Spring/Summer 2018: In Memoriam

Photo by John Delacruz, sjsu assistant professor

 

Alumni

Dwight Adams, MA Business Administration, age 81, on Dec. 14, 2017. A native of Oregon and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Adams began his civilian career at Western Electric in Cupertino in 1964. He was a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and World Presidents’ Organization.

John R. Adams, ’59 Journalism, age 81, on Aug. 15, 2017, in Santa Rosa. A native of Anacortes, Wash., Adams was a U.S. Army and Korean War veteran. He worked as a reporter for Santa Rosa’s Press Democrat for 36 years.

Elinor Simson Benes, ’45, age 92, on July 18, 2017, in Cottonwood, Ariz. Benes received her doctorate from UC Davis and taught in the Department of Biology at CSU Sacramento for 23 years. She was a member of the Society of the Sigma Xi and an active member of Master Gardeners for more than 30 years.

Bonnie Bishop, ’78 Education, on August 1, 1917, in Auburn.

Madeline Blackwood, Humanities, age 78, on May 28, 1917, in San Jose. A San Francisco native, Blackwood was a paralegal, honored in 2005 by the Superior Court for her service on the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury. She was a member of the First Unitarian Church in San Jose.

R. Paul Bonnar, ’74 Finance, on Dec. 15, 2017, in Palm Desert.

Robert Brady, ’51 Biological Science, age 91, on Aug. 8, 2017, in Sacramento. A native of Eureka, Brady was a U.S. Navy and World War II veteran. He worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative.

Lee Brandenburg, ’52 Psychology, age 87, on Dec. 28, 2017. A real estate developer and philanthropist, Brandenburg was a New York native and U.S. Army veteran. During his real estate career, he developed a wide range of properties that included residential subdivisions, office buildings, commercial retail spaces and adult mobile home communities in California and elsewhere. The recipient of an SJSU Tower Award with his wife, Diane, Brandenburg also received the San Jose Legacy Award, the Glenn George Heart of Philanthropy Award and the San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Community Volunteer Award, among others. At SJSU, he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity.

Mary Brugo, ’65 Geography, on Sept. 13, 2017, in Cloverdale.

Patricia Rowe Burns, ’76 MLS, on Aug. 7, 2017, in New York.

Horace Chambers, ’76 Accounting, age 71, on Feb. 18. A native of New Kensington, Pa., Chambers joined the U.S. Air Force in 1963. He later became a civilian chief auditor of Army bases, finishing his career at California’s Beale Air Force Base.

Millard Crain, ’61 Business Administration, age 80, on Sept. 9, 2017, in Fremont. A San Jose native and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Crain headed his family’s tool manufacturing business until his retirement. He was an active member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity.

Kip Cutting, ’68 Aviation, age 72, on Dec. 20, 1917, in Sonoma. A San Jose native, Cutting was a U.S. Navy and Vietnam War veteran. During his 30-plus-year career in civilian aviation, he worked for Flying Tiger Airlines and served as chief pilot for the 747 at Federal Express.

Henry Down Jr., ’53 Business Administration, age 86, on Jan. 4, in San Jose. A San Jose native and U.S. Air Force veteran, Down played on SJSU’s varsity water polo team and was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. He founded International Commissary Corporation in 1972 and also owned Keystone Restaurant Supply.

Manuel Esteban, ’50 Biological Science, age 91, on April 4, 2017, in San Jose.

Gerald Frincke, ’60 Psychology, on April 8, 2017, in Sacramento. A professor of psychology at CSU Sacramento for many years, Frincke was also a chaplain for the Law Enforcement Chaplaincy in Sacramento and an active contributor to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.

Eric Hanson, ’79 Art, age 61, on Dec. 18, 2017. A Santa Cruz native, Hanson taught at Silver Creek High School in San Jose for 25 years.

Susan Harvey, MA Kinesiology, age 63, on Dec. 9, 2017, in Redwood City. A Napa native, Harvey taught and coached in the Hillsborough School District for more than 30 years.

James H. Hill, ’49 Business Administration, on Dec. 7, 2017, in Gilroy.

Robert Hoke, ’69 Mechanical Engineering, on Feb. 14, in Portland, Ore.

Samuel Imelli, ’71 Kinesiology, age 74, on Dec. 17, 2017, in San Jose.

Grover Klemmer, ’68 Social Science, age 71, on Dec. 22, 2017, in Oakland. A U.S. Marine Corps and Vietnam War veteran, Klemmer ran track at SJSU and served as captain of the cross-country team. He received his law degree from the University of San Francisco in 1977 and worked for 35 years as a prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

Anna Garzi Lambourne, ’74 Russian, on May 30, 2017, in Carmel. A native of Vladivostok, Russia, Lambourne co-owned Lambourne Realty and was a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society.

William Linse, ’64 Civil Engineering, age 79, on March 30, 2017, in Moxee, Wash.

Jacqueline Lohr, ’52, age 87, on Jan. 30, in San Jose. An active member of the Delphian Study Club, Ladies of Charity and the Alliance Française, Lohr taught French, her first language, during her career as an educator. She was a member of St. Martin’s Church for 60 years.

Don Lucas, ’59 Marketing, ’12 Honorary Doctorate, age 83, on Oct. 30, 2017. Lucas opened his first used-car lot, House of Hardtops, a few blocks from campus during his junior year at SJSU and sold the Lucas Dealership Group, comprised of nearly 40 dealerships in Northern California and Hawaii, in 2000. With his wife, Sally, he donated $10 million to the university in 2006, and the Donald and Sally Lucas Graduate School of Business was named in their honor. A previous Tower Board president, he also served as co-chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library Committee.

Phyllis Martin, ’51 English, age 88, on June 12, 2017, in Lindenhurst, Ill.

Noelle Mitchell Nelson, ’77 Kinesiology, age 62, on Dec. 30, 2017. A San Francisco native, Nelson played field hockey at SJSU and was a member of the coaching staff of Stanford’s women field hockey team for many years. Most recently she taught at Donner Trail Elementary School on Donner Summit.

Beverly Niederauer, ’46, age 92.

Steve Sauer, ’78 Aviation, on June 27, 2017.

Raquel Casiano Serna, ’49 Spanish, age 88, on Dec. 12, 2017, in San Jose. A native of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, Serna worked for Santa Clara County’s Department of Social Services for more than 27 years.

Virginia Silveira, ’36 Business Administration, age 101, on Nov. 6, 2017, in San Jose. A native of San Jose, Silveira worked as an SJSU accounting officer for 30 years.

June Sythe, Elementary Education, age 93, on Nov. 27, 2017, in Los Gatos. A native of Compton, Sythe began her teaching career at R. J. Fisher Jr. High School in Los Gatos in 1966. She served as president of the Los Gatos Community Concert Association from 1999 to 2003 and was honored by the town of Los Gatos as Honorary Citizen of the Year in 2008.

David Yukwang Teng, ’02 Electrical Engineering, on Oct. 17, 2017, in San Francisco.

Margaret Miller Tomei, ’67 Home Economics, age 72, on July 17, 2017, in San Jose. A native of Menlo Park, Tomei worked as a travel agent for more than 30 years.

Mary Vettorel, Accounting, age 72, on March 28, 2017, in Los Gatos.

Susan Vieira, ’97 MS Nursing, age 67, on Aug. 8, 2017, in Campbell. A native of San Jose, during her nursing career Vieira worked at Valley Medical Center, Alexian Brothers Hospital and Los Gatos Community Hospital. She also served as a school nurse for the NASA Space Camp Program and the Santa Clara Unified School District.

Roberta Wachsmuth, ’58 Business Education, age 81, on Dec. 16, 2017, in Mountain View. A native of Billings, Mont., Wachsmuth was an ordained minister of the Universal Church of the Master.

James Augustus Westbrook, ’68 Industrial Management, age 73, on April 26, 2017, in Tarboro, N.C.

Richard White, Engineering, age 93, on Dec. 4, 2017, in Missoula, Mont.

Nancy Wiener, ’77 MSW, age 78, on Sept. 6, 2017, in San Jose. After graduation, Wiener worked for Santa Clara County’s Department of Family and Children’s Services and headed the fundraiser to build the children’s shelter on Union Street. A member of the first board of directors of Opera San Jose, she was also an active supporter of the Arts 2020 program. With her husband she started the Nancy and Kenneth Wiener Social Work Collection Endowment at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library.

Caroline Dobell Yacoub, ’78 MA Education, age 75, on Aug. 4, 2017, in Sunnyvale.
A native of St. Anthony, Minn., Yacoub taught elementary and middle school in the Cupertino Union and San Jose Union School Districts during her career. A Green Party activist, she was a member of the Bay Area Showcase Chorus.

Faculty

Mary Bowman, age 96, in November 2017. A professor emerita of SJSU’s Department of Human Performance, Bowman was a native of Ellensburg, Wash. She received her bachelor’s degree from Central Washington State College and her doctorate in physical education and education administration from Iowa State University. The first woman to serve as president of SJSU’s Academic Senate, Bowman also served as associate dean and interim dean of the College of Applied Arts and Sciences. Throughout her career, she was a leading advocate of women’s physical education and women’s organized sports.

Joseph Crowley, age 84, on Nov. 28, 2017. A native of Iowa and U.S. Air Force veteran, Crowley received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and his doctorate from the University of Washington. The longest serving president of the University of Nevada, Reno (1978-2001), he served for a year (2003-2004) as SJSU’s interim president.

Irma Eichhorn, age 90, on Aug. 25, 2017, in Los Gatos. A native of Montrose, Colo., Eichhorn received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan. From 1955 until 1994, she taught in SJSU’s Department of History, retiring as full professor. The recipient of a California Governor’s Award for teaching excellence, she was a member of the American Historical Association, the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia.

Herb Silber, on Nov. 26, 2017. A professor emeritus of SJSU’s Department of Chemistry, Silber taught general, inorganic and physical chemistry during his 30-year career at the university and also served as interim associate dean of the College of Science. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Lehigh University, his doctorate from UC Davis and held post-doctoral posts at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and the University of Maryland. A prolific researcher, he published more than 100 papers and received, among other awards, the NSF Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, the CSU Wang Award and the Frank Kinard Distinguished Service Award.

Kathleen Sullivan, age 65, on Jan. 22, in San Jose. A native of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Sullivan was a professor in the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management, a department she helped to found. In addition, she served as the department’s internship coordinator. A member of SJSU’s faculty for 29 years, she was also instrumental in starting hospitality educational programs in Dubai and Vietnam.

 

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