkeley; expert on intraspecific variation and subspecies, and introduced the concept of presaturation dispersal; promoted international cooperation and collaboration among mammalogists; co-developer and associate editor of the international mammalogy journal Therya; prolific academic and scientific writer; avid international folk dancer and teacher; active in environmental, professional, and alumni affairs. ’53 MS—Hattie Thomas Lucas of Hampton, VA, August 23, 2021; home economics lead teacher, department chair, mentor, adult education instructor, and club sponsor, Huntington High School, the first high school for African American youth in Newport News; award-winning community volunteer; enjoyed classic fashion; active in charitable, historical, and religious affairs. ’53 MA—Emilie Starke Piper of Pittsfield, MA, February 15, 2021; librarian, Mt. Everett Regional School, and curator, Sheffield Historical Society; music and art librarian, Berkshire Athenaeum; author of several books on Berkshire County military history and the lives of African American veterans of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War; avid gardener; enjoyed choral singing, swimming, sailing, hiking, canoe-camping, and exploring forests in search of stone walls, abandoned roads, cellar holes, and hidden orchards; active in professional affairs. ’54, BME ’55—Robert J. Adams of Buffalo, NY, October 3, 2023; president and CEO, R.P. Adams Co., an engineering manufacturing company; veteran; Rotarian; avid sailor and canoeist; enjoyed international travel, skiing, Buffalo Sabres hockey, and summers on the shores of Lake Erie; active in community, religious, and alumni affairs. Delta Chi. ’54 BArch, MRP ’55—J. Derek Allan of Shelburne, VT, formerly of Plattsburgh, NY, May 30, 2023; resident architect, SUNY Plattsburgh, during the university’s expansion program; architect, Sargent, Webster, Crenshaw & Folley, working on the development of the 1960 master plan of South Burlington, VT; veteran of the British Army; avid sailor and founding member, Valcour Sailing Club; enjoyed watercolor painting and experimenting with woodblock and stone carving; active in community affairs. ’54 BS CALS—Rose Marie Kehm Sparagana of Rochester, NY, October 6, 2023; librarian, Webster Public Library, Benjamin Franklin High School, Elementary School No. 3, and Frederick Douglass Middle School, all in Rochester; Red Cross and public school volunteer; advocate for peace and nature; avid reader, gardener, and birdwatcher; enjoyed travel, the beach, and watching golf; active in alumni affairs. ’54—Graham A. Spiers of Batavia, NY, June 19, 2021; civilian administrator at the Batavia Army Reserve Center and veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve; Scout leader; active in religious affairs. ’55—Anne Sutherland Schaal of Oconto Falls, WI, formerly of Gillett, WI, October 9, 2023; ordained elder, United Methodist Church; one of the first two United Methodist clergywomen to serve under the first woman bishop; student of alternative education programs. ’55 BME—Gilbert W. Schlerf of Glen Mills, PA, formerly of West Islip, NY, October 11, 2023; manager, Packaging and Industrial Polymers Department, DuPont; veteran; enjoyed international travel, boating, golf, entertaining, the beach at Ocean City, MD, and following Baltimore professional sports; active in community, religious, and alumni affairs. Beta Theta Pi. ’56 DVM—Michael H. Gilman of Austin, TX, formerly of Blooming Grove, NY, October 7, 2023; veterinarian; founder, Goosepond Animal Hospital; member, Lions Club, Blooming Grove Rod and Gun Club, school board, and Orange County Land Trust; accomplished musician and violinist; enjoyed gardening, farming, riding horses, painting, and dancing; active in civic, professional, and alumni affairs. Surviving spouse, Barbara Burg Gilman ’55. ’56 BA—Michael J. Mehr of Union, NJ, November 2023; award-winning regulatory and corporate attorney in the field of public utilities; State Administrative Law Judge; senior partner, Waters, McPherson, McNeill PC; chief counsel, Board of Public Utility Commissioners; co-founder and deputy director, New Jersey Office of Administrative Law; State Deputy Attorney General; also worked for the FTC; veteran; active in community and professional affairs. ’57 BS HE—Miriam Goldman Gould of Rochester, NY, and Canandaigua, NY, April 26, 2014; certified public accountant in private practice; member of numerous diverse community organizations including the Ontario ARC Foundation board of directors. Alpha Epsilon Phi. ’58 MS—Robert C. Durbeck of Los Gatos, CA, April 21, 2022; computer control systems professional; manager, I/O Science & Technology, IBM; developed magnetic tape drives and led research efforts in laser printing, liquid crystal displays, and hard disks; also instrumental in launching IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose; commissioned by New York State to reduce system-wide power blackouts; licensed private pilot; enjoyed international travel; active in community, historical, and professional affairs. ’58, B Chem E ’59—Orin K. Jenkins of Daniel Island, SC, October 14, 2023; sales professional, Allegheny Ludlum Corp., manufacturers of specialty steel and other metals; veteran; Scout leader; enjoyed skiing, sailing, fly fishing, tennis, golf, adult education classes, and the beaches at Cape Cod; active in community and alumni affairs. Phi Kappa Sigma. ’58 BA—Robert J. Task of Atlanta, GA, formerly of New York City, June 5, 2023; attorney, specializing in charitable giving and foundation work; senior legal counsel, American Cancer Society, where he organized the first national conference on employment challenges facing cancer patients; worked for the NYS attorney general overseeing the Charitable Foundations Bureau; active in artistic and professional affairs. ’59, BA ’60—John R. Barnwell of Duxbury, MA, and Venice, FL, August 1, 2023; sales professional, Lawrence R. McCoy Lumber Brokerage Co., Worcester, MA; also worked for Becton Dickinson Medical Supply Co. in Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Virginia, Washington, DC, and New Jersey; veteran; enjoyed exploring the unspoiled western U.S. and hosting family gatherings. Kappa Alpha. ’59 BA—Louis F. Costanza of North Brunswick, NJ, November 14, 2023; award-winning advertising executive; founder, Louis Costanza & Associates, an advertising agency that specialized in real estate in New Jersey and Pennsylvania; also formed Marketec, a market research firm; sales and marketing director, K. Hovnanian Companies; vice president, Keyes, Martin & Co.; veteran; member, Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce; enjoyed international travel, theater, and lively history and political discussions; active in Democratic political affairs. Kappa Sigma. ’59—Lee Anderson Tregurtha of Darien, CT, and North Palm Beach, FL, November 6, 2023; painter, photographer, book designer, student of architecture, and certified botanical illustrator; homemaker; Scout leader; enjoyed international travel, skiing, boating, tennis, golf, sewing, knitting, gardening, flower arranging, and poetry; active in charitable, community, educational, and alumni affairs. Delta Gamma. Surviving spouse, Paul R. Tregurtha ’57, BME ’58. 1960s ’60 BS Nurs—Elizabeth Heyneman Simmons of Santa Rosa, CA, formerly of San Diego, CA, August 31, 2023; certified pediatric nurse practitioner and counseling professional; appointed special advocate in the foster system; school nurse, Escondido Union School District; community volunteer; enjoyed international travel, tennis, swimming, choral singing, playing recorder, continuing education classes, and dream analysis. ’61 BS CALS, DVM ’65—James F. Cone Jr. of Napanoch, NY, November 13, 2023; veterinarian; owner, Napanoch Animal Hospital; veteran; member, Knights of Columbus; antique car aficionado; active in community, educational, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. ’61 MS—Suzanne Prillaman Lowry of Ithaca, NY, October 3, 2023; teacher, Ithaca High School; taught a dual curriculum of home economics and child development, where half her classroom was a home economics lab and the other half a nursery school; homemaker; assistant professor, Department of Textiles and Apparel, Cornell University College of Human Ecology; 4-H leader; accomplished seamstress; enjoyed cooking, entertaining, bridge, reading, and attending lectures at Cornell; active in community affairs. ’61 DVM—LeRoy S. Roemer of Moneta, VA, May 7, 2023; companion animal veterinarian; owner, Plainfield (NJ) Animal Hospital and Edison Animal Clinic; senior partner, Doremus Animal Hospital, Cedar Grove, NJ; also worked as a dealer of IBM personal computers with a specialized veterinary program; relief veterinarian after retirement; enjoyed tennis, boating, swimming, walking, and pickleball; active in community, professional, and religious affairs. Omega Tau Sigma. ’63 BS CALS—William B. Betts of Owego, NY, November 16, 2023; fifth-generation dairy, livestock, crop, and tree farmer; owner, Betts Family Farm LLC. Surviving spouse, Elna Strong Betts ’62. ’63—Charles E. Cladel Jr. of Laconia, NH, formerly of Hummelstown, PA, February 21, 2023; general and child psychiatrist in private practice, schools, and mental health centers; also established the family psychiatry program at Hershey Medical Center; chief of psychiatry, Holy Spirit Hospital; veteran; founding member, Manada Conservancy; enjoyed travel, fishing, working outdoors, old cars, and reading; active in humanitarian and religious affairs. ’63, BArch ’64—Charles A. Graves of Philadelphia, PA, June 14, 2023; senior VP, Day & Zimmerman Inc., an international construction and engineering firm, working in international sales and regulatory compliance; enjoyed international travel, classical music, reading and collecting books, and playing the piano. Delta Kappa Epsilon. ’63–64 GR—Clyde L. “Larry” Hardin of Syracuse, NY, April 1, 2023; professor emeritus of philosophy of science and acting chair, Department of Philosophy, Syracuse University; also served as director of the university’s honors program and as director of graduate studies in philosophy; expert on the philosophical problems associated with color perception; lecturer and award-winning author; active in professional affairs. ’63, BS ILR ’65—David E. Keefe of Berkeley, CA, December 14, 2022; award-winning professor of micro and macroeconomics, public economics, and international trade and finance, Department of Economics, University of the Pacific; also instrumental in founding the School of International Studies, where he promoted interdisciplinary and collaborative education grounded in the liberal arts; mentor; active in faculty governance. Sigma Phi Epsilon. ’63 BFA—Gloria Fuss Kurzrok of Boca Raton, FL, formerly of Great Neck, NY, February 4, 2020; active in alumni affairs. ’64—Kenneth M. Cunningham of Cincinnati, OH, February 27, 2021; landscape architect in private practice; worked on corporate campus projects and urban design systems and created a framework for community-based participation design work, engaging residents, business owners, city staff, and other stakeholders; also taught at University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning; co-owner, Liberties Eats and Drinks; veteran; studied Kundalini yoga and Gestalt therapy; member, Ohio Arts Council board; mentor to neighborhood grade-school children and local architecture and landscape architecture students; art lover and wine enthusiast; active in community and professional affairs. ’64—David F. Love of Rochester, NY, September 2, 2021; security professional at St. Anne’s Nursing Home, Pinkerton’s, Doyle’s, Morris Protection Agency, and Xerox; ranked chess player; committee member, U.S. Chess Federation, chief organizer of the 1978 Women’s National Chess Championship in Rochester, and Attica State Prison volunteer, playing chess with the inmates; Scout leader. ’65 MA—Victor S. Barrios of San Francisco, CA, and Manila, Philippines, April 1, 2023; founder, LikeCashAsia and the Pacific Corp., working for financial inclusion of the unbanked and poor in the Philippines; senior advisor to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank and to three community banks in California; founder, Philippine Investment Systems Organization Bank, a development and investment bank; advocate for effective governance in the Philippines and for the needs of Filipino-American veterans and citizens in the U.S.; avid runner and classical music aficionado; active in civic, religious, and alumni affairs. ’66 BA—John Lovell of Sacramento, CA, March 30, 2023; attorney and legislative advocate, Law Office of John Lovell, focusing on California state government; legislative counsel for the Los Angeles district attorney; chief counsel for the Los Angeles city attorney; co-chair, 1984 Olympic Games Government Relations Committee; active in community and alumni affairs. Tau Kappa Epsilon. ’66 BS Nurs—Leith P. Mullings of Flushing, NY, December 13, 2020; award-winning distinguished professor emerita of anthropology, CUNY Graduate Center; associate professor, Columbia University; lecturer, Yale University; authority on the foundations of racial and class oppression and the intersectionality of race, class, and gender; author and scholar; activist for social and economic justice and racial equality; active in professional affairs. ’66 BS CALS—Anthony S. Rerecich of Boise, ID, June 13, 2023; computer programming professional; worked at U.S. Bank, West One Bank, ProData, Morrison-Knudsen, Computab, Bank of Hawaii, and Lockheed; veteran; accomplished runner and race organizer and volunteer; enjoyed sailing and genealogy; active in community, religious, and alumni affairs. Cayuga Lodge. ’68 MArch—Larry D. Nichols of Osseo, MN, November 9, 2023; architect, State Architect’s Office; veteran; measured and created drawings of historic textile mills in New York and Massachusetts for the National Register of Historic Places, now preserved in the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institution; enjoyed travel, photography, gardening, computers, and classical and jazz music. ’69 BS MSE, JD ’74—L. Richard Stumbar of Ithaca, NY, April 13, 2021; trial attorney and legal advocate, practicing in the areas of municipal, real estate, business, and employment law and personal injury; of counsel, Bixler & Stumbar; partner, Schlather, Stumbar, Parks & Salk; advocate for civil and human rights; active in alumni affairs. 1970s ’70 BS Nurs—Janice Niesz Beam of Williamsville, NY, October 24, 2019; administrative assistant, Episcopal Charities of Western New York; volunteer, Town of Amherst Senior Services. ’72 BEP—Michael A. Sopchak of York, PA, October 2, 2023; anesthesiologist at Hanover Anesthesiology and Pain Management, Anesthesia Associates of York, and Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY; took medical mission trips to India for nearly 30 years; accomplished French horn player; enjoyed international travel and music; active in professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Kappa Delta Rho. ’73 BS CALS—Stephen L. Schaefer of Valencia, CA, November 6, 2022; licensed mortgage professional and corporate development executive; reverse mortgage advisor, American Family Funding; corporate programs manager, American Red Cross; director, corporate development, the Music Center; enjoyed apple picking in Tehachapi, CA; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Sigma Phi Epsilon. ’74 BS ILR—Henry F. Sobota of Baldwinsville, NY, January 25, 2022; attorney in general practice; founding partner and senior counsel, Ferrara Fiorenza et al.; deputy counsel, NYS School Boards Association, Albany; avid golfer; enjoyed international travel, canoeing, computer and car technology, researching his Polish roots, and following college and professional sports; active in alumni affairs. Delta Kappa Epsilon. ’74 BS HE—Mindy Coffino Waitsman of Braselton, GA, September 6, 2023; community association attorney in private practice, representing homeowner associations in high-rise condominiums and subdivisions; assistant regional counsel, EPA; staff attorney at Rich’s department stores, general counsel at Richway stores, and general counsel for a division of Kodak; board chair, Lekotek of Georgia, facilitating the inclusion of children with disabilities into their families, schools, and communities; active in alumni affairs. ’76 BS CALS—Anthony J. Sciandra III of West Harrison, NY, November 11, 2023; horticulture professional; owner, Landscape Management Systems; enjoyed fishing and golf; active in religious affairs. ’79 JD—Laura J. Goldin of Austin, TX, formerly of Acton, MA, February 2, 2023; pro bono consultant on matters of environmental justice, wetlands protection, and land preservation; professor, Brandeis University, and founder and chair of the environmental studies program; worked with the community on issues of lead exposure in low-income housing and toxic chemical exposure in nail and hair salons; general counsel, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection; created educational gardens in local K-12 public schools; established the Brandeis/WATCH Housing Advocacy Clinic and the charity Manna From Heaven, a food pickup network for local food pantries; nature and animal lover; enjoyed the Adirondack Mountains. 1980s ’81 MA—Peggy B. Murphy of Homer, NY, November 16, 2020; assistant professor of English and political science, SUNY Cortland; assistant professor of constitutional law and other political science and law-related courses, Ithaca College and St. John Fisher College; enjoyed gardening, antiques, folk music, and the beaches of Rhode Island; active in civic, community, and historical affairs. ’82 MBA—Louis C. Moseley of Loudon, TN, February 23, 2023; worked at Guiding Eyes for the Blind and at IBM; writer and editor; lover of dogs. ’82 BCE—Nicholas J. Westley of Redondo Beach, CA, September 4, 2023; adjunct professor in real estate finance, USC Marshall School of Business; executive VP, global multi-market tenant advisory, CBRE; also worked in global real estate management and services at DTZ and Johnson Controls; chief strategy officer, United Systems Integrators, a computer systems maintenance and support organization, opening offices in the western U.S., Canada, and South Asia; avid golfer and tournament official; enjoyed international travel and following professional sports; active in community affairs. 1990s ’99 JD—David Y. Choi of New Canaan, CT, March 26, 2023; award-winning trusts and estates and tax attorney; partner, Kurzman, Eisenberg, Corbin & Lever; mentor; youth hockey and lacrosse coach; active in community and professional affairs. 2000s ’06 MILR—Jaime M. Elving of Freedom, PA, August 25, 2019; integrated healthcare professional; active in alumni affairs. 2010s ’13 BS CALS—Arjun Gupta of Toronto, ON, July 22, 2023; national champion squash player and former Canadian National Team member; active in community, humanitarian, and professional affairs. Alpha Tau Omega. 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. Top: Photo by Jason Koski / Cornell University. Published January 1, 2024