Richard “Bud” Markley ’82 was affectionately described as “the Pillsbury Doughboy” by one of his Lyric Opera of Chicago colleagues — a testament to his jovial personality more than his physique.
Professionally described as a “character tenor,” Markley served in the company’s chorus for 15 years. His roles included turns in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly as the marriage broker Goro, Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio, and perennial favorites Pirates of Penzance, Sweeney Todd and Tosca.
Markley earned critical accolades in his memorable stint as the character Little Bat in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah in Chicago in 1993, with the Houston Grand Opera in 1996 and with Germany’s hallowed Deutsche Opera Berlin in 1997-98. He also sang with the Washington (D.C.) National Opera, the Florentine Opera in Milwaukee, Wis., the Portland (Ore.) Opera and Chicago’s Grant Park Symphony.
Raised in Lincoln, Kan., Markley appeared in numerous opera and musical theater productions at WSU. “Bud was a spectacular singer,” Vernon Yenne, Markley’s voice teacher at WSU, told The Wichita Eagle. “He was a fabulous actor and a first-rate musician. He was just terrific on stage.”
Richard Markley died Feb. 27 in Chicago. Music scholarships have been established in his name at Lincoln (Kan.) Junior/Senior High School and at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
— Anna Perleberg
After her first husband, Leon Watkins ’36, died in 1971, Roberta (Brown) Watkins Adams ’36 chose a unique way to honor his memory: She founded at WSU what would become one of the most prestigious science lecture series at any university in the country.
The Watkins Visiting Professorship Series has, for 30 years, brought outstanding scientists in all fields to intense weeklong research fellowships. Visiting professors have included forensic anthropologists, neurologists, paleontologists and Nobel Prize winners.
In 1990 Adams helped establish the Watkins Summer Research Participation Fellowships, which allow area high school teachers to pursue a particular line of study. This helps them bring cutting-edge techniques into classrooms that too often lag behind the scientific mainstream.
Adams’ degree was in biology, but her wide-ranging interest in science did not specialize. Her belief that science and technology affected all of us was exemplified by her commitment to bring the most up-to-date researchers and techniques to as many people as possible. For her achievements, Adams was awarded the WSU Alumni Recognition Award in 1980 and the WSU Foundation’s Fairmount Founders Award in May 2002.
She died Nov. 24, 2004 in Wichita.
— Anna Perleberg
Elizabeth M. “Betty” (Van Arsdale) Burns fs ’39, homemaker and active community volunteer and philanthropist, was known for rising to the difficulties she faced in her life with optimism and a formidable sense of purpose.
Her first husband, Robert Price, was shot down over Guadalcanal in 1942, just five months after the two were married, leaving her the single mother of their son Robert. She herself overcame a bout with polio, survived breast cancer and suffered a broken neck — twice.
In 1949, she wed Edward Burns and entered a life of civic involvement. In 1960, they moved to Boulder, Colo., where she became active in Republican politics.
After surviving cancer and returning to Wichita in 1968, she turned her energies to helping the American Cancer Society. She also served as president and chair of the Wichita Center for the Arts in the 1970s and ’80s.
One of her proudest accomplishments was her and her husband’s major contribution to the construction of Wichita State’s campus welcome center. The center is being built on the site of the old Crestview Country Club, where she first met Edward in 1946.
“Even in her last declining months she would have her husband bring her out to see the progress on the building,” says Elizabeth King, WSU vice president of university advancement. “There is a tremendous emotional attachment to them in this gift to the university.”
Betty Burns died Feb. 9 in Wichita.
— Cori Dodds ’04
with members of LSU's biochemistry
department in the 1950s.
Roland A. Coulson ’37 taught biochemistry to prospective doctors, dentists and nurses for more than 60 years at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans.
Russell Klein, LSU professor of medicine, shares the story of Coulson’s appointment at the university: After earning a doctorate doing research at the University of London while a member of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during WWII, Coulson was stationed in Canada. At war’s end, he boarded a train for a trip south to visit family in Kansas.
But when he crossed the border, FBI personnel told him to report to a processing center in Baton Rouge, La. When no one there seemed to know what to do with him, Coulson took some vacation leave to New Orleans.
There, he met an LSU med student who told him the school had openings for teachers and introduced him to the dean — who hired him on the spot. “So,” concludes Klein, “you could say the FBI recruited Dr. Coulson to LSU.”
Coulson’s research in acid-base balance, endocrinology and kidney function, conducted mainly on the American alligator, led to advances in crocodilian husbandry, thus aiding global conservation efforts.
Roland Coulson died Nov. 5, 2004, in New Orleans.
— Cori Dodds ’04
Jacqueline (Kinnan) Allison ’49, homemaker and former docent with the Wichita Art Association, Dec. 28, 2004, Wichita.
Beulah L. (Barrett) Ausherman ’38, former Pretty Prairie High School, Haven High School and Wichita East High School business teacher and member of the University of Wichita Alumni Association board of directors in the 1940s and again in the 1960s, Oct. 30, 2004, Albuquerque, N.M.
Dorothy M. (Tyner) Austin fs ’79, retired secretary for Wichita State University’s aeronautical engineering department and former University United Methodist Church secretary, Oct. 6, 2004, Wichita.
Lyndell L. Avery ’57, former U.S. Air Force first lieutenant, accountant and teacher, Dec. 31, 2002, Overland Park, Kan.
Daphne G. (Dillard) Ayling ’57, former elementary school teacher in Wichita, Torrance, Calif., and Mercer Island, Wash., a former member of the American Wives Club of England and of Saudi Arabia, where her husband Dwight worked for the Boeing Co., Nov. 3, 2004, Issaquah, Wash.
Albert G. Bachman ’55, WWII veteran with the U.S. Army Air Force, serving in the European theater, retired teacher who taught science in California and in Hutchinson, Kan., before serving for 18 years as professor of physics at Barton County Community College, Great Bend, Kan., where, in 1971, he was recognized as an Outstanding Educator of America, Oct. 13, 2004, Great Bend, Kan.
Charles W. “Bill” Bachman ’49, real estate salesman, homebuilder and developer and founder of Bill Bachman & Associates, a Wichita real estate company, April 1, 2004, Wichita.
Jacqueline M. “Jackie” (Zosel) Bachrodt ’74, homemaker and avid golfer, Nov. 7, 2004, Wichita.
Thomas A. Barr ’39, U.S. Army officer who served in the Pacific during WWII, a 1947 Harvard MBA graduate who built careers in the airline industry with United Airlines and in commercial banking in the Chicago area and a former Glenview, Ill., school board member, Nov. 9, 2004, Glenview.
Karen L. (Spiegel) Basham ’90, homemaker, former elementary school teacher for Omaha, Neb., public schools and 1986 recipient of the Gore Scholarship at Wichita State University, Jan. 6, Eureka, Kan.
Virginia L. (Marsh) Batka ’38, former music teacher in Oklahoma, Kansas and Maryland; former English, speech and Latin instructor at Maryland schools; retired English and speech educator at Michigan State University; recipient of the University of Maryland Friend of the Year award for her work at the Summer Institute for Creative and Performing Arts and as vice president of volunteer services; and the University of Wichita’s 1937 Homecoming Queen, Jan. 5, College Park, Md.
Marilyn J. (Rush) Bayer ’54, retired SRS staff member, former teacher at schools in Sedgwick County, Kan., and a 25-year veteran volunteer with the 4-H Club, Dec. 28, 2004, Wichita.
Max D. Beal fs ’66, farmer, retired Boeing supervisor and Korean War veteran, Feb. 12, Wichita.
Persis T. “Perky” (Stubbs) Beaumont ’70/75, mother of five and retired audiologist who completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communicative disorders and sciences after her first husband, Grant Greenback, was killed in a 1964 airplane accident, Jan. 9, Bloomington, Ill.
Janet G. Becker fs ’90, owner of Snow White Carpet Cleaning Co., Nov. 10, 2004, Wichita.
Eston E. Beery ’55, retired Goddard, Kan., public school music teacher, longtime choir director and pianist for Goddard United Methodist Church and piano player for the saloon at Wichita’s Cowtown, Feb. 2, Goddard.
Robert P. Berens ’73, chemist, self-employed, Oct. 26, 2004, El Dorado, Kan.
Grace L. (Laffoon) Boghosian ’34, retired librarian, Sept. 29, 2004, Sun City, Ariz.
Juanita M. (Hiner) Bohling ’63, retired teacher for Redeemer Lutheran and Holy Cross Lutheran schools in Wichita, Jan. 1, Oxford, Kan.
Lestie J. (Cook) Brewer ’04, employee of Emprise Bank, Feb. 8, Douglass, Kan.
Dorothy M. (Camp) Brimmer ’45/45, secretary for Wichita public schools and volunteer with Meals on Wheels and the Union Rescue Mission, Nov. 4, 2004, Wichita.
Charles L. “Chuck” Broadhurst ’57, a former tenor soloist with such organizations as the New York City Opera Co. and the Men of Song for Columbia Artists Management known for his leading-role performances as Tamino in The Magic Flute, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, Hoffmann in The Tales of Hoffmann and others and retired music teacher who served as head of the choral department at Saddle Brook, N.J., High School, Oct. 8, 2004, Cresskill, N.J.
Gladys F. (Ranard) Brown ’68, retired Rittenoure Investment Co. bookkeeper, Nov. 16, 2004, Wichita.
Roland L. Brown ’76, procurement agent for Boeing Military Divison, Dec. 19, 2004, Wichita.
William J. Brown ’66, retired employment supervisor for Boeing, Oct. 28, 2004, Clearwater, Kan.
John I. Bush ’51, retired geologist and salesman, Sept. 20, 2004, Wichita.
Henry V. Callahan ’33, retired farmer who enjoyed raising and training quarter horses, Jan. 19, Conway Springs, Kan.
Verma L. Cauthon ’54/64, a Cloud Elementary School kindergarten teacher who retired after 40 years of teaching, Oct. 1, 2004, Wichita.
Robert S. Clark ’65, retired Boeing Wichita engineer and manager of Associated Military Programs Planning and Control, co-owner of the Clark Fish’n Ranch near Kingman, Kan., and a former anti-aircraft fire control specialist with the 4th Army Artillery Division stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, S.D., Oct. 7, 2004, Kingman.
Nancy I. Cooksey ’85, Pepsico shipping and receiving district manager, Sept. 26, 2004, Wichita.
Eugene G. “Gene” Coombs ’33, attorney, lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve during WWII, special agent in the FBI from 1937-42, when he drove for J. Edgar Hoover, and 1967-68 president of the WSU Alumni Association, Dec. 6, 2004, Wichita.
Donald E. Copenhaver ’65, economics professor, Nov. 4, 2004, Clearwater, Fla.
Earl J “Johnny” Cox ’50, retired McKesson Drug Co. manager, Oct. 22, 2004, Wichita.
Gary D. Crown ’60/62, Wichita State University associate professor emeritus of mathematics and statistics, Jan. 27, Wichita.
Michael L. Debacker ’73, commercial photographer and owner of Michael Debacker Photographic, Feb. 3., Tampa, Fla.
Lela Jean (Chambers) Denison ’37, homemaker and former social worker for Sedgwick, Kan., and Reno, Kan., counties, Aug. 29, 2004, Chapel Hill, N.C.
M. Joyce (Anderton) Denning ’50, homemaker, Navy wife and Red Cross volunteer, Jan. 22, Vancouver, Wash.
Meredith (Gear) Docking, university friend and homemaker whose late husband, Robert B. Docking, served four terms as governor of Kansas from 1967-75, who established the Docking Faculty Scholar Program at Kansas University, whose volunteer work was recognized by members of the city commission of Arkansas City, Kan., who proclaimed April 30, 2004 “Meredith Docking Day” for her many years of volunteering for the Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, the Ark City Library Board, the Adult Reading Recovery Program and various community beautification projects and whose name was bestowed on the “Meredith rose,” hundreds of which can be seen in Lawrence, Wichita and Arkansas City, Oct. 27, 2004, Lawrence, Kan.
William J. Duckett fs ’54, WWII veteran, retired Koch Industries accountant and former scoutmaster, Nov. 18, 2004, Wichita.
Daniel R. “Dan” Duerksen ’49, former music teacher and retired Presbyterian minister, Jan. 21, Belvidere, Ill.
Marilyn U. (Simmons) Fears ’84, retired nurse clinician from the Wichita Health Department, Nov. 20, 2004, Las Vegas, Nev.
Donald E. Fisher ’50, retired broker/realtor for Savage Inc., retired insurance adjuster for GMAC and former Beechcraft employee, Jan. 15, Wichita.
Melvin L. Flint ’73, Santa Fe Railway supervisor, Oct. 2, 2004, Emporia, Kan.
Rene A. Forrester fs ’94, aircraft design engineer, Jan. 27, Clearwater, Kan.
C. Beth (Hattan) Friesen ’40, homemaker and community volunteer whose involvements included service to the Kansas City Philharmonic League, the Symphony Women’s Association, the Mission Hills, Kan., chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Nelson Atkins Gallery and Museum of Art, Nov. 3, 2004, Prairie Village, Kan.
Robert E. Gaskins ’36, WWII veteran who served in the Army Signal Corps and former Wichita retail camera store operator, Oct. 27, 2003, Mission Viejo, Calif.
Shirley M. (Fisher) Geist ’49, homemaker and former co-owner and co-manager of Lady Classen Cafeteria in Oklahoma City, Okla., Nov. 19, 2004, Oklahoma City.
Hugh W. Gill ’58/61, decorated WWII pilot who served in the China-India-Burma theater, former WSU geology instructor, former geological consultant to various Kansas-based oil-drilling companies and funeral director of The Gill Mortuary, Feb. 7, Warrensburg, Mo.
Almetta M. (Hanson) Glenn ’70/77, retired Wichita public schools speech clinician, Dec. 11, 2004, Wichita.
Lewis W. “Bill”Golden ’51, retired Raytheon quality control manager, Jan. 20, Wichita.
Erica J. Gosman ’73, director of institutional research, Dec. 25, 2003, Jefferson City, Mo.
Robert J. Gresock ’55, retired secondary and college educator, Sept. 13, 2004, Bradenton, Fla.
Norma C. (Hoagland) Gribble ’78/81, retired instructor and director of academic outreach for continuing education at Wichita State, Oct. 6, 2004, Wichita.
Joann C. Haley ’74, social work graduate, Dec. 18, 2003, Wichita.
Rex E. Hall ’58, artist and educator, former chairman of the arts department and co-founder of Emporia State University’s art therapy program, 1984 Kansas Governor’s Artist and WWII veteran who served in Patton’s 3rd Army Field Artillery, 23rd Battalion, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, Bronze Star recipient, Oct. 12, 2004, Emporia, Kan.
Dorothy M. Hanks ’51/51, retired Wichita public schools psychologist who during WWII served as a worker on the Mother’s Shift at Cessna Aircraft, Dec. 18, 2004, Wichita.
Dawnika Hayes ’02, technician at Eyeglass World and member of the 1989-91 WSU women’s basketball team, Aug. 22, 2004, Wichita.
Kevin J. Hesse ’86/95, U.S. Customs agent and former teacher at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School and at public elementary schools in the Wichita and Derby, Kan., school districts, Sept. 6, 2004, Plantation, Fla.
James F. Hilts ’57, AmSan Chemical Co. representative, former owner, president and CEO of Hilts Inc., Dec. 5, 2004, Wichita.
Ralph L. Hoffman fs ’51, retired vice president of marketing and new business development with Bank IV for 43 years, Oct. 20, 2004, Wichita.
Paul R. Houser ’49, retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War and professor of business at Tarrant County Junior College, Dec. 2, 2004, Benbrook, Texas.
Jerry A. Howard ’69, Korean War veteran and retired health care administrator, Nov. 27, 2004, Fort Worth, Texas. Robert C. Hughes ’69, Boeing Wichita structures engineering manager, Sept. 23, 2004, Wichita.
Linus C. Issinghoff ’63, retired FBI agent, Dec. 10, 2004, Osage City, Kan.
James J. Jackson ’72/77, retired special education teacher and former specialist in communications in the U.S. Air Force who encrypted and decrypted military message protocols from 1948-70, Nov. 12, 2004, McComb, Miss.
Lorraine C. Jones fs ’82, former gifted teacher and member of Valley Center, Kan., Sweet Adelines, Feb. 3, Wichita.
Ila J. Jordan ’90, retired Plaza Towel Holder Co. secretary and bookkeeper, former president of Camping Squares of Kansas and a near 6,000-mile swimmer at the YMCA, Nov. 14, 2004, Wichita.
Barbara J. (Bryan) Judd ’82/82, retired self-rehab counselor and executive director of New Attitudes Inc., a Wichita-based drug and alcohol treatment program, Sept. 27, 2004, Wichita.
Yale J. Kaplan fs ’50, retired insurance company executive who served as president of Empire Fire and Marine Insurance and co-founded First Nebraska Title, Dec. 27, 2004, Omaha, Neb.
Harlan M. Kasselman ’59/68, retired teacher, coach and farmer, and past member of the Kansas Coaches Association, Jan. 25, Leavenworth, Kan.
Irene (Zimmerly) Kauffman ’78/81, nurse, teacher whose experience included 12 years with the Wesley School of Nursing, former patient assessor for St. Francis Hospital in Wichita and former director of health services at Friendly Acres Retirement Community in Newton, Kan., Dec. 17, 2004, Wichita.
Zenobia (Harrison) Kennedy ’54, former Ford Motor Co. bookkeeper, former physician assistant and educator who worked 30 years in St. Joseph, Kan.; Colwich, Kan.; and Derby, Kan., schools, retiring from Derby Junior High as an English teacher and debate coach, Nov. 30, 2004, Chico, Calif.
Ruby G. (Morgan) Kindle ’74, retired nurse, Sept. 13, 2004, Eureka, Kan.
Jack L. Kirk ’51, aerospace engineer and director of marketing and sales for Boeing North American, Nov. 12, 2004, Placerville, Calif.
Askari H. “Cary” Kizilbash ’66, native of Pakistan, professor of marketing and management consultant at Northern Illinois University in De Kalb, Ill., and 1982 recipient of the university’s Top Teacher award, Aug. 31, 2004, De Kalb.
Robert A. Krantz ’57, retired general counsel for Kidder Peabody and Co. Inc., New York City, N.Y., former lawyer for Sullivan and Cromwell, NYC, and U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War, Dec. 18, 2004, Short Hills, N.J.
Robert W. Landrum fs ’57, sales manager for Landrum’s Sales Inc., Oct. 21, 2004, Littleton, Colo.
Larry E. Lane ’78, retired facility manager for Lake Afton Boys Ranch and volunteer active with the Wichita Community Theatre and the Center for the Arts, Nov. 26, 2004, Wichita.
Wilfred C. “W.C” “Bill” Lauver ’76, a 31-year veteran of the Wichita Fire Department who retired as fire marshal, former deputy chief in the Fire Protection Division of the U.S. State Department and volunteer active with the American Red Cross, Nov. 16, 2004, Wichita.
Anita J. (Irwin) Lawless ’37, homemaker and past president of the Women’s Board at Crestview Country Club, Feb. 1, Wichita.
Lydia M. (Catlin) McFarland Lawson ’58, former Wichita State University liberal arts counselor, Dec. 20, 2004, Melbourne, Fla.
Margaret A. (Bach) Lehman fs ’69, homemaker and local hospital volunteer who served as a Pink Lady and vice president of the hospital’s auxiliary, Jan. 26, La Grange, Texas.
Wyrill D. (Stoll) Lester ’41, homemaker and community volunteer active with the Girl Scouts and St. Joseph Hospital, Jan. 2, Wichita.
Carroll D. Liechti ’65, retired teacher with Wichita public schools and U.S. Army veteran who served from 1953-55, Nov. 1, 2004, Wichita.
Benjamin J. Mackiewicz ’73, retired supervisor for Cessna Aircraft, Feb. 1, Wichita.
Arthur L. Madsen ’58, former office manager of Bennett Autoplex Inc. in Salina, Kan., Nov. 3, 2004, Abilene, Kan.
Nancy C. (Woodell) Marotte fs ’89, homemaker and real estate businesswoman, Dec. 24, 2004, Wichita.
A. Ditson Martin ’54, U.S. Navy veteran who served from 1944-46, former supervisor of final assembly and test inspection in the production of heavy and medium bombers for Douglas Aircraft Co., Tulsa, Okla., Division, and 40-year employee with the Boeing Co. in Wichita, New Orleans and the Puget Sound area, working in quality and reliability assurance, Dec. 9, 2004, W. Va.
Glen E. Martin ’41, retired anesthesiologist, founder of Medical Anesthesia Services PA, which served Wichita and surrounding rural communities, one of six founders of the Greater Wichita Football league Inc., a citywide program for boys, and WWII veteran stationed with the 315th General Hospital Unit in the Philippines, Sept. 16, 2004, Wichita.
David R. McClure ’73, attorney and partner with Fettis & McClure, Nov. 18, 2004, Wichita.
Charles M. McKenzie ’81, vice president and general manager of Standard Aero Alliance Inc. in Maryville, Tenn., June 30, 2003, Maryville.
J. Douglas “Doug” McMurray ’74, music education graduate, Nov. 23, 2004, Portland, Ore.
Eloise (Morris) McMurtry fs ’41, homemaker, Sept. 19, 2004, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Dana H. (Daniel) Morgan fs ’39, homemaker, Dec. 24, 2004, Wichita.
Michael J. Neve ’81, deputy warden at Lansing (Kan.) Correctional Facility with 27 years of experience with the Kansas Department of Corrections, Nov. 22, 2004, Lansing.
Clyde Niernberger ’52, retired credit manager, Jan. 6, Wichita.
M. Geraldine “Geri” (Noeller) Nold ’48, communicative disorders and sciences graduate, Sept. 30, 2004, Rogers, Ark.
Vivian I. (Garrett) Oatts ’77, former Holy Savior Catholic School teacher and tutor, Oct. 5, 2004, Wichita.
Martha E. “Betty” Overall fs ’84, retired New York Life Insurance Co. agent, Jan. 16, Wichita.
Kathleen S. Park ’61, speech language pathologist with Caldwell Elementary School, Wichita, Dec. 5, 2004, Wichita.
William D. “Bill” Patrick ’62, retired instrumental music teacher in Boise, Idaho, public schools, Nov. 3, 2004, Boise.
Charles V. Petrie ’49/50, U.S. Navy fighter pilot in WWII, farmer and retired Boeing aeronautical engineer who worked on such design projects as the XB-47, B-52, KC-97 and B-47, Jan. 18, Wichita.
Harry G. Phillips ’34, real estate broker, April 24, 2004, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Steven L. Potucek ’70, retired from the city of Wichita, real property manager and owner of a relocation consulting firm, Dec. 18, 2004, Peck, Kan.
William J. Ray ’50, U.S. Navy veteran who served from 1943-46, former private pilot at the Wichita Municipal Airport, 20-year employee of Standard Oil, retired inventory manager for Stone Container Corp. and “dedicated New York Yankee,” Jan. 22, 2003, Missoula, Mont.
David F. Reeves ’71, retired high school teacher, Nov. 29, 2004, Wichita.
Harlan G. “Rip” Rippeteau ’54/61, retired Boeing director of contracts, Sept. 25, 2004, Bellevue, Wash.
Amy M. (Goodwin) Robbins ’00/02, Bank of America home service specialist, Oct. 13, 2004, Wichita.
Cindy R. Robbins fs ’98, Total Home Care and Hospice claims representative, Nov. 21, 2004, Wichita.
Beatrice (Robison) Romine ’55/65, retired elementary school teacher, Dec. 27, 2004, Wichita.
Clifford A. Russell ’59, secondary education graduate, July 25, 2004, North Chicago, Ill.
Richard H. Schowalter fs ’38, retired Beech Aircraft vice president, Sept. 23, 2004, Bentonville, Ark.
Dean M. Schraw ’82, former agency associate with The Cook Agency Inc. in Sedan, Kan., and a licensed and registered securities agent with Chapman Securities Inc., Wichita, Jan. 9, Rock Hill, S.C.
Margaret W. (Loomis) Schroeder fs ’38, homemaker and retired lab tech, March 12, 2004, Lawrence, Kan.
Nancy A. (Ulatowski) Sherman ’78, homemaker, lifelong advocate of women’s issues and women’s shelter volunteer, Jan. 23, Purcell, Okla.
Harry L. Smith ’50, U.S. Air Force veteran and owner of HLS Communications, Austin, Texas, Dec. 15, 2004, Austin.
Mary M. (Hege) Smith ’42, homemaker and retired social worker for the state of Kansas, Feb. 5, Wichita.
Helen T. Streck ’55, sister with Adorers of the Blood of Christ, former music teacher, former academic dean at Sacred Heart College, the predecessor of Newman University in Wichita, former Newman librarian and archivist for the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, Dec. 1, 2004, Wichita.
Alphonso “Al” Tate ’64, a 1999 inductee into the Shocker Sports Hall of Fame for his outstanding play from 1957-60 on WU’s men’s basketball team as a 1,000-point scorer in each of his three varsity seasons, culminating in a No. 8 listing on the all-time points scored list (40), a No. 10 posting on the all-time career rebounds list (774) and a No. 8 ranking in the all-time career rebound average (9.9 per game), as well as being named the team’s most valuable player for his second season and second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference, a former National Industrial Basketball League player and retired Los Angeles County Office of Education math and science teacher, Aug. 7, 2004, Hacienda Heights, Calif.
Carlos D. Taylor ’55, retired investment banker and past honorary admissions counselor for the Missouri Military Academy, a college prep school in Mexico, Mo., Dec. 13, 2004, Wichita.
Nelson L. Tebu ’71, retired funeral director with Evan-Brown Mortuary in Palm Springs, Calif., Oct. 28, 2004, Cathedral City, Calif.
Nelson R. Thomas ’56, retired petroleum geologist, Oct. 25, 2004, Wichita.
Timothy N. “Tim” Travis ’86, Raytheon Aircraft media relations manager, former journalist with the Ark Valley News, CityLife magazine and the Wichita Business Journal, Dec. 9, 2004, Wichita.
Alan R. Utter ’01, American Red Cross reference lab technician and former Riverside Hospital certified lab technician, Dec. 1, 2004, Wichita.
Patricia “Pat” (McMinn) Vermillion fs ’53, homemaker, Jan. 5, Plano, Texas.
Nancy J. Waldschmidt ’83, medical records administration graduate, Oct. 21, 2004, Wichita.
Howard L. Ward ’69, retired Boeing industrial engineer and former employee of Kelly Department Store and J.C. Penney’s, Dec. 2, 2004, Wichita.
George R. Wattenbarger ’73, personnel utilization manager for Wichita public schools, Jan. 26, Wichita.
Walter McCool Wilkinson ’48, division geologist for SOHIO before forming his own oil exploration and consulting company, Wilkinson Drilling, Wichita, Nov. 27, 2004, Topeka, Kan.
Dennis C. Williams ’66/75, educator who during his 36-year career served as teacher, coach, activities director, associate principal and Title 1 director for Derby, Kan., public schools, Jan. 28, Derby.
Gary L. Williams ’74/80, self-employed through Sylvan Learning Centers and former executive vice president and COO of Preferred Plus of Kansas, Nov. 17, Wichita.
George F. Williams ’71/73, Wichita public schools educator who served as assistant principal at Brooks Middle Magnet School and was active with the Alliance of Black School Educators, Jan. 1, Wichita.
David C. Wilson ’73, president of Houston Band Instrument Co. in Houston, Texas, and professional tuba player who last summer was a featured soloist at an international tuba and euphonium conference in Budapest, Hungary, and who also taught a master class at a music camp in Reci, Romania, Jan. 8, Houston.
Vera F. Wood ’42, Wichita public schools teacher for 40 years and charter member of the Rose Douglas Chapter of Order of the Eastern Star who lived to be 101, Jan. 16, Leawood, Kan.
Lee W. Wright ’83, retired freelance key grip residing in Niotaze, Kan., Nov. 13, 2004, Bethesda, Md.
Charles K. Young ’68, 34-year career worker in the industrial forklift business in the Denver and Wichita metropolitan areas, Dec. 9, 2004, Lakewood, Colo.
