GS Class of 1966
Kay Parker Scheidler ’66 MAT published Renegade Teacher: Inside School Walls with Standards and the Test with Luminare Press in June 2023. The book illustrates how mid-’80s Brown professor and national school change leader Ted Sizer created a program in which Kay taught at Hope High School, Providence, which better supported teachers to work in a radically different use of time and focus to help all students learn, a proposal for today’s public schools. Learn more at kayscheidler.com
Gerald Michael ’66 ScM writes: “Shirley and I enjoyed our travel to the Middle East to help our daughter settle our granddaughter into an Arabic study year abroad in the Kingdom of Jordan. The country, people, and antiquities of Jordan are impressive. We took time to see many tourist highlights in Amman, Jordan’s capital, and we certainly took advantage of the healing properties of the Red Sea mud. We enjoyed our Jordanian trip so much that we may invite ourselves back to help our granddaughter home.”
David Orsini ’66 AM, ’75 PhD, published Vanishing by Degrees and The Weaver of Plots. Vanishing by Degrees is scheduled to be introduced into the language arts curriculum in Cranston High School West, R.I.
Charlie Shumway ’66 AM (see Bob Sanchez ’58).
William Stork ’66 MAT writes: “I am still active as an educational consultant and have been asked to join the board of the Brown Club of Boston. As you may know from the news, Hong Kong has a bit of turmoil, but Brown’s spunky professor Josiah Carberry was there to see if the rumpus would have any effect on his research (he said ‘no’). A good visit, I hadn’t seen him since that celebration in his honor at the Brown Club of Boston several years ago.”
Spike Gonzales, Charles Shumway ’58, ’66 AM, and Roger Young ’50 have been playing tennis together at the Wilderness Country Club in Naples, Fla., for the last decade.
David Orsini ’66 AM, ’75 PhD has new editions of his favorably-reviewed novels The Woman Who Loved Too Well and The Ghost Lovers available online and in bookstores.
Obituaries
Raymond L. Randall ’66 AM, of Lincolnshire, Ill., formerly of Warwick, R.I.; Feb. 27. He taught for 38 years and was the department chair of foreign language at Pilgrim High School in Warwick. He taught religious education for 15 years and served on numerous committees at Saint Peter Church. He volunteered at Roger Williams Park Zoo and earned the title of life docent. As a black belt, he enjoyed teaching judo, reading, and volunteering with youth. He is survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Geraldine Segal Foster ’66 MAT (see ’49).
Gary F. Caron ’66 MAT, of New Hartford, N.Y.; Mar. 21, after a long struggle with corticobasal degeneration. He was a high school math teacher in Red Hook, N.Y., before advancing his education at Brown. Following graduation, he had a long career in software engineering and retired from Lockheed Martin in 1997. He enjoyed traveling the world. He is survived by his wife, Carol; three daughters; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; two sisters; and nieces and nephews.
Geraldine Segal Foster ’49, ’66 MAT, of Somerset, Mass.; Feb. 12. She was a teacher and chair of the English department of Nathan Bishop Middle School. She researched and wrote extensively about the history of the Jewish people of Rhode Island, including being a coeditor of Jews of Rhode Island, 1658-1958. She served as president of the women’s division of the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Bureau of Jewish Education of Rhode Island, the Devorah Dayan Chapter of Na’Amat and the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association. She was a lifelong member of Temple Beth-El. She is survived by four children and their spouses, eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.
Carol I. Thompson ’66 AM, of Portsmouth, Va.; Jul. 12. She was a genealogist and worked part-time at the New Jersey State Archives helping clients trace their family roots. She was a former president of Monmouth County Genealogy Society. She enjoyed reading, cooking, and participating in literature discussions and writing groups. She is survived by her husband, Harold L. York ’64, ’69 PhD; two sons and daughters-in-law; and
four grandchildren.
Byung C. Eu ’66 PhD, of Montreal, Canada; Aug. 25. He was a professor at McGill University from 1967 to 2001, retiring with emeritus status. His research was in the areas of molecular scattering theory, non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, fluid dynamics, and irreversible thermodynamics. He authored and/or coauthored several research articles and was honored to present a lecture at the 32nd International Symposium on Rarefied Gas Dynamics in Seoul, Korea. He is survived by his wife, Hui Young; two children and their spouses; five grandchildren; a sister; and two brothers.
Fran DuRocher ’66 ScM, of Dunfries, Va.; Aug. 5. After Brown, she graduated from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1970. She worked at the Guthrie Clinic (Pa.) and Group Health Association (Washington, D.C.) before opening an internal medicine practice in Fairfax, Va. The practice closed in 2004. She is survived by a sister and many nieces and nephews.
William S. Cain ’66 ScM, ’68 PhD, of La Mesa, Calif., formerly of New York City; Jun. 20. He was emeritus professor of surgery (otolaryngology) at UC San Diego, which he joined after many years at the John B. Pierce Laboratory and Yale University, where he had been professor of environmental health and psychology. He studied how humans perceive odorants and irritants, how they interact, and how they affect health, which led to extensive work on indoor air quality and consulting work for corporations. He evaluated ENT patients with smell impairment. The CCCRC smell test he helped develop was used to assess loss of smell with Covid-19. A former head of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS), he spent a sabbatical at the Monell Chemical Senses Center and later served on its external advisory board. He collaborated with scientists from the U.S., U.K., Australia, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Israel. During his career, he mentored postdoctoral fellows from the U.S., Sweden, Argentina, the Netherlands, and Korea in his Chemosensory Perception Laboratory. He was a former president of the New York Academy of Sciences. He’s survived by his wife, Claire, and her three children; a daughter; a son; and four grandchildren.
Earlene Mara ’66 MAT, of Pawtucket, R.I.; Oct. 23. She was a math teacher in the Cumberland (R.I.) school system for many years and served as the department chair as well, helping to shape the curriculum. After retiring, she enjoyed volunteering at local nursing homes and was an active member of St. Teresa’s Church. She is survived by a sister, a brother, a sister-in-law, and two nephews.
Seymour Glantz ’66 MAT, of Barrington, R.I.; Oct. 9. He was a teacher in the Barrington Public Schools and head of the art department from 1957 to 1988. He was a U.S. Navy Korean War veteran and past president of the RI Art Educators’s Association and the RI Audio Visual Educators Association. He is survived by two sons, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a sister.
Frank Sewell ’66 PhD, of Redding, Conn.; Apr. 1, of lymphoma. He was director of the semiconductor laboratory at Sperry Rand Corp. between 1966 and 1984 and retired from his position as director of the semiconductor pilot line lab at IBM Watson Research Center in 2006. He was a lifelong musician, playing oboe in a number of local orchestras and woodwind quintets. A passionate sailor, he cruised and raced on Cape Cod and in Maine. He was active in the Episcopal Church, serving on the vestry. He is survived by his wife, Judith; a daughter and son-in-law; and a grandson.
Elizabeth Sullivan ’66 AM, of Fall River, Mass.; Jan. 18. She taught English at B.M.C. Durfee High School for more than 30 years and part-time at Bristol Community College, both in Fall River. She enjoyed traveling, knitting, cooking, and reading. She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, a son, and two granddaughters.
Thomas Eccleston III ’66 MAT, of Bedford, N.H., formerly of Warwick, R.I.; Oct. 3. He was a teacher and football, hockey, and baseball coach for 40 years at Pilgrim High School (R.I.) and later at Holderness School and Proctor Academy (both in N.H.). He is survived by his wife, Beverley Fairbanks; three sons and daughters-in-law; seven grandchildren; and a brother and sister-in-law.
Robert A. Feeney ’66 MAT, of Hull, Mass.; Aug. 2. He is survived by two daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter.
Nathaniel Chafee ’66 PhD, of Atlanta; June 23, after a brief illness. In 1973, he joined the faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, where he became an associate professor. He retired from Georgia Tech in 2001. After his retirement, he and his wife traveled to France, Italy, Spain, and Russia. He was an amateur astronomer and a sailor. He was active and generous in philanthropy, supporting conservation, education, human rights, and other causes. He is survived by his wife, Ingrid; two stepsons; a sister; a sister-in-law; and a niece.
Robert D. Allendoerfer ’66 PhD, of Buffalo, N.Y.; May 23. He was a professor of chemistry at the University of Buffalo from 1969 to 2001 and the 1987 recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 1990 he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is survived by his wife, Lona; a daughter; a son; four grandchildren; and a brother.
Frances Ann Walker ’66 PhD, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., formerly of Tucson, Ariz.; Jan. 30, after a long illness. She began her career at Ithaca College as an assistant professor of chemistry and moved to California in 1970 to join the faculty at San Francisco State University, where she was promoted to professor of chemistry and biochemistry in 1976. After developing a research program in porphyrin and iron porphyrin chemistry, she joined the faculty at the University of Arizona in 1990 and was awarded with promotion to Regents Professor in 2001. She retired in 2013 as Regents Professor Emerita. She was published in numerous scientific journals and received several awards, including the 2000 Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal, which recognizes female chemists; the 2006 Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic Chemistry; and the 2020 Eraldo Antonini Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Porphyrins. In 2011 she was elected a fellow of the American Chemical Society and served as associate editor for the Journal of the American Chemical Society. She enjoyed mentoring, traveling, and serving her church. She is survived by four siblings and several nieces and nephews.
David N. Menton ’66 PhD, of Petersburg, Ky.; Dec. 11, of COVID. He was a professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis for 34 years, retiring in 2000. He then served with Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher, retiring in October 2021. He was a professional magician and musician. He is survived by his wife, Debbie; two daughters and sons-in-law; three grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
Montcalm Thomas ’66 PhD, of Richland, Wash.; May 2, of cancer. He taught physics at Washington State University before moving to Richland in 1974 to work at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Upon his retirement, he was honored by the establishment of an award in his name that continues to be presented annually. He is survived by a daughter, two grandsons, a brother, and several nieces and nephews.
Charles R. Maderer ’66 MAT, of Indiana, Pa.; June 19. He was a math professor at Indiana University of PA for more than 30 years. He is survived by four children and their spouses, 10 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.
Frances Shabica ’66 ScM, ’69 PhD, of Bronx, N.Y.; Apr. 5. A lifelong educator, she taught biology at several institutions, including Wheaton College, Connecticut College, the Lincoln School, and Dartmouth High School, before retiring in 2013. She was a Boston Red Sox fan and enjoyed solving crossword puzzles and reading mystery novels. She is survived by two daughters and their spouses, four grandsons, and two brothers, including Charles ’65.
Hazel Conaty Donnelly ’66 MAT, of Fall River, Mass.; Mar. 19. She worked for the Fall River School Department at Durfee High School as history teacher and was the head of the history department for a combined 46 years. She retired in 2001. She is survived by three sons and five grandchildren.
Dorothy F. Donnelly ’66 AM, of Providence; Dec. 23. She was an English professor at URI for four decades and chair of the department for 12 years. She was involved with two unions, the URI AAUP full-time faculty union and the URI Part-Time Faculty United. She was cofounder of Changing Lives Through Literature, Rhode Island chapter. In the 1960s, she traveled to Alabama in support of the Civil Rights Movement. She was the recipient of the Woman of the Year award from the URI Association of Professional and Academic Women, the Excellence in Teaching award, and the Rhode Island Labor History Society award for lifelong achievement. She is survived by many nieces and nephews.
James B. Walker ’66 PhD, of Wilmington, Del.; Dec. 4. In 1967 he accepted a position as a research engineer in the plastics division of E.I. DuPont de Nemours Inc. in Wilmington. During his career at DuPont, he worked on numerous projects, including the development of Lucite and the plastic used for disposable drinking bottles. He spent several years in the United States and France working with partners in the fresh juice and wine industries, helping to extract sugar using membrane technology he invented. While at DuPont, he was honored to be named Research Fellow. He retired in 1991 to begin a second career as CFO and mechanical engineer of Designer Stencils—a design, manufacturing, and retail/wholesale company founded by his wife. His expertise enabled the family business to develop a customized cutting process and to serve retail and wholesale customers worldwide for more than 40 years. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Air Force. He is survived by his wife, Helen; two daughters; a son-in-law; and four grandchildren.
Thomas Parr ’66 ScM, of Reading, Mass.; Oct. 2, of Alzheimer’s disease. He received a bachelor’s degree in geology from MIT and, after graduating Brown he joined the team at Draper Labs that designed the optics system for the Apollo Program. He was an early pioneer in remote sensing, working on the Landsat program, and later appeared on the TV program NOVA to discuss his work. Following his work for NASA he worked for TASC and Northrop Grumman, and he retired from BBN in 2012. He was an outdoors enthusiast who enjoyed rock climbing, hiking, camping, and skiing. He obtained his pilot’s license and owned a Cessna for many years. He was an avid traveler and also enjoyed photography. He had a mischievous spirit and enjoyed playing pranks. One of his proud accomplishments was using his rock-climbing skills to mount a red wooden heart on a tower on Brown’s campus in honor of Valentine’s Day. He is survived by his wife Mary; four children and their spouses; five grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.
Thomas A. Johnson ’66 MAT, of Okeechobee, Fla., formerly of Ohio; Sept. 27. He taught mathematics, physics, science, and electronics in the Buckeye Local School District for 30 years. Through the Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program in 1986 he moved his family to Nottingham, England, exchanging teaching positions and homes for one academic year. Upon his retirement from public education, he was employed by LTV Steel Corporation in Cleveland to develop and teach its curriculum. He also spent three years at Geneva Area City Schools as the audiovisual director. He was an avid amateur radio operator and a member of the Ashtabula, Ohio, and Okeechobee, Florida, amateur radio clubs. He is survived by his wife, Lou; a daughter and son-in-law; a son; and three grandchildren.
Theodore B. Wiehe Jr. ’66 MAT, of Cleveland, Ohio; Apr. 11. He taught for 32 years at Shaker Heights High School and was instrumental in forming their men’s and women’s soccer teams. He was known for creating innovative classes at the school and riding his red bicycle to work. He also enjoyed running. He is survived by his wife, Sarah; two sons; a sister; a brother; and several nieces and nephews.
James Dalager ’66 MAT, of Thief River Falls, Minn.; June 4. He was a math and science teacher at Augustana Academy (S. Dak.), Camrose Lutheran College (Alberta, Canada), and Northland Community College in Thief River Falls. He retired in 1992 and spent a year in Bratislava, Slovakia, teaching math in English. He was active in organizations including Zion Lutheran Church’s choir, the Cancer Society, and the Pennington County Historical Society, and tutored math at Cornerstone Academy. He farmed part-time beginning in 1965. He enjoyed family history, square dancing, stamp collecting, and traveling. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis; five children and their spouses; 11 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a sister.
Judith A. Brown ’66 MAT, of Providence and Cranston, R.I.; May 5. She was a teacher in the Warwick Public System for her entire career, and served as English Department Head at Warwick Veterans Memorial High School from 1972 to her retirement in 1984. She was a member and lector at St. Peter Church in Warwick, and in retirement worked part-time in the parish office. She is survived by a brother and a nephew.
James B. Jamieson ’66 PhD, of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Sept. 18. He began working at Pitzer College as an associate professor in 1968 and left in 1983 as vice president to serve as vice president of Claremont McKenna College. He held that position until 1987. After moving to San Luis Obispo, he became the executive director for the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly, where he was instrumental in raising funds to build a performing arts center on the Cal Poly University campus. He retired in 1995. He enjoyed restoring automobiles, playing tennis, writing humorous short stories, and fishing. He is survived by his wife, Perry; two sons; two grandsons; four step-granddaughters; and several nieces and nephews.
Richard C. Lessmann ’66 ScM, ’69 PhD, of Narragansett, R.I.; Dec. 22. He was a professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at the University of Rhode Island, where he worked for 39 years before retiring. He enjoyed advising students transitioning into college and in his spare time liked to draw, paint, and do woodworking. He is survived by his wife, Ann; three sons and their spouses; and three grandchildren.
Vivian Kogan ’66 AM, ’72 PhD, of Union Village, Vt.; July 17, of breast cancer. She taught French literature and language at Dartmouth College until retiring in 2012. She published and became known for her work on the experimental literature of the author and poet, Raymond Queneau and in 2006 she published The I of History: Self Fashioning and National Consciousness in Jules Michelet, introducing a novel perspective on the historian. She enjoyed traveling with her husband, the arts, and politics. She is survived by her husband, Bernie; a daughter; a son; a daughter-in-law; two grandchildren; and a sister.
Harry Roy ’65, ’66 ScM, of Troy, N.Y.; July 12, after a brief illness. He was a professor in the department of biological sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy for 42 years. A choral singer, he performed with Albany Pro Musica, Saint Paul’s Choristers, and Burnt Hills Oratorio Society. He enjoyed opera, the theater, and writing contributor letters and opinion pieces advocating for the environment. He is survived by his wife, Sharon; a son and daughter-in-law; and two sisters, including Jamie Ross ’73.
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