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In Memoriam

Roger BarrettRoger Barrett

Roger W. Barrett (L40), 94, Rancho Mirage, Calif., Jan. 5. An accomplished lawyer, Mr. Barrett served on the prosecution team at the Nuremberg Trials following World War II. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson picked Mr. Barrett, at that time an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army, to help prosecute Nazi war criminals. Mr. Barrett, who spoke fluent German, was responsible for organizing the trial documents.

After his time in Germany Mr. Barrett returned to Chicago, where he was born and raised. In 1953 he joined the law firm Mayer Brown & Platt, where he worked until his retirement in 1990.

Mr. Barrett is survived by a son, Oliver; two daughters, Holly and Victoria; and his longtime companion, Norma Bussing.

Photo courtesy of the Chicago Bar Association Record

Russell ClarkRussell Clark

Russell B. Clark (FSM29), 108, Payson, Utah, Sept. 10. Born in 1900, Dr. Clark was the oldest man in Utah. In 1929, as an intern at Cook County Hospital, he pronounced dead the seven victims of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

Dr. Clark retired from medicine when he was 75 but filled his time with business ventures, including real estate development. The U.S. Department of Labor honored him as America's oldest worker in October 2003.

At 97, Dr. Clark traveled to the Middle East. He ran a four-mile leg of a relay marathon at the age of 98, helped build houses at 100 and drove until he turned 104.

Survivors include his 102-year-old sister, LeOra; five children; 24 grandchildren; 53 great-grandchildren; and numerous great-great-grandchildren. 

Robert DeFreitasRobert DeFreitas

Robert F. DeFreitas (EB48), 85, Barrington, Ill., Jan. 29. A U.S. Army Air Corps serviceman, Mr. DeFreitas had his Northwestern education interrupted by World War II. He was shot down over China on a reconnaissance mission and was later rescued by Chinese allies. 

Twenty-five years later he found himself in the middle of another aviation incident. On a flight from Los Angeles to New York in 1969, Mr. DeFreitas was held at gunpoint by a Cuban hijacker, who demanded the flight be rerouted to Havana. The plane landed safely in Cuba, and Mr. DeFreitas was noted for keeping his cool. 

After his WWII tour, Mr. DeFreitas returned to the University and served as president of Sigma Chi fraternity at Northwestern. He went on to a career as marketing director for Cahners Publishing and later publisher of the company's New York City-based Construction Equipment magazine in 1968. In the 1970s he created "Rebuilding America," a program through the magazine that raised money for rebuilding the nation's infrastructure. He served as publisher until his retirement in 1990.

He is survived by his wife, Yvonne; daughters Cynthia, Pamela, Michelle and Sarah; stepsons Michael and Anthony; and 11 grandchildren.

Andrew GreneAndrew Grene

Andrew Grene (GJ92), 44, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 12. A political affairs officer and senior aide to the chief of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti, Mr. Grene was one of 101 U.N. personnel killed when the mission's headquarters collapsed following the earthquake in January.  

Mr. Grene joined the U.N. after working as an award-winning journalist and became a speechwriter for former Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

Born in Chicago, Mr. Grene held dual Irish-U.S. citizenship and split his time as a child between Chicago and the family farm in County Cavan, Ireland.

Mr. Grene is survived by his wife, Jennifer; three children, Patrick, Alex and Rosamund; his mother, Ethel; and twin brother, Gregory.

Photo by Gregory Grene, Port-au-Prince, 2009

Edgar HeizerEdgar "Ned" Heizer

Edgar F. "Ned" Heizer Jr. (EB51), 80, Lake Forest, Ill., Dec. 3. A pioneering venture capitalist, Mr. Heizer had early stakes in businesses such as the International House of Pancakes and FedEx.

He created the venture capital arm of Allstate Insurance Co. in 1969 before founding Heizer Corp. with more than $80 million in capital from institutional investors. He later urged Congress to make it easier for venture capital firms to go public.

Mr. Heizer endowed the Heizer Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital at the Kellogg School of Management. He also served as vice president of the Kellogg Alumni Club of Chicago.

He is survived by his wife, Molly; two daughters, Linda and Molly; a son, Edgar F. "Skip" Heizer III (L84); a sister, Ann; and four grandchildren.

Frank JonesM. Frank Jones

M. Frank Jones (WCAS42), 88, Prairie Village, Kan., Feb. 3. Mr. Jones created Bon Appétit in the 1960s.

After working as a technical writer and later as an advertising copy chief, Mr. Jones co-founded two Kansas City advertising firms that served clients in the farming industry.

In 1965 he resigned to launch Bon Appétit magazine. He later started the travel magazine Bon Voyage and wrote wine columns for both magazines.

Mr. Jones, who as a student waited tables to pay for outings to swank Chicago restaurants, stayed on with Bon Appétit through a series of ownership changes, serving as editor in chief and later consulting editor before retiring.

He is survived by three children, Jeffrey, Kathy and Gary; three grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

Luis LealLuis Leal

Luis Leal (SCS40), 102, Santa Barbara, Calif., Jan. 25. A world-renowned scholar of Mexican, Chicano and Latin American literature, Mr. Leal wrote more than 45 books, including a landmark text on the Mexican short story.

Mr. Leal taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he mentored more than 40 doctoral students over a quarter-century. While at UCSB, Mr. Leal was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Clinton and the Mexico Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor granted to foreign citizens by the Mexican government. (See "Un Hombre de Letras," winter 2003.)

Born in Linares, Mexico, Mr. Leal became a U.S. citizen in 1939. He is survived by a son, Antonio; two grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Consuela LeeConsuela Lee

Consuela Lee (GBSM59), 83, Atlanta, Dec. 26. Ms. Lee established a performing arts school for African American children near Selma, Ala. For nearly 25 years she ran the Springtree/Snow Hill Institute for the Performing Arts on the grounds where her Tuskegee Institute-educated grandfather had founded an academy in 1893.

At 3, Ms. Lee began playing piano, and she later became known for her distinctive arrangements of compositions by greats such as Duke Ellington and Irving Berlin. Ms. Lee also taught theory and composition at several historically black colleges.

Spike Lee, her nephew, hired Ms. Lee as a music supervisor on his 1988 film School Daze. She is also survived by a daughter, Monica; a son, Cameron; brothers Bill, Clifton, Arnold Jr. and Leonard; and a sister, Grace.

Dick LynnRichard Lynn

Richard "Dick" Lynn (WCAS65), 66, Oklahoma City, Dec. 5. The former vice president of the Northwestern Alumni Association, Mr. Lynn counted the University among his many passions.

Mr. Lynn, longtime official scorer for Northwestern basketball and a dedicated supporter of Wildcat athletics, was inducted as an honorary member of the N Club in 1978. He served as its president from 1987 to 1990.

A member of the John Evans Club, Mr. Lynn served on his 20th reunion committee and co-chaired his 25th reunion. He also served as an Alumnet volunteer and a member of the Alumni Council. He received a Service Award from the NAA in 1989. 

He is survived by his wife, Karen; a daughter, Allison; a son, Brian; and two grandchildren.

William MayerWilliam "Bud" Mayer

William E. "Bud" Mayer (FSM47), 86, Tacoma, Wash., Feb. 10. Dr. Mayer enjoyed a long and distinguished public service career. A decorated Korean War veteran, he served as assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, responsible for the health care of nearly 10 million active duty and retired military and their families.

Later, as assistant U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Mayer advocated for the recognition of alcoholism as a chronic disease and initiated a nationwide designated driver program to reduce alcohol-rated auto accidents involving prom partyers.

Following the Korean War, Dr. Mayer became a leading expert on communist "brainwashing" techniques.

He is survived by his wife, Heidi; four children; and nine grandchildren.

Cheri Couture MelilloCheri Couture Melillo

Cheri Couture Melillo (C71), 60, New York City, Dec. 26, 2009. Mrs. Melillo founded Canstruction Inc., a food charity organization that has donated 13 million pounds of food to local food banks in 140 cities. She served as the organization's volunteer president and executive director for 17 years.

At Canstruction events, teams of architects, engineers and students build giant structures - from Mr. Potato Head to a Japanese teahouse - entirely out of cans of food. The food, as well as admission donations, go toward helping the hungry. In 2000 the American Institute of Architects named Mrs. Melillo an honorary member for her work developing, marketing and promoting the organization.

Mrs. Melillo worked as an administrator with the Butler Rogers Baskett Architects firm for 24 years. A member of the Society for Design Administration, she created and served as editor in chief of the SDA's news journal, SkyLines.

She is survived by her mother, Rosalind, her husband, Bruce, a son, Jon van Over, and a brother, Gary.

Ronald SellkeRonald Sellke

Ronald S. Sellke (WCAS73, GSESP74), 58, Evanston, Dec. 10. Mr. Sellke educated Evanston Township High School students for 20 years with creative examples of math in everyday life.

More than a decade ago he helped create Project EXCITE, a Northwestern Center for Talent Development collaboration with Evanston-Skokie School District 65 and ETHS to provide academically talented minority students in third through eighth grade with enriching math and science experiences aimed at helping them qualify for advanced tracks in high school. The CTD is establishing a summer program scholarship in his honor.

Mr. Sellke is survived by his wife, Linda LaBuda; a daughter, Caroline; a son, Robert; his mother, Virginia; and two sisters, Susan and Sandra.

Paula Miller TrienensPaula Miller Trienens

Paula Miller Trienens (J47), 85, Glencoe, Ill., Feb. 6. Mrs. Trienens devoted her life to serving the Northwestern and Chicago communities. She served as a president of the Northwestern University Women's Board and of the Alumnae of Northwestern University. She also served as a benefit co-chair for the 1996 visit by Diana, Princess of Wales, to Northwestern. In 1978 Mrs. Trienens received an Alumni Service Award.

Mrs. Trienens is survived by her husband, Howard J. Trienens (EB45, L49), former chair of Northwestern's Board of Trustees; a daughter, Nancy Trienens Kaehler (GSESP79), a Board of Trustees member; two sons, John and Thomas "Kip"; nine grandchildren, including Lillian Trienens (WCAS07) and Nicholas H. Trienens (McC03); and two great-grandchildren.

William TuohyWilliam "Bill" Tuohy

William K. "Bill" Tuohy (WCAS51), 83, Santa Monica, Calif., Dec. 31. In his nearly 30 years as a Los Angeles Times foreign correspondent, Mr. Tuohy won a Pulitzer Prize for his Vietnam War coverage and helped establish the newspaper as a competitor to the New York Times and Washington Post.

Between 1966 and 1995 Mr. Tuohy led bureaus in Saigon, where he earned the Pulitzer, as well as Rome, London and Beirut.  He covered countless seminal news events. When a Los Angeles Times colleague was killed in the Iranian Revolution, Mr. Tuohy chartered a jet to Tehran and brought the man's body back to his family.

Mr. Tuohy is survived by his wife, Rose Marie; a son from his second marriage, Cyril; a stepson, Adam; a brother, Jim; and two sisters, Lolita and Julia.

Photo by Nik Wheeler

William TurnerWilliam Turner

William C. "Bill" Turner (EB52), 80, Scottsdale, Ariz., Feb. 28. An international business consultant, Mr. Turner was appointed U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development by President Nixon in 1974. His work there, alongside Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, coincided with the Arab oil crisis and led to the creation of the International Energy Agency.

Later in his career Mr. Turner became an expert on international advisory councils for multinational corporations. He established advisory boards for General Electric, AT&T, Caterpillar and served on many others.

A civic leader in the Phoenix area, Mr. Turner served as president of the Phoenix Symphony and co-founder of the Phoenix Chamber Music Society. He was an active member of the San Francisco-based Bohemian Club and served on the boards of the World Wildlife Fund and other cultural organizations.

He is survived by his wife, Cynthia; two sons, Douglas and Scott; and five grandchildren.

MacDonald WoodMacDonald Wood

MacDonald Wood (WCAS39, FSM43, GFSM45), 91, Paradise Valley, Ariz., Aug. 23, 2008. In 1965 Dr. Wood co-founded the burn unit at Maricopa Medical Center, one of the first burn clinics in Arizona and the entire Southwest. Now known as the Arizona Burn Center, it has treated more than 50,000 patients since it opened as a five-bed unit.

Dr. Wood also co-founded the nonprofit Foundation for Burns and Trauma of Arizona to help burn victims and their families. The foundation provides funds for treatment, research and education and sponsors the annual weeklong Children's Burn Camp for children.

Dr. Wood later helped transform the Maricopa Medical Center into an integrated health system. He helped develop the hospital's surgical teaching program and served on several boards. He also helped establish the first trauma center in Arizona.

Dr. Wood is survived by his wife, Frankie, five children and two grandchildren.