In Memory Fall 2020

1930s

Jayne Krebs Runge (37GN) of Osage, Iowa, on Feb. 19, 2020. Ruth Johnston Venzke (38BA) of Readlyn, Iowa, on Dec. 18, 2019.

1940s

Alice Nielson Benoit (45BSCh) of Clinton, Iowa, on Dec. 5, 2019. Bernice Quintus Burkholder (44BA) of Monmouth, Oregon, on Feb. 21, 2020. Newell Crockett (42BSC) of Village of Lakewood, Illinois, on April 25, 2020. Phyllis Peterson Gosmire (41BS, 41GN) of Cherokee, Iowa, on Jan. 3, 2020. Mary Martin Harrington (48BA) of Walnut Creek, California, on Feb. 4, 2020. Melvin Heckt (49BA, 50JD) of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, on Feb. 7, 2020. Kathleen Pepper Jordan (48BA) of Boone, Iowa, on Jan. 23, 2020. Louise Koch (47BA) of Des Moines on Jan. 22, 2020. Andrew Lenard (49BA, 53PhD) of Bloomington, Indiana, on March 17, 2020. Kathryn Atchison Marshall (47BA, 50MD) of Chandler, Arizona, on Oct. 18, 2019. Joseph Moyer (49BSEE, 50MS) of Raleigh, North Carolina, on Jan. 10, 2020. Leo E. Smith Persselin (49BA, 50MA) of Palos Verdes Peninsula, California, on Jan. 7, 2020. Jerome Peterson (49BA) of Mesa, Arizona, on Dec. 14, 2019. Richard Podol (49BA, 54MA, 60PhD) of Reston, Virginia, on Feb. 19, 2020. Levern Reynolds (49BA, 51MA) of San Diego on Oct. 31, 2019. Betty Rugen Schutter (41BA) of North Liberty, Iowa, on Dec. 11, 2019. William Shuttleworth (49BA, 51MA) of Cedar Rapids on Oct. 28, 2019. Joseph Sitrick (43BA) of Rockville, Maryland, on Dec. 24, 2019. Nelson Smith (47BSC) of Poway, California, on Feb. 18, 2020. Robert Welp (41BSME) of Naples, Florida, on Dec. 11, 2019. Ilene Brown Wilder (48GN) of Lancaster, Ohio, on Feb. 22, 2020. Conrad Wurtz (48BA, 50MA) of Brunswick, Maine, on Dec. 31, 2019. James Youel (43BSME) of Fort Madison, Iowa, on April 9, 2020.

1950s

John Abbott (50BA) of Warwick, New York, in January 2020. Bill Baker (56BSME, 57MS) of Lebanon, Ohio, on Jan. 6, 2020. William Barclay (57BSC) of Mesa, Arizona, on Nov. 4, 2019. Kantilal Bhansali (57MS, 60PhD) of Houston on Jan. 19, 2020. Cornelia Anderson Biggers (57BA) of Dunedin, Florida, on April 23, 2020. Gilbert Bloom (59MA, 71PhD) of Noblesville, Indiana, on Dec. 24, 2019. John "Wes" Bolin Jr. (52BA) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, on March 8, 2020. June Rotman Braverman (55BA, 73MA, 79PhD) of Iowa City on Oct. 17, 2019. Larry Brewer (59BA, 62MD) of Auburn, Washington, on Dec. 25, 2019. David R. Buchanan (58BSEE, 63MS) of Paradise Valley, Arizona, on Oct. 11, 2019. Lloyd Cleven (57BSC) of West Des Moines on March 3, 2020. J. John DeRyke (50BA, 54MA, 75PhD) of Iowa City on Jan. 12, 2020. Gary Englehorn (59BA, 61BSCE) of Naperville, Illinois, on Oct. 19, 2019. Don Fair (54BSPE) of Fort Worth, Texas, on Oct. 8, 2019. Julian Fisher (51BA, 54MD) of Pebble Beach, California, on Nov. 11, 2019. Luther Forde (51MS) of Minneapolis on May 19, 2020. Rod Gelatt (50BA, 63MA) of Columbia, Misouri, on Jan. 19, 2020. Gerald Graham (52BA, 53CER) of North Mankato, Minnesota, on Feb. 9, 2020. Mary Sue Hancher Hockmuth (56BA) of Iowa City on June 1, 2020. James Hatch (55MA, 58PhD) of New York on Feb. 14, 2020. Mary Lou Carver Kelly (59BA) of Waverly, Iowa, on Jan. 30, 2020. Keith Kirkpatrick (51BA) of Des Moines on Sept. 23, 2019. Melvin Knotts (59BA) of Springfield, Illinois, on Nov. 3, 2019. William Laney (58MS, 58ProsS) of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, on Nov. 14, 2019. Gerald Lickteig (52BA) of Rockford, Illinois, on Oct. 8, 2019. Phyllis B. Bullerman Lindsay (52BA, 54MA) of Cedar Rapids on Feb. 1, 2020. Paul Long Sr. (55BA) of Collierville, Tennessee, on Nov. 11, 2019. Donald Maxfield (56BA, 58MA, 67PhD) of Washington Island, Wisconsin, on Oct. 26, 2019. Theodore McKercher (58DDS, 68MS, 72PhD) of Omaha, Nebraska, on Feb. 17, 2020. Wayne Mercer (50BA, 52MD) of Washburn, Wisconsin, on Dec. 13, 2019. Susann Sonner Minnick (56BA) of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, on Jan. 2, 2020. Robert Moen (51DDS, 60OrthS) of Germantown, Tennessee, on Jan. 1, 2020. Walter Nichols (59BFA, 62MA) of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 24, 2019. June Putnam Nielsen (55RadT) of Richland, Washington, on Feb. 18, 2020. Evan Peterson Jr. (50BA, 55MD) of Wathena, Kansas, on Dec. 1, 2019. Larry Pugh (54BA, 55CER, 60MA) of Pella, Iowa, on Dec. 24, 2019. Elsie Ehrich Rowe (52BA, 71MA) of Davenport, Iowa, on Dec. 6, 2019. Austin Sandrock (57BSC, 61MD, 75EdS) of Fountain Hills, Arizona, on Nov. 5, 2019. Dale Scannell (51BA, 55MA, 58PhD) of Flourtown, PA, on Feb. 14, 2020. James Schiltz (51BSCE) of Cedar Rapids on May 29, 2020. Gilbert Schmidt (53MA) of Random Lake, Wisconsin, on Oct. 8, 2019. Clifford Smith Jr. (54BSCE) of Portland, Oregon, on March 13, 2020. Edward Stachovic (53BSME, 72MBA) of Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Feb. 22, 2020. Braden Stevenson (58BA, 62MD) of Des Moines on Feb. 6, 2020. Joseph Stewart (59PhD) of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Oct. 15, 2019. James Werner (52BA, 60MA, 72EdS) of Iowa City on Dec. 10, 2019. Millen Wetjen (52BA) of Stacy, Minnesota, on Jan. 25, 2020. Ralph Wickstrom (50MA, 52PhD) of Ripon, Wisconsin, on Dec. 13, 2019.

David L. Thayer (55MA, 60PhD)

A UI theater mainstay for more than six decades, Thayer dedicated his professional life to the stage at Iowa.

Thayer came to the UI in 1952 for graduate school in theater after studying math and physics at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. The UI Department of Theatre Arts' founder, E.C. Mabie, hired Thayer as a drama instructor in 1955, and he became an assistant professor in 1960 and full professor in 1968.

Thayer headed the department's design program from 1973 to 1996 and theatre technology program from 1973 to 1993. He served as interim department chair in 1990-91, and for many years he was production manager for the Performing Arts Production Unit, University Theatres, and the Iowa Center for the Arts. A consultant for the planning of several university buildings, Thayer played a leading role in the renovation and expansion of the Theatre Building in 1984. When he retired in 1997, Theatre A was renamed in his honor.

Thayer designed lighting for the world premieres of 21 plays, seven operas, more than 100 dances, and over 150 other productions on campus and beyond. In 1997, he received the Gold Medallion for Lifetime Service from the Center and American College Theatre Festival. Even after retirement, Thayer continued to teach and mentor faculty and alumni.

"His integrity, dedication, and love of his department guided us for decades," says Alan MacVey, director of the UI Division of Performing Arts. "They will guide us in the turbulent times to come. We owe him more than we know."

Thayer died April 2, 2020, at age 90. Judy Thayer (63BA, 76MA), David's wife, has established the David L. Thayer Memorial Scholarship Fund to support graduate students in the Department of Theatre Arts' design program. To donate, visit foriowa.info/thayer_fund.

1960s

Malcolm Applegate (61MA) of Carmel, Indiana, on Oct. 20, 2019. Margie Boston (65MA, 81DMA) of Rolla, Missouri, on Jan. 5, 2020. James Brasted (60BA, 62MA) of Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 16, 2020. Hugo Burdt (66JD) of Cedar Rapids on Feb. 22, 2020. John Burge (65BBA) of Aurora, Ohio, on Nov. 15, 2019. Rose Marie Read Burwell (66MA, 69PhD) of Rockford, Illinois, on Jan. 26, 2020. Douglas Calvin (68BBA) of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, on March 2, 2020. Jerry Carinci (67MA) of St. Louis on April 5, 2020. William Cervenak (62BA) of Oakton, Virginia, on May 9, 2020. Karen Wienert Edwards (62BA, 64MA) of Burke, Virginia, on Feb. 21, 2020. Raymond Foster (61BSPh) of Sun City, Arizona, on Feb. 21, 2020. Michael Fukuchi (68MA, 80PhD) of Wilson, North Carolina, on Jan. 9, 2020. David Garrett Jr. (69MS, 72PhD) of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on Dec. 30, 2019. Margaret Trott Goerke (62BA, 65MA) of Fort Davis, Texas, on Dec. 16, 2019. Russell Ham (68MS, 70PhD) of Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Oct. 3, 2019. Mary Axford Herkes (64MS) of Loveland, Ohio, on Feb. 18, 2020. Linda Berry Jones (63BM) of Gold Canyon, Arizona, on Nov. 9, 2019. John Judson (65MFA) of Minneapolis on Oct. 2, 2019. William Kamps (63BA) of Port Orchard, Washington, on Jan. 27, 2020. Stephen Knudson (61BA, 65MD) of Albion, Iowa, on Jan. 7, 2020. William Lally (69MFA, 74PhD) of Indianapolis on Jan. 28, 2020. Mary Dirksen Langston (64BA) of Springfield, Illinois, on Dec. 28, 2019. Frederick Lesher (62MA) of La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Nov. 13, 2019. Kenneth Miller (68BSChE) of Panama City, Florida, on Oct. 7, 2019. Robert North (69MA) of Vinton, Iowa, on Oct. 11, 2019. Marguerite Glynn Nye (64BA) of Rochelle, Illinois, on Dec. 16, 2019. Robert O'Brien (66MA, 73PhD) of Buckhannon, West Virginia, in April 2019. William Ostlund (69BA) of Jefferson, Iowa, on Jan. 29, 2020. Robert Otto (68BBA) of Iowa City on Jan. 6, 2020. Alex Pickard Jr. (62MA) of Columbia, Missouri, on Oct. 29, 2019. Martin Plaude (65BSChE) of Park Rapids, Minnesota, on Sept. 28, 2019. Alan E. Rundall (65BA) of Lillian, Alabama, on Sept. 18, 2019. David Scieszinski (61BBA, 63JD) of Wilton, Iowa, on Jan. 5, 2020. Roger Sebert (69MD) of Visalia, California, on Oct. 4, 2019. Jack Shalley (62BA, 67MD) of Lees Summit, Missouri, on Feb. 18, 2020. Donald Sohl (64BBA) of Las Vegas on Feb. 17, 2020. Gary Wilkinson (67BA) of Oxford, Iowa, on Jan. 8, 2020.

1970s

Carol Ballantyne (76MA, 85PhD) of Cedar Rapids on Dec. 13, 2019. Melanie Maddox Balzer (70BA) of Bolingbrook, Illinois, on February 3, 2020. Steven Beasley (70BA) of Urbandale, Iowa, on Feb. 22, 2020. Timothy Bockenstedt (78DDS, 80PeriS) of Burlington, Iowa, on Feb. 4, 2020. Phillip Brenneman (73BA, 79JD) of Bainbridge Island, Washington, on Dec. 16, 2019. Henry Brooks (72BA) of Frederick, Maryland, on Jan. 30, 2020. Jean Morrissey Bustos (74BA) of Montezuma, Iowa, on Feb. 18, 2020. Larry Conway (76BBA) of Cresco, Iowa, on Dec. 7, 2019. John Dranow (72MA, 74MFA) of Ridgefield, Connecticut, on Nov. 1, 2019. Nancy McCrory Drapeau (74BA, 92MA) of Bellevue, Iowa, on Dec. 21, 2019. Joseph Fowler Jr. (72BA, 92MBA) of Parker, Colorado, on Jan. 9, 2020. Linda Rouch Galyon (74PhD) of Ames, Iowa, on Oct. 2, 2019. Robert Griffin (73BBA, 76JD) of Des Moines on Dec. 3, 2019. David Helland (71BA) of Chicago on May 27, 2020. Marcia Henderson (72BS, 73MA) of Independence, Iowa, on Jan. 5, 2020. Bill Hesson (71BA, 79JD) of Iowa City on Oct. 30, 2019. Timothy Hoffmann (76MA) of Readfield, Maine, on Nov. 7, 2019. Mary Kay Meyer Hubbard (74BA) of Iowa City on Jan. 21, 2020. Tom Jacobs (72BA) of Iowa City on Feb. 11, 2020. Patricia Wolfe Kauffman (70BA) of Anchorage, Alaska, on Oct. 27, 2019. Peter Lamprecht (76BS, 80BSPh) of Red Oak, Iowa, on Oct. 10, 2019. Martha Chinn Morris (77BS, 80MA) of Oak Park, Illinois, Feb. 15, 2020. Robert Morrison (74BBA) of Muscatine, Iowa, on Oct. 7, 2019. Juri Muller (74BGS) of Landenberg, Pennsylvania, in Nov. 2019. Philip Patten (78BBA) of Davenport, Iowa, on Feb. 21, 2020. Ann Petersen (73BA) of Muscatine, on Oct. 24, 2019. Mary McGuire Peterson (71BA) of Algona, Iowa, on Feb. 4, 2020. Sara Rohrer Peterson (71MA) of Sonoma, California, on Nov. 17, 2019. Douglas Pierre (71MS, 71PeriS) of Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Feb. 16, 2020. Ruth Heise Pyne (74BA, 76MA) of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on Jan. 23, 2020. Jerome Seifried (71MBA) of Hiawatha, Iowa, on Oct. 26, 2019. John Shumaker (79BGS) of Cedar Rapids on Oct. 26, 2019. Patricia Simpson (71MA) of Sylvania, Ohio, on Feb. 19, 2020. Richard Stahl (70MA) of Davenport, Iowa, on Feb. 19, 2020. Dennis Thorsen (74BM) of St. Peter, Minnesota, on May 21, 2020. Caroline Hahn Trumpold (70BA, 79MA) of Middle Amana, Iowa, on Oct. 31, 2019. Lorraine Walker Yates (71BS, 76MA) of Dewey, Arizona, on Dec. 9, 2019.

Frederick Tillis (52MA, 63PhD)

A musician, composer, poet, arts advocate, and administrator, Tillis was director emeritus of the University of Massachusetts Fine Arts Center and co-founder and director emeritus of its Jazz in July program.

The Galveston, Texas, native received a master's degree in music composition and theory from the UI under the tutelage of Philip Bezanson (48MA, 51PhD) and returned to Iowa City for a doctorate degree a decade later. Tillis' teaching career included stops at Wiley College, the University of North Texas, Grambling University, and Kentucky State University. He also served four years in the U.S. Air Force, where he conducted the Air Force band. In 1970, Bezanson—then chair of the music department at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst—recruited Tillis for a faculty post.

At UMass, Tillis became associate provost, associate chancellor for equal opportunity and diversity, and the Fine Arts Center director. Tillis wrote more than 100 compositions, including works for piano, voice, orchestra, chorus, and chamber music. He was also author of the textbook Jazz Theory and Improvisation and 15 books of poetry.

Tillis helped establish jazz studies programs at the University of Fort Hare in South Africa and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. He served on several cultural boards, including the International Association of Jazz Educators and the Massachusetts Council on the Arts, and review committees at the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tillis died May 3, 2020, from complications due to hip replacement surgery after a fall. He was 90.

1980s

Timothy Belay (83BS) of Clive, Iowa, on Oct. 12, 2019. Michael Bradley (85BGS) of Hutchinson, Minnesota, on Jan. 21, 2020. Sharon Bodecker Briner (81JD) of Kansas City, Missouri, on Nov. 6, 2019. Clyde Brown (83MA, 86PhD) of Oxford, Ohio, on Dec. 9, 2019. Catherine Bruck (81BA) of Naperville, Illinois, on Feb. 15, 2020. Diane Cogley (87MSW) of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Nov. 20, 2019. Sally "Anna" Stepanek Cox (89MFA) of Salem, Oregon, on Oct. 6, 2019. Thomas Doerr (86R) of St. Louis on Nov. 12, 2019. John Dunbar (85BA) of Wayzata, Minnesota, on Jan. 1, 2020. Barry Farmer (81JD) of Ankeny, Iowa, on Feb. 17, 2020. Kirk Farrar (82BA) of Burlington, Iowa, on Nov. 15, 2019. Kathryn Ironside (82BBA) of Coralville on Jan. 9, 2020. Lori Keller Kessel (85BBA, 04BA, 06MA) of Fairfield, Iowa, on Nov. 14, 2019. Deone Anna-Christina Pedersen (86BLS, 90MBA) of Iowa City on Jan. 9, 2020. Dana Schuemann (87BBA, 90JD) of West Des Moines on Feb. 18, 2020. Robert Sealy (89BBA) of Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2020. Phyllis Smith (80BSPh) of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, on Dec. 8, 2019. Ronald Snow (80MA, 83MA) of Denver on Jan. 17, 2020. Jayne Zehentner (80BA) of Dubuque, Iowa, on Oct. 16, 2019.

1990s

Anne Salway Dolan (93BS) of Cranford, New Jersey, on Dec. 26, 2019. Diane Fritts (92BSN) of Iowa City on Oct. 14, 2019. Melissa Kerr (97BA) of Durham, North Carolina, on Feb. 23, 2020. Elaine Lambert Pfalzgraf (95MSW) of Burke, Virginia, on Feb. 20, 2020. Todd Seiffert (94BBA) of Ely, Iowa, on Jan. 16, 2020. Colin Witt (96BA, 99JD) of Des Moines on Feb. 23, 2020. Larry Underwood (90MA) of Du Quoin, Illinois, on Feb. 7, 2020.

2000s

Janet Falls White Cramer (00BLS) of Coralville on Nov. 17, 2019. Brenden Dailey (03BBA, 04BBA) of Coralville on Jan. 24, 2020. Kay Radcliffe Ruden (05MSW) of Le Mars, Iowa, on Nov. 27, 2019. David Salisbury (05BLS) of Iowa City on Oct. 11, 2019. Jonathan Watson (05BSE) of Trabuco Canyon, California, on Feb. 18, 2020.

2010s

Antonio Valenzuela (13BA) of Muscatine, Iowa, on Feb. 23, 2020.