GS Class of 1966

Robert A. Feeney ’66 MAT, of Hull, Mass.; Aug. 2. He is survived by two daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter.

Nathaniel Chafee ’66 PhD, of Atlanta; June 23, after a brief illness. In 1973, he joined the faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, where he became an associate professor. He retired from Georgia Tech in 2001. After his retirement, he and his wife traveled to France, Italy, Spain, and Russia. He was an amateur astronomer and a sailor. He was active and generous in philanthropy, supporting conservation, education, human rights, and other causes. He is survived by his wife, Ingrid; two stepsons; a sister; a sister-in-law; and a niece.

Robert D. Allendoerfer ’66 PhD, of Buffalo, N.Y.; May 23. He was a professor of chemistry at the University of Buffalo from 1969 to 2001 and the 1987 recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 1990 he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is survived by his wife, Lona; a daughter; a son; four grandchildren; and a brother.

Frances Ann Walker ’66 PhD, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., formerly of Tucson, Ariz.; Jan. 30, after a long illness. She began her career at Ithaca College as an assistant professor of chemistry and moved to California in 1970 to join the faculty at San Francisco State University, where she was promoted to professor of chemistry and biochemistry in 1976. After developing a research program in porphyrin and iron porphyrin chemistry, she joined the faculty at the University of Arizona in 1990 and was awarded with promotion to Regents Professor in 2001. She retired in 2013 as Regents Professor Emerita. She was published in numerous scientific journals and received several awards, including the 2000 Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal, which recognizes female chemists; the 2006 Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic Chemistry; and the 2020 Eraldo Antonini Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Porphyrins. In 2011 she was elected a fellow of the American Chemical Society and served as associate editor for the Journal of the American Chemical Society. She enjoyed mentoring, traveling, and serving her church. She is survived by four siblings and several nieces and nephews.

David N. Menton ’66 PhD, of Petersburg, Ky.; Dec. 11, of COVID. He was a professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis for 34 years, retiring in 2000. He then served with Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher, retiring in October 2021. He was a professional magician and musician. He is survived by his wife, Debbie; two daughters and sons-in-law; three grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Montcalm Thomas ’66 PhD, of Richland, Wash.; May 2, of cancer. He taught physics at Washington State University before moving to Richland in 1974 to work at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Upon his retirement, he was honored by the establishment of an award in his name that continues to be presented annually. He is survived by a daughter, two grandsons, a brother, and several nieces and nephews.

Charles R. Maderer ’66 MAT, of Indiana, Pa.; June 19. He was a math professor at Indiana University of PA for more than 30 years. He is survived by four children and their spouses, 10 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

Frances Shabica ’66 ScM, ’69 PhD, of Bronx, N.Y.; Apr. 5. A lifelong educator, she taught biology at several institutions, including Wheaton College, Connecticut College, the Lincoln School, and Dartmouth High School, before retiring in 2013. She was a Boston Red Sox fan and enjoyed solving crossword puzzles and reading mystery novels. She is survived by two daughters and their spouses, four grandsons, and two brothers, including Charles ’65.

Hazel Conaty Donnelly ’66 MAT, of Fall River, Mass.; Mar. 19. She worked for the Fall River School Department at Durfee High School as history teacher and was the head of the history department for a combined 46 years. She retired in 2001. She is survived by three sons and five grandchildren.

Dorothy F. Donnelly ’66 AM, of Providence; Dec. 23. She was an English professor at URI for four decades and chair of the department for 12 years. She was involved with two unions, the URI AAUP full-time faculty union and the URI Part-Time Faculty United. She was cofounder of Changing Lives Through Literature, Rhode Island chapter. In the 1960s, she traveled to Alabama in support of the Civil Rights Movement. She was the recipient of the Woman of the Year award from the URI Association of Professional and Academic Women, the Excellence in Teaching award, and the Rhode Island Labor History Society award for lifelong achievement. She is survived by many nieces and nephews.

James B. Walker ’66 PhD, of Wilmington, Del.; Dec. 4. In 1967 he accepted a position as a research engineer in the plastics division of E.I. DuPont de Nemours Inc. in Wilmington. During his career at DuPont, he worked on numerous projects, including the development of Lucite and the plastic used for disposable drinking bottles. He spent several years in the United States and France working with partners in the fresh juice and wine industries, helping to extract sugar using membrane technology he invented. While at DuPont, he was honored to be named Research Fellow. He retired in 1991 to begin a second career as CFO and mechanical engineer of Designer Stencils—a design, manufacturing, and retail/wholesale company founded by his wife. His expertise enabled the family business to develop a customized cutting process and to serve retail and wholesale customers worldwide for more than 40 years. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Air Force. He is survived by his wife, Helen; two daughters; a son-in-law; and four grandchildren.

Thomas Parr ’66 ScM, of Reading, Mass.; Oct. 2, of Alzheimer’s disease. He received a bachelor’s degree in geology from MIT and, after graduating Brown he joined the team at Draper Labs that designed the optics system for the Apollo Program. He was an early pioneer in remote sensing, working on the Landsat program, and later appeared on the TV program NOVA to discuss his work. Following his work for NASA he worked for TASC and Northrop Grumman, and he retired from BBN in 2012. He was an outdoors enthusiast who enjoyed rock climbing, hiking, camping, and skiing. He obtained his pilot’s license and owned a Cessna for many years. He was an avid traveler and also enjoyed photography. He had a mischievous spirit and enjoyed playing pranks. One of his proud accomplishments was using his rock-climbing skills to mount a red wooden heart on a tower on Brown’s campus in honor of Valentine’s Day. He is survived by his wife Mary; four children and their spouses; five grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.

Thomas A. Johnson ’66 MAT, of Okeechobee, Fla., formerly of Ohio; Sept. 27. He taught mathematics, physics, science, and electronics in the Buckeye Local School District for 30 years. Through the Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program in 1986 he moved his family to Nottingham, England, exchanging teaching positions and homes for one academic year. Upon his retirement from public education, he was employed by LTV Steel Corporation in Cleveland to develop and teach its curriculum. He also spent three years at Geneva Area City Schools as the audiovisual director. He was an avid amateur radio operator and a member of the Ashtabula, Ohio, and Okeechobee, Florida, amateur radio clubs. He is survived by his wife, Lou; a daughter and son-in-law; a son; and three grandchildren.

Theodore B. Wiehe Jr. ’66 MAT, of Cleveland, Ohio; Apr. 11. He taught for 32 years at Shaker Heights High School and was instrumental in forming their men’s and women’s soccer teams. He was known for creating innovative classes at the school and riding his red bicycle to work. He also enjoyed running. He is survived by his wife, Sarah; two sons; a sister; a brother; and several nieces and nephews. 

James Dalager ’66 MAT, of Thief River Falls, Minn.; June 4. He was a math and science teacher at Augustana Academy (S. Dak.), Camrose Lutheran College (Alberta, Canada), and Northland Community College in Thief River Falls. He retired in 1992 and spent a year in Bratislava, Slovakia, teaching math in English. He was active in organizations including Zion Lutheran Church’s choir, the Cancer Society, and the Pennington County Historical Society, and tutored math at Cornerstone Academy. He farmed part-time beginning in 1965. He enjoyed family history, square dancing, stamp collecting, and traveling. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis; five children and their spouses; 11 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a sister.

Judith A. Brown ’66 MAT, of Providence and Cranston, R.I.; May 5. She was a teacher in the Warwick Public System for her entire career, and served as English Department Head at Warwick Veterans Memorial High School from 1972 to her retirement in 1984. She was a member and lector at St. Peter Church in Warwick, and in retirement worked part-time in the parish office. She is survived by a brother and a nephew.

James B. Jamieson ’66 PhD, of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Sept. 18. He began working at Pitzer College as an associate professor in 1968 and left in 1983 as vice president to serve as vice president of Claremont McKenna College. He held that position until 1987. After moving to San Luis Obispo, he became the executive director for the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly, where he was instrumental in raising funds to build a performing arts center on the Cal Poly University campus. He retired in 1995. He enjoyed restoring automobiles, playing tennis, writing humorous short stories, and fishing. He is survived by his wife, Perry; two sons; two grandsons; four step-granddaughters; and several nieces and nephews.
 

Richard C. Lessmann ’66 ScM, ’69 PhD, of Narragansett, R.I.; Dec. 22. He was a professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at the University of Rhode Island, where he worked for 39 years before retiring. He enjoyed advising students transitioning into college and in his spare time liked to draw, paint, and do woodworking. He is survived by his wife, Ann; three sons and their spouses; and three grandchildren.

Vivian Kogan ’66 AM, ’72 PhD, of Union Village, Vt.; July 17, of breast cancer. She taught French literature and language at Dartmouth College until retiring in 2012. She published and became known for her work on the experimental literature of the author and poet, Raymond Queneau and in 2006 she published The I of History: Self Fashioning and National Consciousness in Jules Michelet, introducing a novel perspective on the historian. She enjoyed traveling with her husband, the arts, and politics. She is survived by her husband, Bernie; a daughter; a son; a daughter-in-law; two grandchildren; and a sister.  

Harry Roy ’65, ’66 ScM, of Troy, N.Y.; July 12, after a brief illness. He was a professor in the department of biological sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy for 42 years. A choral singer, he performed with Albany Pro Musica, Saint Paul’s Choristers, and Burnt Hills Oratorio Society. He enjoyed opera, the theater, and writing contributor letters and opinion pieces advocating for the environment. He is survived by his wife, Sharon; a son and daughter-in-law; and two sisters, including Jamie Ross ’73.