GS Class of 1956

Robert W. Simpson ’56 ScM, of Hillsborough, N.J.; Dec. 25. He completed his PhD in microbiology and virology at Rutgers University and worked as a research virologist at Public Health Research Institute in New York City. In 1968, he returned to Rutgers as professor and director of virology at Waksman Institute of Microbiology. He was a member of the New Jersey State Commission on Cancer Research and served as a scientific reviewer for various NIH Study sections. He was an active volunteer in the community, serving with the Hillsborough Rescue Squad as a member and crew chief, the American Red Cross as a first aid/CPR instructor and board member, a member and chairman of the Hillsborough Environmental Commission, and first president of Friends of Hillsborough. He was an accomplished pianist and enjoyed attending concerts. He completed home improvement projects, acquiring new skills and creating a beautiful landscape that surrounded the swimming pool he personally built for his family. He is survived by four children and their spouses, six grandchildren, and a brother. 

Herbert A. Mehlhorn ’56 PhD, of Portland, Me., formerly of Lexington, Mass.; Oct. 10. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he ​received a PhD in physics from Brown and began working at Schlumberger-Doll Research Center (Conn.). He married and started a family as his career led them to Lexington and to a long tenure at Raytheon’s Missile Systems Division, where he managed programs that developed critical systems for the U.S. Department of Defense. He applied for and received multiple patents in the area of optical physics. He retired in 1990 and enjoyed traveling the globe with his wife before her passing, especially to South America and Germany. He is survived by two daughters, two sons, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and seven grandchildren. 

Rosalind Ekman Ladd ’56 AM, ’62 PhD, of Lancaster, N.H., and Providence, R.I.; Oct. 6. She was a professor of philosophy at Wheaton College for more than 30 years and a visiting professor in biomedical ethics at Brown. She will be remembered for her work in the areas of children’s rights, especially in healthcare, medical decision-making, and women’s issues. She was a member of the board for the RI Committee for the Humanities and volunteered on various medical ethics committees at Rhode Island Hospital, Bradley Hospital, and Women and Infants Hospital. In retirement she wrote articles for the New Hampshire Historical Society. She served on the board of directors for the Lancaster Historical Society and volunteered at Weeks Memorial Hospital and Weeks Memorial Library. She also enjoyed gardening. She is survived by three daughters, a son-in-law, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Gerald L. Roy ’56 ScM, of Lancaster, Pa.; Apr. 28. He is survived by his wife, Jeanne; four children and their spouses; three grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; two step-grandchildren; seven step-great-grandchildren; and a brother. 

Gerald F. Smith ’56 PhD, of Hilton Head Island, S.C., formerly of Bethlehem, Pa.; Jan. 23, after a short illness. He was an assistant professor at Lehigh and Yale universities, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin, and full professor and head of the Center for the Application of Mathematics at Lehigh University from 1956 until his retirement in 1995. His work, which focused on invariant theory, won international acclaim, and he published more than 50 papers. He served on the editorial board of Journal of Rational Mechanics and Analysis and published Constitutive Equations for Anisotropic and Isotropic Materials in 1994. He enjoyed listening to classical music, reading, playing golf, traveling, and especially playing tennis. He won many tournaments in singles and doubles in Bethlehem. He was a U.S. Army World War II veteran. He is survived by his wife, Marie Madden Smith ’58 ScM; a sister; and many nieces and nephews.

James R. Trew ’56 ScM, of Fayetteville, N.C.; Jan. 25. He worked for Standard Oil Company of Texas as a subsurface geologist before entering the U.S. Air Force as a technical intelligence officer. Following military service, he was associate chief librarian at Space Technology Laboratories in California. In 1962, he began a 36-year career at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., retiring in 1996 as the director of the Library of Congress Integrated Support Services, providing advice on facility planning and collection storage to librarians and archivists throughout the world. He coached football and basketball and enjoyed hiking and camping. He is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, a son and daughter-in-law, and seven grandchildren. 

Maxwell M. Mozell ’53 ScM, ’56 PhD (see ’51).

Maxwell M. Mozell ’51, ’53 ScM, ’56 PhD, of New York City; Mar. 28, from COVID-19. He served in the U.S. Navy in Florida, assigned to study flight and g-forces as part of the nascent space program, then became a distinguished national and international leader in the field of chemosensory research. He was professor emeritus of neuroscience and physiology at SUNY Upstate Medical University and a former dean of its College of Graduate Studies. In 1978 he founded the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, which studies the science behind taste and smell, and was editor of its journal Chemical Sciences. He published 78 peer-reviewed articles and several book chapters, served as chair of the International Commission on Olfaction and Taste, and was the recipient of many prestigious awards. He enjoyed politics, traveling, boating, swimming, playing chess, and wearing bow ties. He is survived by partner Beatrice Farnsworth, a son, four daughters, 12 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

Warren P. Roque ’56 AM, of Providence; Apr. 12. He taught in the Providence public school system for 20 years and was a school principal in Richmond and Coventry, R.I., for 12 years. After serving as an educator, he worked for the U.S. Post Office. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and a communicant of St. Mark Church in Cranston, R.I. He enjoyed reading and writing stories and poetry. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; three sons and their wives; a daughter-in-law; seven grandchildren; two sisters; and three brothers.