Thomas G. Ayers
Thomas G. Ayers (H86), 92, Chicago, June 8. A unifying leader for social equality, urban renewal and education, Mr. Ayers left a lasting mark on Northwestern and the city of Chicago.
A member of Northwestern's Board of Trustees for 30 years and chair from 1975 to 1986, Mr. Ayers led several successful Northwestern fundraising campaigns and helped expand undergraduate housing, secure funding for deferred maintenance of the physical plant and strengthen athletic programs.
In 1984 the University named Ayers Residential College of Commerce and Industry, a 164-student residence hall, in recognition of his service. Mr. Ayers became a life trustee in 1987.
After graduating from the University of Michigan, Mr. Ayers joined Public Service Co., a subsidiary of Commonwealth Edison Co., in 1938 then worked his way up to serve as president of ComEd beginning in the mid-1960s and as CEO from 1973 to 1980. Mr. Ayers devoted his energies and financial resources to advocating for fair housing and equal opportunity employment.
In the mid-60s he negotiated between Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley's administration and the open housing campaign, led by Martin Luther King Jr. He later served as chair of the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities and was honored as Man of the Year by the Chicago Urban League in 1973.
He chaired the board of directors for the Chicago Urban League, in addition to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry.
He is survived by four sons, William, John, Richard and Thomas Jr.; a daughter, Catherine; 10 grandchildren, including Shannon Allen Asaria (WCAS87); and four great-grandchildren.
Francis A. Allen
Francis A. Allen (L46), 87, Gainesville, Fla., April 6. A Northwestern professor from 1948 to 1950, Mr. Allen taught criminal law for more than 40 years, mostly at the University of Michigan. He served as an early advocate for the provision of legal counsel to impoverished defendants.
A criminal law and juvenile delinquency expert, he helped establish the Criminal Justice Act of 1964. Mr. Allen also helped write the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961.
He received a Merit Award from the Northwestern Alumni Association in 1967. Mr. Allen served as the School of Law's first Jack N. Pritzker Distinguished Visiting Professor in 1989.
He is survived by his wife, June; a son, Neil; a daughter-in-law, Roberta; grandchildren Jessica and Mark; a brother, William; and a sister, Olive.
William O. Farber Jr.
William O. "Doc" Farber Jr. (WCAS32, G33), 96, Vermillion, S.D., March 24. A longtime professor of political science at the University of South Dakota, Mr. Farber was renowned as a caring yet uncompromising mentor who encouraged his students to enter public service.
During his 71-year career at USD, including 38 years as political science chair, he mentored six Rhodes Scholars, governors, legislators and a group of students known as "Farber Boys" that included former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw (H04) and USA Today founder Allen Neuharth. Mr. Farber also worked behind the scenes in local, state, national and international politics.
A World War II veteran, Mr. Farber taught at Northwestern as a visiting professor in 1956-57.
Peter A. Gorner
Peter A. Gorner (C64), 64, Chicago, June 27. An award-winning science writer with an insatiable curiosity, Mr. Gorner reported for more than 40 years at the Chicago Tribune. Throughout his career he covered topics from dinosaurs to human face transplants. In 1987 he and colleague Jeff Lyon (J65) received a Pulitzer Prize for their work on "Altered Fates," a seven-part series on gene therapy.
A passionate musician, he began his career at the Tribune as a music critic. He first came to Northwestern as a "Cherub" in the School of Music National High School Institute.
Mr. Gorner occasionally taught journalism at Northwestern as an adjunct lecturer between 1994 and 2001.
He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline; two sons, Peter D. and Jeremy; and his mother, Virginia.
Thomas M. Graber
Thomas M. Graber (GD46, FSM50), 90, Evanston, June 26. A world-renowned dental clinician, educator and researcher, Dr. Graber dedicated his more than 60-year career to pioneering orthodontics and craniofacial biology. He taught at three Chicago-area universities, including 12 years at Northwestern, where he co-founded the Cleft Lip and Palate Institute.
A world-traveling lecturer, he received honorary degrees from universities worldwide. In 1997 he became the first non-Japanese citizen to be inducted into the Japanese Orthodontic Society. He received a Northwestern Alumni Association Merit Award in 1977.
He is survived by his wife, Doris; sons Lee Graber (D73), Thomas W., Jack and Jim; a daughter, Susan; and 14 grandchildren.
Joel D. Marvil
Joel D. Marvil (McC57, Nav57), 72, Wantage, N.J., Nov. 20, 2006. During 40 years with Ames Rubber Corp., Mr. Marvil worked his way up from project engineer to president and CEO. Under his direction, the company, which makes rubber rollers for office machines and specialized auto parts, received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Small Business, the nation's highest business honor. Mr. Marvil was also named Rubber Industry Executive of the Year.
A life member of the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science Advisory Council, he received a Northwestern Alumni Association Merit Award in 2003.
He is survived by his wife Bonnie Ellis Marvil (SESP58); his brother Richard Marvil (EB60); a son, Timothy; and three grandchildren.
Robert A. Peck
Robert A. Peck (J46), 82, Cheyenne, Wyo., March 6. A five-time Wyoming state senator and 50-year newspaper publisher, Mr. Peck invested most of his life in his state and its people.
Mr. Peck attended the National High School Institute and later enrolled in the Medill School of Journalism but left Northwestern to serve in World War II. After the war Mr. Peck completed his degree at the University of Wyoming and, with his brother, acquired his hometown weekly newspaper, the Ranger. It became the foundation for a large local newspaper business.
Mr. Peck was appointed to the Wyoming Senate in 1991 and won four consecutive elections, serving 17 years.
He is survived by three children and three grandchildren.
William Peters
William Peters (WCAS47), 85, Lafayette, Colo., May 20. A chronicler of contemporary American issues for more than 40 years, Mr. Peters' breakthrough civil rights story came in 1956 when his Redbook article introduced the nation to the nonviolent protest philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr.
After moving into television in the 1960s, he produced the Emmy Award-winning documentary A Class Divided, which examined an Iowa schoolteacher's experiment of dividing an all-white third-grade class into groups by eye color and treating each group as inferior on different days to raise questions about prejudice.
He is survived by a brother; three daughters, including Jennifer Peters Johnson (WCAS73); a son, Geoffrey Peters (WCAS67); nine grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. |
