GS Class of 1959

John D. Gavenda ’59 PhD, of Austin, Tex.; Nov. 13, 2021. He was a physicist at the University of Texas whose principal research was concentrated on the study of the interaction of conduction electrons with lattice vibrations in metals. He coauthored Magnetoacoustic Polarization Phenomena in Solids, which summarized his work over four decades. In all, he published more than 50 research papers, plus numerous reports and oral presentations. As a UT professor of physics and education, he was a leader in course and curriculum development in physics. Retired in 1999, he was awarded the title of professor emeritus. He was active in a number of professional organizations, including the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, the Texas Academy of Science, Sigma Xi, and the Texas Association of College Teachers (TACT).  He is survived by his wife, Janie; two sons; a daughter-in-law; a granddaughter; a brother; a niece; and a nephew.

Norman A. Sprinthall ’54, ’59 AM, of Caswell Beach, N.C.; Mar. 8, after a short illness. He had an extensive career in education counseling and educational psychology beginning at Harvard as an associate professor and program chairman of counseling until 1972. He went on to spend another 22 years in higher education, first at the University of Minnesota, where he served as a faculty member, and for the remainder of his career at North Carolina State University, where he retired as professor emeritus in 1995. He coauthored Educational Psychology: A Developmental Approach and Adolescent Psychology: A Developmental View. During the 1990s, he was the codirector of the Ethical Reasoning Project in Public Administration in the U.S., Poland, and Russia. He also served on the board of directors for the Josephson Institute of Ethics and on the board of advisors for the Character Counts Coalition. He not only wrote several articles with his wife, but he and his wife were also corecipients of the Kuhmerker Career Research Award from the Association for Moral Education in 2005. While an undergrad at Brown, he played varsity basketball for three years and as a post-grad, he worked in the admissions office until 1959. In retirement he enjoyed teaching his grandchildren basketball, golf, and sailing as well as traveling and dancing with his wife. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserves for eight years. Phi Beta Kappa. He is survived by his wife, Lois; three children and their spouses; eight grandchildren; and his former wife, Barbara Weller Holaday ’54.

Elaine Annotti Scanlan ’54, ’59 MAT, of Riverside, R.I.; Apr. 26. She was a school teacher at Primrose Hill School in Barrington, Hope High School in Providence, and Mount Pleasant High School in Providence before retiring in 1995. She was a communicant of St. Brendan Church, a member of the parish’s Forever Young Club, and a member of the Daughters of Isabella, Riverside Circle. She enjoyed traveling, reading, and cooking. She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, two sons, a daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Ann J. Nelson ’59 MAT (see ’56).

Ann J. Nelson ’56, ’59 MAT, of Colorado Springs, Colo.; Dec. 12, of Alzheimer’s. She taught high school English in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York before moving to Colorado Springs in the late 1960s and working at Mitchell High School as a high school counselor for many years. Following her call to ordained ministry, she studied at Bishop’s School of Theology in Denver, then attended the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. She was ordained a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado on June 27, 1985, and finished her counseling career at Coronado High School in Colorado Springs while assisting as part-time priest at Grace and St. Stephen Church. She accepted a call to serve St. Andrew Episcopal Church (Colo.) and was a rector there for several years. Upon retirement she joined the Episcopal Chapel of Our Saviour, Colorado Springs, where she also sang in the choir. She is survived by cousins. 

Richard L. Young ’59 PhD, of Boston; May 1. He worked as a biochemist and lab director at New England Nuclear and later at DuPont in Boston. After earning an MBA from Boston University, he went on to serve in the Peace Corps in Romania as a business consultant. He was a member of the Lutheran church in Newton Centre, Mass., and served as church treasurer and usher. He enjoyed traveling and reading. He is survived by his wife, Mary Jane; three daughters; a stepdaughter; a stepson; a son-in-law; six grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

William C. Owen ’59 MAT, of Homosassa, Fla., formerly of Rockville, Md.; Mar. 20. He taught at schools in Indianapolis and Lafayette, Ind., prior to working as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., for 23 years. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and is survived by his wife, Joan Castronovo Owen ’58; two children and their spouses; and four grandchildren.