GS Class of 1975

Christine J. Lees Jonientz ’75 AM, of Hamden, Conn.; Nov. 7. She worked as a consumer banker and was a master gardener. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, a brother, and her former husband, Frank Jonientz.

Robert B. Olshansky ’75 AM, of Falmouth, Mass., formerly of Corning, N.Y.; Mar. 29. He worked for Corning Glass Works developing laser technology and helping to pioneer the field of fiber optics. His efforts led to a long and successful career in communications technology for GTE and eventually Verizon. He authored papers, held patents, and presented at conferences around the world. During the years of his second marriage, he and his wife traveled extensively, exploring more than 20 countries together. During that time he became an avid photographer and self-published a book. He also enjoyed birding, which led to another photographic book. He is survived by his wife, Nan; eight children and stepchildren; eight grand-
children; and a sister.

Allen Vander Meulen Jr. ’75 PhD, of Lincoln, Mass., formerly of Brattleboro, Vt.; Nov. 22. He was a minister at Third Congregational Church in Waterbury, Conn., from 1958 to 1963, then at Centre Congregational Church in Brattleboro, Vt., until 1968, when he served as an interim minister throughout Massachusetts while attending Brown. In 1978 he joined the faculty at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., as a professor of economics. He helped establish the school’s computer science department and MBA program. He retired in 1997 and returned to Brattleboro, where he served as chair of the Centre Congregational Church’s endowment committee and as a trustee for the town library. He enjoyed biking, traveling, and conversing about philosophy, ethics, and politics. He and his wife moved to Lincoln in 2019. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; daughter and son-in-law; two sons and daughters-in-law; and four grandchildren.

John F. Blazyk ’75 PhD, of Boise; Sept. 13, of complications of ALS. He taught biochemistry at Ohio University and later in his career served as the associate dean for research and grants of Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. He enjoyed “dad jokes” and solving puzzles. He is survived by his wife, Bonita; four daughters; and two grandchildren. 

Christopher H. Logan ’70, ’75 AM, of South Chatham, N.H.; July 4, of a heart attack. He held several maintenance-related positions prior to earning his teaching certificate as an elementary school teacher. He was a veteran of U.S. Army Intelligence, where he spent most of his service years in East Germany. He is survived by a son, a brother, three nephews, and his former wife, Susan Wheaton Logan. 

Debra J. Osnowitz ’74, ’75 MAT, of West Roxbury, Mass.; Apr. 7. She taught sociology at Clark for several years. Among her publications are many articles and a book from Cornell University Press, Freelancing Expertise: Contract Professionals in the New Economy. She was interested in social theory, culture, work, occupations and professions, and organizations. She was continuing her research in sociology at the time of her passing. During the 1970s, she was a member of the advocacy group 9to5 and part of the National Association of Working Women, where she chaired the Women in Publishing group. She then worked for many years as an editorial freelancer and was a founding member of the Freelance Editorial Association. She enjoyed classical music and played the viola. She is survived by four nieces.

Elizabeth Muir Ring ’75 PhD, of Clinton, N.Y.; Jan. 29. In the late 1960s she became one of the first female faculty members at the then all-male Hamilton College. She continued to teach philosophy at Hamilton through the 1980s and was known as a fierce advocate for women’s rights. After Hamilton became coed, she was a founding member of the Faculty for Women’s Concerns (FWC), which championed women’s equality on campus and supported feminist scholarship. She enjoyed cooking and traveling and is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, a grandson, and two brothers.

Peter H. Laurie ’75 PhD (see ’65).

John C. Drake ’75 AM, of Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Jan. 25, 2020. He was the executive director at Center City Neighborhood Redevelopment Corporation in Niagara Falls and was also an adjunct professor at Niagara County Community College. When he was not helping his community or teaching, John enjoyed rowing, running marathons with his wife, and reading. He was also a passionate Boston Bruins fan and is survived by his wife, Estelle; a daughter and son-in-law; a son and daughter-in-law; two grandchildren; a sister; and a brother.

Peter H. Laurie ’65, ’75 PhD, of Gilsum, N.H.; Sept. 13, 2019. He was awarded an Arnold Traveling Fellowship for 1965-66, allowing him to visit Italy and Greece and continue work on a new version of Homer’s Odyssey. He spent a year (1967-68) at the Center for Advanced Medieval Studies in Poitiers, France, studying romance languages, literature, and music. His formal studies concluded with his PhD in comparative literature. He enjoyed teaching and always found opportunities to share his vast knowledge of the classical arts as a Fulbright lecturer in American Letters at the University of Bologna, Italy; as a visiting professor of American literature and culture at the University of Bilkent in Ankara, Turkey; and as a writing teacher at Santa Rosa Junior College, Keene State College, and Franklin Pierce University. He addressed writing symposiums in Europe and America, wrote articles in cultural journalism, and published both original poems and translations of foreign language poets. In 1986, Peter gave a five-lecture series on American classicism at Dartmouth College. He enjoyed building furniture, cooking, playing the piano, and composing. He is survived by his wife, Johanna; a daughter; a son; five grandchildren; a brother and three half siblings.

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.

Pierre Perrolle ’75 PhD, of Takoma Park, Md.; Aug. 27, after a long illness.  The majority of his career was spent in the senior executive service with the National Science Foundation. He held assignments at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and at the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Beijing. In retirement he volunteered with Historic Takoma. He enjoyed traveling. He is survived by his wife, Lois; daughter Jeanette Offenbacher ’90; a son; and four grandchildren.

Peter H. Laurie ’65, ’75 PhD, of Gilsum, N.H.; Sept. 13. He was awarded an Arnold Traveling Fellowship from Brown allowing him to visit Italy and Greece and continue his work on a new version of Homer’s Odyssey. He later spent a year in France at the Center for Advanced Medieval Studies, studying romance languages, literature, and music. He was a Fulbright lecturer in American Letters at the University of Bologna, Italy; a visiting professor of American literature and culture at the University of Bilkent in Ankara, Turkey; and a writing teacher at Santa Rosa Junior College (Calif.), Keene State College (N.H.), and Franklin Pierce University (N.H.). He addressed writing symposiums in Europe and America, wrote articles in cultural journalism, and published both original poems and translations of foreign language poets. In 1986 he gave a five-part lecture series on American classicism at Dartmouth College. He enjoyed building custom furniture, cooking, and playing the piano. He is survived by his wife, Johanna; two children; five grandchildren; a brother; and several nieces and nephews.

Lloyd “Kam” Williams ’75 AM, of Princeton, N.J.; May 30, of prostate cancer. He had a diverse set of interests and in addition to writing for business, also obtained a law degree from Boston University and held bar membership in five states. He attempted a career in screenwriting at Chicago’s WTTW, a PBS affiliate. He had a brief but recurring guest appearance on the The Howard Stern Show radio show, which led to him writing a film review of Howard Stern’s 1997 biographical film, Private Parts. Over the past two decades he published nearly 10,000 articles and reviews and throughout his 22-year career as a writer was best known for his film reviews and celebrity interviews for websites such as RottenTomatoes.com and more than 100 publications around the world, including Insight News. He also wrote countless book reviews, editorials, and a novel that will be published posthumously. He was commonly referred to as “Kam,” a nickname short for “Kamau,” a name given to him while he was a student at Brown by famed jazz musician Sun Ra. He was a supporter of civil rights related causes and published numerous op-eds on the topic and later joined the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee. His first wife introduced him to art dealing and the antique business, in which he subsequently deployed his corporate and legal knowledge for more than a decade. In addition to writing, he enjoyed music and boasted a large collection of albums. He also enjoyed walks in nature, was an avid sports fan, and participated in weekly trivia nights with friends at a local bar in Princeton. He is survived by his wife, Susan; a stepson; and four siblings.
 

Janet M. Sharistanian ’75 PhD, of Lawrence, Kans.; Feb. 6. She taught courses on American literature, emphasizing American poetry and American women writers, most notably Willa Cather and Edith Wharton, at the University of Kansas. Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), she directed five summer institutes focused on these and other American women writers. She developed an independent women’s studies program at the university and between 1979 and 1983 served as the director of Kansas University’s Research Institute on Women. In 1983 the University of Southern California invited her to direct a Theme Year in Gender and Scholarship. She taught courses focused on the literature and history of World War I during the 1990s, and the last NEH summer seminar she codirected was on the history and literature of the Great War. She was named Outstanding Teacher in 1974 at the University of Kansas and received the Burlington Northern Foundation Faculty Achievement Award and the Outstanding Woman Teacher Award. She was inducted into the University of Kansas Women’s Hall of Fame.