In Memoriam January 2025 1920s 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. 1920s 1925, BS CALS 1926—Seth Jackson of Hillsboro, OR, formerly of Beaverton, OR, January 11, 1978; forester; owner, Cherry Blossoms Farm; Rhode Island state director, Northeastern Timber Salvage Administration, U.S. Forest Service; enjoyed international travel; active in alumni affairs. 1940s ’41 BME—Raymond S. Watson of Baltimore, MD, October 9, 2023; mechanical engineer; worked at Ward Machinery Co. and the Ray V. Watson Co.; research scientist, NACA (now NASA); veteran; member, Knights of Columbus; enjoyed flying gliders; active in professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Seal & Serpent. ’43 BS HE—Cora Thomas Parsons of Ashburn, VA, October 13, 2024; active in alumni affairs. ’45 BCE—Frohman P. Davis of Guilford, CT, and Hillsboro Beach, FL, October 7, 2024; structural engineer; worked at Steele and Co.; partner, Teetor Dobbins; helped repair the Capitol Dome in Washington, DC; entrepreneur; developer; avid sailor; enjoyed photography; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’45, BS CALS ’47—Bernard Mayrsohn of Miami, FL, October 7, 2024; president, Mayrsohn International Trading Co.; veteran; subject of the 2018 biography From Brooklyn to the Battle of the Bulge and on to Building an International Business: The Incredible Story of Bernard (Barney) Mayrsohn; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Tau Delta Phi. ’49, BEE ’50—Howard M. Deutch of Fayetteville, NY, October 10, 2024; electrical engineer, General Electric; enjoyed international travel, gardening, and fine dining; active in professional and alumni affairs. Tau Epsilon Phi. 1950s ’50 BS Eng—Sherlock A. Herrick Jr. of East Aurora, NY, April 4, 2010; engineer, Worthington Corp.; expert on the engineering of large-scale pumps; lecturer, Clarkson College; veteran; participated in the D-Day invasion; author; pilot; vice president, Roycroft Revitalization Corp.; established the Herrick Land Corp.; active in civic, community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Theta Delta Chi. ’52 BA—Warren L. Chernaik of London, UK, October 2024; professor emeritus of English, University of London; senior research fellow, Institute of English Studies; expert on Renaissance literature and poetry; wrote major studies of Milton, Marvell, and Shakespeare; also taught at Yale, Ohio State, Boston, and Bangor universities and City College of New York; author; reviewed productions at Shakespeare’s Globe; enjoyed classical and popular music; active in community and professional affairs. Watermargin. Surviving spouse: Judith Sheffield Chernaik ’55. ’52 BA—David G. Murray of Syracuse, NY, October 1, 2024; orthopedic surgeon; developed the artificial knee; chair of orthopedic surgery, SUNY Upstate Medical School; helped establish the SUNY Upstate Institute for Human Performance; veteran; mentor; helped build Boundary Breaks vineyard; enjoyed repairing antique clocks; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Phi Sigma Kappa. ’53 BA, LLB ’59—Angelos P. Romas of Endicott, NY, October 7, 2024; founder and principal attorney, Angelos Peter Romas law firm; veteran; active in professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Lambda Chi Alpha. ’53 BA—Judith Stone Wallace of Phoenix, AZ, November 1, 2024. ’54 BS CALS—Vincent J. Deorio of Norwalk, CT, September 20, 2024; owner, Reynolds Farms Nursery and Country Garden Center; veteran; active in professional affairs. ’54 BA—Inger Abrahamsen Elliott of New York City, January 29, 2024; photojournalist who created portraits of Ingrid Bergman and Marlon Brando; founder, China Seas textile design firm; author; key figure in the events that inspired John Guare’s play Six Degrees of Separation; developed Conversations at Sotheby’s; member, Council on Foreign Relations; trustee emeritus, the Asia Society; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’54 MS, PhD ’57—Robert C. Stein of Tonawanda, NY, October 1, 2024; professor emeritus of biology, Buffalo State University; active in professional and alumni affairs. ’54 BS CALS—William R. Titus of Palm Harbor, FL, March 28, 2024; coordinator; active in alumni affairs. Sigma Phi Epsilon. ’55 BA—Alan R. Cantwell of Hollywood, CA, January 1, 2021; dermatologist, Kaiser Permanente; veteran; author; established Aries Rising Press; enjoyed playing piano and painting; active in professional affairs. Alpha Sigma Phi. ’55 MD—Charles E. Hollerman of Pittsburgh, PA, May 4, 2022; director of medicine at hospitals in Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Cincinnati; professor of pediatrics, Georgetown University and University of South Dakota medical schools; expert in pediatric nephrology; veteran; author; avid reader; enjoyed hiking, gardening, and playing bridge; active in community and professional affairs. ’55 BS Nurs—Jane Knowlton Leighton of Waterville, ME, July 19, 2024; registered nurse, Thayer and Seton hospitals, Waterville; head nurse in the obstetrics department, New York Hospital; volunteer, Maine General Hospital; avid reader, writer, and baker; enjoyed cooking from scratch, picking blueberries, and journaling; active in community and historical affairs. ’55 BS CALS, MS ’57—Clark C. Phillips of North Collins, NY, September 23, 2024; dairy farmer; cooperative extension agent; missionary; established a dairy operation in Romania in support of the Caminul Felix orphanage; author; enjoyed baseball; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Alpha Gamma Rho. Surviving spouse: Sue Streeter Phillips ’55, MS ’57. ’56 BA—Barbara M. Burns of New York City, September 28, 2024; worked in advertising and public relations; founder, Barbara Burns International LLC; represented the International Public Relations Association at the United Nations; enjoyed international travel, opera, country music, the arts, restaurants, and the ocean; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Kappa Alpha Theta. ’56 DVM—Martin J. Newman of Albany, NY, October 9, 2023; veterinarian, Colonie Animal Hospital; active in professional and alumni affairs. ’57 BA—Frederick H.L. Fung of Blue Bell, PA, September 13, 2024; senior vice president and treasurer, Harleysville Insurance Co.; avid golfer; enjoyed international travel, playing blackjack, restoring antique sports cars, and collecting antique firearms; active in community and professional affairs. Theta Xi. ’57 BA—J. Norman Howard of Tupper Lake, NY, September 20, 2024; investor and manager, the Wawbeek; professor of hotel and restaurant management, SUNY Plattsburgh; business group director on the QE2 cruise ship, Cunard Lines; senior vice president, Lindblad Travel; also worked for Citibank; enjoyed international travel, the Adirondacks, dancing, skiing, tennis, and sailing; active in community and professional affairs. Theta Chi. ’57 BA—Sally Williams Rosenbaum of Portland, OR, formerly of Yorktown Heights, NY, October 8, 2024; attorney; high school English teacher; enjoyed singing and the outdoors; active in professional and alumni affairs. ’58 MD—Frederick D. Bergen of Petersburg, VA, April 7, 2021; vascular and thoracic surgeon; Rotarian; enjoyed international travel, golf, hunting, skiing, flying, and woodworking; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’58, BA ’60—John D. Phillips of Glen Cove, NY, September 16, 2024; owner, J.D. Phillips Inc., a data processing consulting firm; also worked in the structural steel industry and the wholesale liquor business; assistant coach, New York Saints professional indoor lacrosse team; executive director, International Lacrosse Federation; inductee, U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame; enjoyed international travel; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Chi Psi. Surviving spouse: Sallie Whitesell Phillips ’59. ’58 BA—Ann Riemer Walker of Lawrenceville, NJ, September 30, 2024; educator; taught adult literacy and English as a second language; member, P.E.O. Sisterhood; lifelong learner; avid reader; enjoyed travel, art, and watercolor painting; active in community, religious, and alumni affairs. Pi Beta Phi. Surviving spouse: William L. Walker ’57, B Chem E ’58. ’59, BArch ’62—Ratan N. Tata of Mumbai, India, October 9, 2024; chairman emeritus, Tata Sons; philanthropist and chair, the Tata Trusts, India’s largest private-sector philanthropic organization; venture capitalist; helped build the Tata Innovation Center at Cornell Tech; established the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition; member, Cornell University Board of Trustees; Cornell’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013; juror, Pritzker Architecture Prize; enjoyed flying; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Alpha Sigma Phi. 1960s ’60 LLB—David A. Berndt of Russell, MA, July 3, 2016; attorney; in-house counsel, Woronoco Savings Bank; veteran; chairman and treasurer, Carson Center; avid golfer and tennis player; active in civic, community, professional, and religious affairs. ’60 BS HE—Susan Shapiro Prohofsky of Sarasota, FL, formerly of West Lafayette, IN, August 11, 2024; director, Purdue University Hillel; member of Hadassah, Sons of Abraham, Sisterhood, and Lafayette Jewish Community Religious School, and the Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Committee; enjoyed cross-stitching; active in community and alumni affairs. ’61 BS CALS—Melinda L. Everitt of Satellite Beach, FL, October 8, 2024; professor of education, SUNY Potsdam; education program developer, NYS Correctional Services Department; wrote educational programs and grants, NYS Board of Cooperative Educational Services; high school science teacher; technical liaison, Brevard County Department of Water Resources; travel agent; also worked for Pan Am World Services; author; editor; miniaturist; enjoyed international travel and collecting antiques; active in civic, community, professional, and alumni affairs. Chi Omega. ’61 BS HE—Sylvia Cottingham Smyth of Asheville, NC, formerly of Seminole, FL, October 30, 2024; visual designer; art and vocal music teacher, American Embassy School, New Delhi, India; also directed a self-help project packing and marketing spices and related products; member and actor, Delhi Community Players; nutrition and cookbook author; conducted art workshops for seniors; active in alumni affairs. Surviving spouse: Richard R. Smyth, GR ’55–60. ’62 BA, LLB ’65—C. William Gray of Elmira, NY, May 23, 2024; criminal defense attorney; judge; avid reader. Alpha Chi Sigma. ’63 BS Hotel, MBA ’64—David M. Theophilus of Orlando, FL, formerly of Windermere, FL, 2024; president, DMT Hospitality Associates; director, Wynfield Inns Inc. Phi Gamma Delta. ’64 BA—Louise Kaplan Joseph of Fayetteville, NY, formerly of Toronto, ON, September 21, 2024; enjoyed gardening. ’65 BME, ME ’68—Frank F. Maxant of Ayer, MA, September 5, 2024; mechanical engineer; founder, Frank Maxant Development Co.; veteran; choral singer, Nashoba Valley Chorale and Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood Festival Chorus; active in civic, community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. Pi Kappa Phi. ’65 PhD—Sanford A. Moss of Westport, MA, September 26, 2024; professor of biology, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; expert on sharks and other elasmobranch fishes; author; editor; mentor; Cub Scout leader; docent, New Bedford Whaling Museum; member, Lions Club; enjoyed beekeeping, hunting, fishing, playing the trombone, woodworking, and collecting whaling tools, paintings and prints, scrimshaw, and Pacific Northwest Native American art; active in community and professional affairs. Surviving spouse: Barbara Edinger Moss, GR ’64–65. ’66 BA—Marshall I. Etra of New York City, September 27, 2024; attorney; enjoyed international travel, sailing, painting, skiing, and maple syrup farming; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’66 BS Hotel—Leif R. Evensen of Oslo, Norway, September 6, 2024; hotelier; director, Hotel Europa; also worked with SAS Catering and SAS International Hotels; global president, Cornell Hotel Society; member, Chaîne des Rôtisseurs; mentor; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’66 LLB—John H. Warren of St. Croix, VI, September 20, 2024; attorney; FBI agent; helped open a Red Cross shelter after 1989’s Hurricane Hugo; enjoyed international travel; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. ’66 BA—Valerie A. Zborowski of Campbell, CA, November 29, 2023; computer engineer, Sun Microsystems; member, American Mensa Society; enjoyed international travel, hot air ballooning, bird watching, marathons, theater, tennis, gardening, and playing accordion; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Kappa Delta. ’67 BS CALS—Donald W. New of Canastota, NY, September 27, 2024; taught economics and business at Mohawk Valley Community College; teacher, Canastota School District; co-owner, Wesmarnine Farms; coached wrestling, football, Babe Ruth League baseball, and track; advisor, Future Farmers of America; NCAA Division I All-American wrestler; active in civic, community, professional, and alumni affairs. Psi Upsilon. ’67 LLB—Robert F. Wilson of Webster, NY, October 3, 2024; attorney, ESL Federal Credit Union; veteran; avid sportsman; enjoyed international travel, music, and the outdoors; active in professional and alumni affairs. ’68, BS Nurs ’69—Susan Pyrtek Buchholtz of Brookline, MA, 1983. 1970s ’70—Charles J. Greenwald of The Villages, FL, June 3, 2021; salesman and manager in the food industry; veteran; enjoyed golf and bowling. ’70 MA, PhD ’73—G. Andrew Rembert of Washington, PA, September 9, 2024; professor emeritus of philosophy, executive vice president, and interim president, Washington & Jefferson College; dean of faculty, Lewis and Clark College; provost, St. Lawrence University; also taught at Colgate University; mentor; active in community and professional affairs. ’70 BS CALS, DVM ’74—Henry J. Travis of Centerport, NY, October 10, 2024; veterinarian, Fort Hill Animal Hospital; chairperson, Baker Institute for Animal Health; mentor; baseball and softball coach; enjoyed sailing, gardening, wood refinishing, painting, repairing plumbing and electricity, and making birdhouses; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Sigma Phi Epsilon. ’74 BA—Lisa J. Pollak of Morristown, NJ, April 18, 2024; attorney; general counsel, Paterson Public Schools; president, Morristown Board of Education; advocate for equity in education and access to free high-quality preschool; member, Impact100 Garden State, a women’s philanthropic collective providing grants to local nonprofits; avid reader. ’75 BS Hotel—Michael G. Greene of Warminster, PA, September 30, 2023; hotelier; worked at Club 101, Tavern on the Green, the Essex House, and the Sky Club in Manhattan; food bank manager, Jesus Focus Ministry; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. ’75 PhD—Michael H. Tamaroff of Suffern, NY, March 11, 2021; senior psychologist, Long Island Jewish Medical Center. ’77—John G. Novarr of Ithaca, NY, September 16, 2024; CEO, Novarr-Mackesey Construction Inc.; real estate developer; millwork shop owner; veteran; housed Bosnian refugees; enjoyed art, Newfoundland dogs, and fine dining; active in civic, community, and professional affairs. ’78 BME—Harvey Won of Naperville, IL, October 15, 2024; vice president, Asia-Pacific Region, General Motors; executive director, General Motors Powertrain Group; enjoyed international travel; active in professional and alumni affairs. Surviving spouse: Wendy Lee Won ’79, MD ’82. 1980s ’80 JD—Albert M. Mercury of Rochester, NY, September 21, 2021; attorney, Phillips Lytle Hitchcock law firm; veteran; active in professional affairs. ’81 JD—Robert L. Lee of Saint Paul, MN, October 10, 2024; attorney; senior vice president and senior company counsel, Wells Fargo; worked on Wells Fargo’s 2008 acquisition of Wachovia Corp.; partner, Briggs and Morgan; philanthropist; enjoyed classical music, opera, fine art, and naval history; active in community, professional, religious, and alumni affairs. ’84, BA ’85—Luis R. Colanta of Davenport, FL, November 28, 2022; physician; CEO, Whitehead Institute; CEO, Infusionx Clinics Inc.; managing partner, Synapse BioScience; active in professional affairs. ’84 BA—Daniel P. Speck of Rehoboth Beach, DE, formerly of Washington, DC, September 17, 2024; software development manager, Bloomberg BNA; taught at Washington Karate Academy; enjoyed martial arts; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Surviving spouse: John Boggan-Speck ’84, MS ’91. ’87 MS—Karen F. Debrot of Atlanta, GA, September 6, 2024; worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Division of Adolescent and School Health, the Division of Oral Health, and the Office of Smoking and Health; contractor, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors; adjunct faculty, Northern Illinois University; clinical dietitian, Houston V.A. Medical Center; researcher, Family Services of Greater Houston; avid calligrapher and photographer; enjoyed birding, reading, and music; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. ’89 BS ILR—Wayne M. Van Vleet of Medina, NY, formerly of Liberty, NY, October 9, 2024; general counsel and executive director of personnel, human resources, and labor relations, Orleans/Niagara BOCES; taught at Niagara University; mentor; animal lover; enjoyed watching sports; active in community, professional, and alumni affairs. Tau Kappa Epsilon. 1990s ’93 BA—Felix R. “Rich” Gorrio of Washington, DC, September 13, 2024; business and technical writer and editor; enjoyed literature, music, film, and wordplay; active in philanthropic, professional, and alumni affairs. Delta Phi. 2000s ’08 MS, PhD ’11—Jason R. Dorvee of Arlington, VA, September 27, 2024; director, I-neXt at the G-7/Marine Corps Installations Command; associate technical director and research materials engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; author; patent holder; artist; avid reader; enjoyed martial arts and creating hot sauces and dry rubs; active in community and professional 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 Jason Koski / Cornell University. Published January 1, 2025