In Memoriam

 

Alumni 

John Allen, ’70 History, on Sept. 11, 2016, in San Jose.

John Herman Arnold, ’77 MBA, age 69, on Jan. 3, in San Jose. A senior corporate finance employee at Levi Strauss for two decades, Arnold also served as program coordinator for AGEnts for Change, a Health Trust program that provides healthy aging support.

James Balassi, ’55 Business Administration, age 83, on June 18, in Santa Cruz. A Modesto native and U.S. Army veteran, Balassi operated independent service stations in San Jose and Watsonville.

David Barstow, Accounting, age 77, on Aug. 15, 2016. A Honolulu native and U.S. Coast Guard veteran, Barstow worked as an insurance underwriter at Ram Insurance in Morgan Hill.

Charles Battersby, ’50 Engineering, age 90, on April 13, 2016, in Cosmopolis, Wash. A native of Ontario, Canada, Battersby was a U.S. Army veteran and member of the SJSU Alumni Association.

Natasha Bonner, ’42 Business Administration, age 95, on July 4, 2016, in Sandia, Texas.

Sandra Brems, ’78 MBA, on May 10, in San Luis Obispo. A native of National City, Calif., Brems worked as a marketing manager at Tandem Computers.

Doralee Burt, ’54 Social Science, in October 2016, in Walnut Creek.

Nathaniel Burton, ’78 Kinesiology, on May 16.

Shirlee Wellington Byrd, ’85 MA Art, age 88, on Feb. 21, in Santa Cruz. A native of Hollywood, Calif., Byrd worked as a professional dancer before marriage and later taught art history at San Jose City College, Foothill College and other Bay Area colleges. Co-founder of the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center, she also served on the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission and was a member of SJSU’s Art Alumni Association.

Vernon Calsy, ’51 Education, on Sept. 1, 2016, in Santa Rosa.

James Casalegno, ’55 Business Administration, age 82, on Aug. 18, 2016, in Morgan Hill. A native of San Jose, Casalegno worked in the aerospace industry for 35 years.

Wesley Clarke, ’71 Kinesiology, in July, in Kelseyville.

Michael Cleveland, ’60 Music, age 78, on July 29, 2106. An Oakland native, Cleveland was a University of Nevada – Reno School of Music professor and department chair. He founded the Sierra Women’s Ensemble and served as its director from 1982 to 1997. He also directed the choir at Reno’s First United Methodist Church.

Gerald Cobb, ’59 Electrical Engineering, on Sept. 9, 2016, in San Francisco.

Clarice Mondo Cooks, ’44 Library Science, age 94, on April 25, in San Mateo. A native of Modesto, Cooks worked for more than 40 years at the San Mateo Public Library, primarily as a reference librarian.

David Creighton, Social Science, MA Political Science, age 79, on Feb. 4, in Fresno. A San Mateo native and U.S. Army veteran, Creighton founded Employee Management Services, a human resources consulting firm, and was a commercial charter pilot. A member of the board of trustees of State Center Community College District from 1971 to 1983, he served as board president for several terms.

Karlos De La Torre, Television, Radio, Film and Theatre, on Dec. 21, 2016.

Leon Donohue, ’62 Physical Education, on Aug. 11, 2016, in Redding.

Marvin Dornbush, Journalism, on Sept. 10, 2016, in Hidden Valley Lake. A U.S. Navy and World War II veteran, Dornbush was a reporter and national advertising manager at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Beatrice Emerson, MS Gerontology, age 87, on Aug. 22, 2016, in San Jose.

Alan Endo, ’67 Mathematics, in January, in Sacramento.

Wilbur Fellows, ’55 MA Education, age 89, on Sept. 9, 2016, in San Diego. A San Francisco native and U.S. Army veteran, Fellows was a teacher, dean and principal at Menlo Atherton High School during his 35-year career in education.

Robert Foy, ’59 Business, age 80, on June 9, in Stockton. A San Francisco native and U.S. Army veteran, Foy was a member of ATO fraternity’s Epsilon Chi chapter and voted “Outstanding Male Graduate” of his graduating class. From 1977 to 1995, he served as president/CEO of Pacific Storage Company and chaired the board of the California Water Service Group from 1996 until his 2012 retirement. He was recognized as “Stocktonian of the Year” in 2009.

Sarah Tilton Fries, ’85 MA Public Health, on May 25, in Menlo Park.

William Gilmore, ’61 MA Biological Science, on July 6, in Morgan Hill.

Donald Gordon, ’59 MBA, age 92, on Feb. 3, in Visalia. A native of Urbana, Ill., Gordon was a U.S. Air Force and World War II veteran who flew 13 missions over Italy in 1944 and 1945. In 1963 he joined a Visalia CPA firm that later merged with M.Green, CPAs. He retired in 2005.

Lionel Goularte, ’53 Business, age 91, on March 28, in Fremont. A native of Warm Springs, Calif., Goularte was a teacher, counselor and administrator in San Mateo County schools. He was also an active member of the Portuguese Historical Museum.

Phyllis Ann Green, ’47 Art, age 91, on June 14, in Fresno.

Glen Guttormsen, ’48 Business, age 92, in Medford, Ore. A Campbell native, Guttormsen was a U.S. Air Force and World War II veteran and retired as SJSU’s vice president of Business Affairs.

Shalah Hade, ’62 Business, age 76, on March 16, in Santa Clara. A native of Staples, Minn., Hade worked for 40 years as an accountant in the city of San Jose’s Redevelopment Agency and finance department.

Robert Hall Jr., ’71 Radio/TV/Film, age 69, on April 24, in Santa Cruz. A Monterey native, Hall worked for UPS for more than 25 years and retired in 2005. Past president of the Santa Cruz Host Lions Club, he also served as a Meals on Wheels volunteer.

Richard Hubbell, ’72 Industrial Arts, in January, in Elkhart, Ind.

Barbara Lefler, MA Education, age 94, on Sept. 4, 2016, in San Jose. Lefler taught at John Muir Elementary School for 35 years.

Melissa Leon, ’16 Interior Design, on April 8.

Scott Luebbers, ’64 Electrical Engineering, in February, in San Jose.

Manuel Magallon, ’66 BA, ’68 MA, Art, on April 1, in Santa Clara.

Sharon McCauley, ’83 MS Computer Science, age 68, on March 20, in San Jose. A native of Detroit, Mich., McCauley worked at KLA Tencor in Milpitas and was a PAC-SJ board member.

Audrey Beam McInerny, ’50 Education, age 88,  on March 18, in Saratoga. A native of Merced, McInerny taught in the San Jose Unified School District early in her career and worked as a United Airlines flight attendant. She retired as executive director of Saratoga’s Senior Center.

Jackie Payne, ’52 Business Administration, on Oct. 24, 2016, in Phoenix, Ariz.

Omar Peraza, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, on Dec. 21, 2016.

Wesley Peyton, Journalism, age 91, on Jan. 21, in Los Gatos. A San Luis Obispo native, Peyton was a U.S. Army and World War II veteran. A long-time reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, he retired in 1988.

Jan Pisano, Physical Science, on Sept. 1, 2016, in Boulder, Colo.

Joan LeClercq Rotar, ’63 MA Education, age 78, on April 9, in San Jose. A San Francisco native, Rotar was one of the founding faculty members of Ohlone College in Fremont. A professor of business English and office technology at Ohlone for 33 years, she retired in 2000.

Rocci Ruiz, ’73, age 70, on March 19, in San Jose. A lifetime resident of San Jose and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Ruiz served in the Vietnam War. During his career in television broadcasting, he worked at stations in San Jose, Monterey, San Francisco and Oakland.

Donald Ryan, ’62, age 82, on June 3, in San Jose. A native of San Jose, Ryan was a 38-year employee of SJSU and founding director of the Student Financial Aid Program. A member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, he served as president of the California, Western and National Associations of Financial Aid Administrators during his career.

James Seltzer, ’67 Biological Science, on June 8.

Ray Silva, ’56 Physical Education, age 86, on March 28, in Los Gatos. A San Jose native, Silva was a U.S. Navy and Korean War veteran. He played varsity basketball at SJSU and later coached at San Jose’s Camden High School before starting his career with the Guardian Life Insurance Company in 1961. He received the company’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. Past president of the Spartan Foundation, he was also a member of the San Jose Rotary Club, the National Society of Financial Service Professions and the Santa Clara County Estate Planning Council. The Boy Scouts of American honored him with a Distinguished Citizen Award in 1989.

John E. Swanson, ’65 Civil Engineering, on July 15, 2016, in Anchorage, Alaska.

Melanie Livia Tang, ’17 Business Administration, on May 27.

Ray Thiesen, ’53 Education, age 91, on May 2, in Citrus Heights. A native of Reedley, Thiesen worked as a teacher, counselor and elementary school principal, retiring from the Visalia United School District in 1985. In 1977, he cofounded Tulare County Christian Educators in Visalia and, at age 84, founded Next Steps to Freedom, an organization that helped parolees find employment.

Randall Tyler, ’69 Music, age 70, on Jan. 24, in San Jose. A U.S. Army veteran, Tyler taught music education for 40 years at Bernal Intermediate School in San Jose. At SJSU, he was a member of the Spartan Marching Band and the music fraternity Mu Phi Epsilon.

Phyllis Vickers, ’60 Education, age 78, on Oct. 10, 2016, in Jacksonville, N.C. A native of Elk City, Okla., Vickers taught elementary school in the San Jose Unified School District for 34 years. She was a member of Venture Christian Church and Epsilon Sigma Alpha.

Max Voshall, ’57 Physical Education, MA Education, age 82, on April 22, in Tulare. A native of San Jose, Voshall earned the National Inter-Collegiate Boxing Champion title at SJSU, coached by Julius Menendez. A member of SJSU’s Hall of Fame in both boxing and soccer, he was an educator, mentor and coach at Tulare Union, Tulare Western and Tulare City schools for 36 years.

Charles Wait, ’77 Biological Science, age 67, on Aug. 10, in Long Beach.

Dorothy Wallace, ’42 Home Economics, on Jan. 13.

Taowu Wen, MS Electrical Engineering, on May 28, 2016.

James Whitehead, ’75 Sociology/Criminology, in April, in Redwood City.

Barbara Klock Wigen, ’81 Accounting, on March 5, in Everett, Wash. A Seattle native, Wigen began her accounting career at Viacom Communications (Comcast) in Dublin before returning to her home state. She worked in the accounting division of the Everett Herald and, in 1993, embarked on a second career as a professional pet sitter.

Ann Camp Wilkerson, ’53 Office Administration, age 85, on July 14, in Albany, Ga.

Catherine Hyun Jung Yi, MS Biological Science, on Dec. 21, 2016.

---

---

Faculty

John Neptune, age 97, in April. An analytical chemist, Neptune worked on the purification of uranium at Oak Ridge National Laboratory during World War II. He joined SJSU’s Department of Chemistry in 1955 and served as department chair from 1973 to 1986. He retired in 1990 but continued to work as a lecturer in the department until 2007.

Michael O’Flynn, age 82, on June 19, in San Jose. A native of County Louth, Ireland, O’Flynn was a professor in SJSU’s Department of Electrical Engineering, where he taught for more than 40 years. During his career, he also taught classes at Mission College and Santa Clara University.

Duilio Peruzzi, age 90, on Sept. 1, 2016, in San Jose. A native of Summerville, Pa., Peruzzi received his doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1963. He joined SJSU’s Department of Geography in 1965, retiring in 1993. During his career, he also worked for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Library of Congress, the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA Ames.

Rodolfo Serrano, age 84, on Feb. 7, in Clovis. A native of Mendota, Serrano received his undergraduate degree from SJSU in 1954 and his doctorate in cultural anthropology and education from the University of Arizona. An associate dean in SJSU’s School of Education, he retired from CSU Bakersfield.

John Shifflett, age 64, on April 28, in San Jose. A native of Dubuque, Iowa, Shifflett received his undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa and taught jazz at his alma mater early in his career. He joined SJSU’s School of Music and Dance in 2001. A versatile bassist, he played with several San Jose bands and on hundreds of albums, including those by Bay Area musicians Scott Amendola, Taylor Eigsti, Peter Apfelbaum and Anton Schwartz.

Richard Tieszen, age 65, on March 28. An internationally recognized scholar in phenomenology, logic and the philosophy of mathematics, Tieszen received his undergraduate degree from Colorado State University and his doctorate from Columbia University. He joined SJSU’s Department of Philosophy in 1989 and also held visiting professor posts at Stanford and Universiteit Utrecht in the Netherlands. His books include After Gödel: Platonism and Rationalism in Mathematics and Logic (Oxford University Press, 2011) and Phenomenology, Logic and the Philosophy of Mathematics (Cambridge University Press, 2005).