GS Class of 1971

Jennifer M. Smith ’71 MAT, of Eugene, Ore.; May 1, from skin cancer and Alzheimer’s disease complications. After graduating from Brown, she spent a year in Monterey, Mexico, teaching English at Berlitz School and living with a Mexican family. She returned to teach high school Spanish in Lodi, Calif., for three years, which was also when she changed her first name to Jennifer (she was born Miriam Bernice Smith). In 1976, she earned a master’s degree in Spanish from the University of Oregon and went on to teach junior high school Spanish in Eugene. In 1978, she received her third and final graduate degree, this one in library science, and went on to work as a librarian at the Eugene Public Library from 1980 until her retirement in 2003. In addition to having an interest in genealogy, she was an accomplished musician and sang in the choir at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and in the Women’s Choral Group. She also played violin in the Eugene Community Orchestra and the flute in her later years. Phi Beta Kappa. She is survived by a sister, a brother, and six nieces and nephews. 

Paul L. Zimmering ’71 MAT (see ’70).

John D. Riley ’71 MAT, of Cranston, R.I.; Feb. 16. He taught for 34 years at schools that included De La Salle Academy in Newport, North Smithfield High School, and Davies Career and Technical High School. At De La Salle, he served as JV baseball coach and director of the glee club. He was an administrative assistant to Congressman Edward P. Beard for six years and special assistant to Congressman Fernand St. Germain for four years. He is survived by his wife, Maureen, and a son.

Jeffrey A. Kelman ’71 MMSc (see ’69).

Paul L.  “Zeke” Zimmering ’70, ’71 MAT, of New Orleans; Mar. 4, after a brief illness. He taught high school in Falls Church (Va.) for two years before moving to New Orleans to attend Tulane Law School, where he was a member of the Tulane Law Review. Upon graduating, he clerked for Justice John A. Dixon, Jr. on the Louisiana Supreme Court and then joined the firm of Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C. in 1977. For 28 years he taught courses on energy law and regulation at Tulane Law School on a pro bono basis. An avid sports fan, he followed New York professional sports teams all his life, but after moving to New Orleans, he became a season ticket holder of the Saints, the Pelicans, and Tulane football and baseball. He was known for bringing a scorecard to every Tulane baseball game he attended and recording each play, and he had a collection of bobble-head sports figures. He enjoyed running and ran his first New York City Marathon at 50 years old. He is survived by his wife, Martha; a stepdaughter; and three cousins. 

Jeffrey A. Kelman ’69, ’71 MMSc, of Washington, D.C.; Feb. 8. He was the chief medical officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. He had been there since 2005 and helped implement the Part D program. Previously, he served as a senior medical advisor to the Congressional Budget Office. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and was on the staff of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. He is survived by his wife, Harriet; a daughter; a son and daughter-in-law; and a grandson.

John E. Rowe ’71 PhD, of Cary, N.C.; Dec. 8. Prior to matriculating at Brown, he taught at Clark Atlanta College and then worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. After graduating, he began working at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey and became department head in 1980. In 1983 he joined the physics department at the University of Florida, coleading a newly formed program in microelectronics and material physics. After two years he returned to Bell Labs, where he worked until 1996. He then accepted a position at the Army Research Office (ARO) in North Carolina and became an adjunct professor of physics at NC State. In 2004 he left ARO and became founding deputy director of the Institute for Advanced Materials at UNC-Chapel Hill. After three and a half years at UNC he returned to the physics department at NC State as a research professor. He was the recipient of several awards and distinctions, including being selected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Vacuum Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2011 he received the Albert Nerken Award from the American Vacuum Society for his research on synchrotrons, a type of circular particle accelerator. He was an active member of Apex United Methodist Church and enjoyed fishing, watching football, and Jeopardy!. He is survived by his wife, Susie; three children; and five grandchildren.

George A. Kent ’71 PhD, of Cambridge, Mass.; Nov. 16, from complications of dementia. He had a 30-year career in the U.S. Navy, beginning with submarines, then transitioned to research and development of submarine systems. He retired to Cambridge in 1995. He worked at Towers Perrin in Boston and became a pension actuary. He tutored math and science at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and was an ordained Elder in the Presbyterian Church. He played tuba in the Cambridge Community Band and enjoyed singing in church choirs. He is survived by his wife, Mary Louise; a daughter; a son and daughter-in-law; three grandchildren; a sister; and a brother. 

Alden Mosshammer ’71 PhD, of Escondido, Calif.; Jul. 31. He is survived by his wife, Mary; four stepsons; and two sisters. 

Marilyn H. Fetterman ’71 AM, ’92 PhD, of Allentown, Pa.; Mar. 23. She is survived by her mother, a sister, and two brothers.

Ralph L. Roberts III ’71 AM, of Cincinnati; Feb. 20. He was an assistant professor of anthropology. He is survived by a daughter, a son, five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, a sister, and three nephews.

Dean C. Palmer ’71 ScM, ’75 PhD, of Excelsior, Minn.; Mar. 8, from primary progressive aphasia. After earning his undergraduate degree from Oberlin College and his PhD in physics from Brown, he began his career as a nuclear physicist. He had postdoctoral positions at the University of Liverpool, England, and the University of Minnesota. He was an expert in the field of magnetic recording, developing the technology used to store data on computer hard drives, first working at IBM in Rochester, Minn., for 20 years and later at Seagate in the Twin Cities. In retirement he enjoyed volunteering and working to make the world a better place for future generations through the Sierra Club and led a landscape renewal project for his community. He is survived by his wife, Helen; two daughters; a stepdaughter; two grandchildren; and four siblings.

Robert G. Liotta ’71 AM, of Manchester, N.H.; Jan. 27. He had an extensive career in the U.S. Air Force. Having graduated from the U.S. Air Force pilot training in 1950, he began his career as an instructor pilot in Texas. He spent the next 40 years working alongside foreign nationals, student pilots, liaison officers, and exchange officers before retiring as regional manager for Northrop Aircraft. While at Brown, he became a commander of the Air Force ROTC program. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; two sons and their spouses; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Ashwani D. Budhiraja ’71 ScM, of Rehoboth, Mass.; Feb. 22. He had a 40-year career as a mechanical engineer. He was a founder of the Indian Students Association, which later became the Indian Association of Greater Rhode Island. He was an accomplished tennis player and swimmer and he enjoyed table tennis, billiards, and bridge. He sang, painted, and enjoyed gardening. He is survived by his wife, Rita; two daughters and their spouses, including daughter Pratisha Budhiraja ’91; two granddaughters; and a sister.

Warren A. Potas ’70, ’71 ScM, of Wenonah, N.J., formerly of Washington, D.C.; Sept. 5. After Brown, he spent a year living in Budapest, Hungary, doing computer interface research, then studied architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design, followed by computer contracting work in Arizona, Texas, and Iowa, finally settling in the Washington, D.C., area. He thoroughly enjoyed the wilderness/outdoors, and in 1979 he founded and developed an adventure program of wilderness/outdoor activities for the gay community. Over the course of his career, he worked on mainframe computer software design and development at companies including IBM, Unisys, and Calvert Equity Fund, and U.S. government agencies that included the Naval Research Laboratory, Indian Health Service, and National Institute of Mental Health. He also had an interest in stock investing. He enjoyed participating in an array of local gay social groups and helped launch and sustain an independent gay community center in D.C. as both a volunteer and board member.

Ronald C. Markoff ’71, ’71 AM, of Providence, R.I.; June 13. He earned his JD from Boston College Law School in 1975 and spent 46 years practicing and teaching law, including opening his own law practice in downtown Providence. Throughout his career he received numerous accolades, including being named in Rhode Island Monthly’s Excellence in Practicing Law and a Lifetime Service Award from Jewish Family Service of Rhode Island. He was a lifelong trumpet player and an avid classical music fan and collected composer cards instead of baseball cards. He went on to found and be the principal trumpeter of the Narragansett Bay Symphony Community Orchestra. He performed with the Rhode Island Wind Ensemble, alongside his brother, and with the Buffalo Symphony Orchestra. He was a board member of Jewish Collaborative Services and Temple Emanu-El. He is survived by his wife, Karen; three daughters, including Sidra Scharff ’13 MPH and Allegra Scharff ’17 MPH; four grandchildren; and two brothers and sisters-in-law.

Donald E. Smith ’69 ’71 ScM, of Park City, Utah, formerly of East Brunswick, N.J.; Aug. 28, after a prolonged illness. After obtaining his PhD from Rutgers University, he joined the Rutgers computer science faculty as director of the laboratory of computer science research. He retired after 40 years with the title of vice president of information technology and moved to Utah. He is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, four grandchildren, two sisters, and brother William ’76, ’82 ScM.

Gregory M. Eramian ’64, ’71 PhD, of London, Ontario; June 3. He taught Russian language, literature, and linguistics, and later comparative literature and culture, at the University of Western Ontario. He served as chair of the department of Russian studies (1977-84) and as undergraduate chair of the department of modern languages and literatures (2000-05). In June of 2004, he received the Edward G. Pleva Award for excellence in teaching. In 2006, he took early retirement from UWO after 37 years of service due to poor health and was granted the title of professor emeritus. He was an avid philatelist and map aficionado. He loved all kinds of music, gardening, baking, the outdoors, and traveling, especially long summer family car trips to national parks and recreation areas in Canada and the U.S. and hiking on trails. At the time of his death, he had just completed the compilation of a comprehensive  80,000-entry (1,400-page) English-Western Armenian dictionary, a project he had dreamed of doing since his teen years. This dictionary is intended as a pedagogical aid to students of Western Armenian. He is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, a son and daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Joseph E. Hight ’71 PhD, of Springfield, Va.; Feb. 12, of ocular melanoma. He taught the principles of economics course for a year at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I., and for four years he taught labor economics and money and banking at the University of Hawaii. In 1973, he was an economic policy fellow at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. That led to a position as an economist in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy, where he spent a 25-year career working on program evaluation and policy development. He worked on unemployment compensation, trade adjustment assistance for trade impacted workers, job training programs for unemployed and displaced workers, employment and unemployment compensation, and social security. From 1978 to 1979, he was a staff economist for the National Commission on Employment and Unemployment Statistics, specializing in state and local area employment statistics. For a short time he was adviser to Secretary of Labor Robert Reich in the Secretary of Labor’s role as a trustee on the Social Security Board of Trustees. For 10 years he taught economics to master’s degree students as an adjunct associate professor at George Washington University. He served in the Rhode Island Air National Guard and enjoyed reading, freelance writing, and playing tennis. Phi Beta Kappa. He is survived by his wife, Adele; a son; a sister; two brothers; and nieces and nephews.

Paul L. Sheehey ’71 MAT, of Scarsdale, N.Y.; Nov. 6. He was an English literature teacher at Scarsdale High School for 37 years before retiring in 2016. In addition to enjoying opera, he was a member of the Metropolitan Opera. He also enjoyed traveling and for a period of time lived in Laos and Iran. He is survived by his wife, Elisabeth; a brother; and two cousins.

Barbara Bennett Levine ’71 AM, of Providence; Jan. 2. She was an avid reader and lifelong learner and enjoyed traveling to many countries. She is survived by a sister, a daughter-in-law, two granddaughters, two stepdaughters, four step-grandchildren, and five nieces and nephews.

Archie V. Farnsworth Jr. ’71 PhD, of Los Lunas, N. Mex.; July 28. After Brown he began working at Sandia National Laboratories as a scientist and remained there for 34 years until retiring. He was a volunteer firefighter in Valencia County and served in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as bishop, teacher, and executive secretary. In his younger years, he spent two years serving full-time as an ecclesiastical missionary in Mississippi. He is survived by his wife, Jackie; seven children and their spouses; 28 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and three sisters.

Betty Joy Rossyn Jaffe ’71 AM, of Providence; Dec. 18. After raising a family and returning to school to obtain her master’s degree, she worked as an architectural historian for the mayor’s Office of Community Development. She served on the board of directors of the Bureau of Jewish Education and the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, and was a member of the Temple Emanuel school board. In retirement, she volunteered as a counselor at Planned Parenthood. She enjoyed gardening, playing tennis and bridge, and her book club. She is survived by three children and their spouses, and
five grandchildren.

Henry Helenek ’65 ScM, ’71 PhD, of Milwaukee; Mar. 7. He was a geology and chemistry professor at Bradley University. He enjoyed the symphony and theater, reading and traveling. He is survived by a daughter, a niece, and a nephew.

Ben R. Golden ’71 PhD, of Marietta, Ga.; Nov. 27. He taught for 55 years, including 40 years at Kennesaw State University, finishing his work there as professor emeritus of biology. He is survived by his wife, Noel; four children and their spouses; nine grandchildren; a sister; and a brother.

Ronald S. LeFever ’71 ScM (see ’70).

Ronald S. LeFever ’70, ’71 ScM, of Easton, Pa.; May 28, from complications of prostate cancer. His landmark MIT thesis in 1982 on myoelectrical signaling was lauded internationally and went on to be a cornerstone in research in this area. He was a professor in his early years and later made his mark in the communications technology world with his work in defense contracting and cellular location services. He also worked for the Harris Corporation in the 1980s. He enjoyed problem solving and fixing anything broken. He is survived by his wife, Linda Brad; two daughters; a son; two sons-in-laws; five stepchildren; 13 grandchildren; and his former wife, Catherine LeFever.

Mary Margaret Hamill ’71 MAT, of Lakeway, Tex., formerly of Boothwyn and Media, Pa.; Mar. 6. She taught at Penncrest High School in Media for 42 years. Proud of her Irish heritage, she traveled to Ireland to find her family, whom she grew close to over many decades of visits. She is survived by a sister and two brothers.

Patricia M. Euart ’71 AM, ’75 PhD, of Cranston, R.I.; Jan. 30. She taught at Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island. She published numerous articles, some in the Providence Journal, and a book of poetry. She enjoyed riding her horse and painting. She is survived by a sister.

Russell A. Ekeblad ’68, ’71 PhD, of Portsmouth, R.I. and Jupiter, Fla.; Dec. 12. He was one of the leading U.S. bridge players for the past 40 years, with five major National American Bridge Championship wins and six second place finishes. He earned the rank of Grand Life Master of the American Contract Bridge League. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard and, following his military service, married and founded Kenilworth Creations, a supplier of custom jewelry to women’s specialty stores. He was an active member of his community, served on the board of Moses Brown School, and enjoyed boating, traveling, and playing golf. He is survived by three children and their spouses; two grandchildren; a sister; and a niece.

Judith Wolder Rosenthal ’67, ’71 PhD, of Edison, N.J.; Jan. 4. She taught biology at Kean University in Union, N.J., for more than 35 years and served as an administrator in 1995. She received a master’s degree in bilingual education in 1995 and at the time of her death was studying to become proficient in Yiddish and working on publishing her third book,  Early Jewish Women Lawyers c.1900. She was involved with the Washington State Jewish Historical Society and was a member of a Spanish language book club. She was a collector of indigenous and tribal masks and enjoyed traveling the world. She is survived by a daughter, two sisters, and a brother.

Joan M. Reitzel ’71 PhD, of Venice, Calif.; May 25. Over the course of her career she worked as a college professor and a banker and retired as a grant worker for the City of Los Angeles Parks & Recreation Department. She is survived by a sister and two cousins.