Paul L. Conrad
Paul L. Conrad (FSM45), 89, Goshen, Ind., July 17. A physician, psychiatrist and medical missionary, Dr. Conrad established and operated a Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities hospital in Nazareth, Ethiopia. He returned to the United States and spent several years as a company doctor for U.S. Coal and Coke Co. in Welch, W.Va., before moving to India, where he served 15 years as medical superintendent of Dhamtari Christian Hospital. Dr. Conrad also headed the Shantipur Leprosy Hospital for one year.
He later practiced psychiatry in southwestern Pennsylvania until 1999. In 1987 the Mennonite Medical Association named him Doctor of the Year.
Dr. Conrad is survived by his wife, Nancy; two sons, Glenn and Paul; a daughter, Mary; and six grandchildren.
Dennis Michael Dooley
Dennis Michael Dooley (G74), 66, Anchorage, Alaska, July 31. A longtime public servant in Alaska, Mr. Dooley served as a member of the Alaska Oil Spill Commission after the Exxon Valdez accident and acted as a key advocate in creating the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to prevent future oil spills in the United States.
After Northwestern Mr. Dooley created the Department of Transportation in Alaska and organized the Pacific Oil and Ports Group to encourage safer conditions for tanker traffic in Alaska and on the West Coast. He later worked as a transportation planner for the state and made Alaska's highways eligible for the Interstate Highway System.
Mr. Dooley is survived by his sons, Shawn and Patrick; a daughter, Tiffany; daughters-in-law Sandra and Kim; four grandsons; brothers Mark and Tim; sisters-in-law Shirley and Barb; and several nieces and nephews.
Carl G. Eilers
Carl G. Eilers (GMcC56), 83, River Forest, Ill., June 20. Considered the father of stereo FM radio and stereo television sound, Mr. Eilers helped lead Zenith Electronics' development of high-fidelity stereo sound for broadcasting. He co-developed the Federal Communications Commission FM standard that is still in use today.
During his 50-year career with Zenith he worked on the Emmy Award–winning multichannel television sound stereo TV system. The Zenith research and development manager, who also worked on remote controls and laserdisc recording, served as a key member of the high-definition television development team. Zenith's work on HDTV earned a technical Emmy in 1997.
Mr. Eilers, who was granted 21 U.S. patents, won many awards for his accomplishments in radio and television. He was inaugurated into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame in 2000. He retired in 1997.
Mr. Eilers is survived by his wife, Sandra; a son, John; a daughter, Janet; and a sister, Marie.
David A. Eisenstadt
David A. Eisenstadt (GJ87), 46, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Aug. 26. A former Washington correspondent for Hearst Newspapers, Mr. Eisenstadt covered and reported on national security issues for the Hearst Washington bureau in 1993–94.
He gained recognition during his time at the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune for his coverage of Willie Horton, a convicted murderer in Massachusetts who committed robbery and rape while out on furlough. The episode damaged Michael Dukakis' presidential bid in 1988.
While working at the Defense Daily, Mr. Eisenstadt broke the story that the father of President Bill Clinton's nominee for chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, had fought alongside the Nazis in 1944.
Mr. Eisenstadt also worked for Phillips Publishing and covered Washington, D.C., for the New York Daily News. He also lived in Poland for three years and taught journalism. He was an avid surfer.
Mr. Eisenstadt is survived by his mother, Rosalee.
George Furth
George Furth (C54), 75, Los Angeles, Aug. 11. An actor and playwright, Mr. Furth won a Tony Award for best book for the 1970 Broadway musical Company.
From the 1960s to the '90s the character actor took roles in more than 85 films and TV shows including Blazing Saddles and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as well as episodes of Little House on the Prairie, Murder, She Wrote and Wings.
Mr. Furth gained most acclaim for his work offstage. In addition to Company, which he wrote with Stephen Sondheim, Mr. Furth also penned Precious Sons, which enjoyed a brief Broadway run in 1986 and earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for outstanding new play.
In total, Mr. Furth wrote eight plays that appeared on Broadway.
Charles H. Geiger
Charles H. Geiger (McC50), 82, Jasper, Ga., June 22. A successful electrical engineer, Mr. Geiger became interested in the Civil War when his work brought him to Georgia in 1985. Mr. Geiger studied Civil War military strategies and became passionate about the state historic marker program, which traced historic paths such as Sherman's March to the Sea.
Appalled by the state of historic markers due to theft, vandalism, poor maintenance and road construction projects, Mr. Geiger donated his time and money to make a record of Georgia's markers. He took every possible opportunity to address the issue with state politicians.
Mr. Geiger, a former trustee and president of the Georgia Battlefields Association, received the Governor's Award in the Humanities in 2006. Geiger also served as chair of the Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails historical committee.
Mr. Geiger, a World War II veteran, is survived by his wife, Linda; a daughter, Barbara; a son, Jeffrey; and a sister, Mary Geiger Gray (WCAS49).
Jack S. Harris
Jack S. Harris (WCAS36), 96, Escazú, Costa Rica, Aug. 2. An anthropologist, professor and spy, Mr. Harris served the United States and jump-started development in Costa Rica.
A student of the famed Melville Herskovits, Mr. Harris became an African expert and served as a spy with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, a predecessor to the CIA, during World War II. He later worked at the United Nations before being fired in a McCarthy-era purge.
He and his family moved to Costa Rica, where Mr. Harris became one of the country's leading industrialists, He helped to create a taxi fleet, the nation's first cement plant, a major development bank and a brewery.
Mr. Harris is survived by two sons, Michael and Jonathan; a brother, Alvin; and five grandchildren.
David K. Hill Jr.
David K. Hill Jr. (L65), 67, Inverness, Ill., July 26. As executive chairman of Kimball Hill Homes and former president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago, Mr. Hill was an ardent affordable housing advocate.
Mr. Hill and his brother founded Kimball Hill Homes in 1969 after their homebuilder father, D. Kimball Hill Sr. (WCAS32, L35), retired. Under his leadership, the company built midlevel and luxury homes throughout the Chicago suburbs and expanded to more than a dozen markets nationwide.
Mr. Hill also helped develop affordable housing initiatives, including projects at Chicago's former Stateway Gardens and Cabrini-Green complexes. He spearheaded an initiative to build a "safe house" for a Chicago-area domestic violence shelter. He also created the Kimball Hill Deaf Institute at Harper College, where he served on the board.
He is survived by his wife, Diane Gustafson Hill (GC70); a son, David; a sister, Georgia; and a brother, Tracy.
Peter Kapetan
Peter Kapetan (C78), 51, New York City, June 4. An actor, singer and dancer, Mr. Kapetan enjoyed a theater career that spanned almost three decades. He most recently appeared on Broadway in The Wedding Singer as a Ronald Reagan impersonator and ensemble member.
Mr. Kapetan got his start on Broadway in the 1979 production of Got Tu Go Disco and later worked on Sunset Boulevard and Titanic. He also appeared in many national tours and off-Broadway productions.
Mr. Kapetan devoted many volunteer hours to NU Club of New York alumni events, including its "Ultimate Christmas Parties" in the 1970s, '80s and '90s. He often choreographed the shows and mentored young performers.
He is survived by his parents, Peter and Helen; two sisters, Melissa and Christine; and a brother, Nicholas.
Patricia McKenny
Patricia McKenny (C73, GC74), 57, Chicago, June 28. A playwright, librettist and lyricist, Ms. McKenny parlayed her degrees into a lifetime commitment to the arts.
Ms. McKenny spent three decades collaborating on plays and musicals, often with fellow alumnus Doug Frew (C74). She collaborated on the musical 90 North, which received the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' Outstanding New Musical Award in 1997.
Ms. McKenny wrote for Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion for three seasons. She also helped found the Chicago Musical Theatre Works, an organization committed to cultivating original musicals in Chicago.
She is survived by her brother, Don; a sister-in-law, Diane; a nephew, Sam; and nieces Molly and Tricia.
Malcolm Subhan
Malcolm Subhan (GJ50, G51), 80, Tervuren, Belgium, Aug. 21. An expert on relations between the European Union and India, Mr. Subhan wrote extensively in major Indian publications for more than four decades, specializing in economic issues. He served as editor in chief of EuAsiaNews and as a correspondent for the Economic Times, India's largest business newspaper. Mr. Subhan was the longest-serving journalist of Indian origin working overseas.
Mr. Subhan was a founding member of the European Institute for Asian Studies, a think-tank that aims to improve relations between the EU and Asia. He lectured on the economic issues facing developing countries.
He is survived by his wife, Helene; four children; and five grandchildren.
Frederic Wiegold
Frederic Wiegold (J69, GJ70), July 19, Rye, N.Y. During a career that included stops at J.P. Morgan & Co. and The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Wiegold never saw journalism and finance as separate career paths. Most recently he served as senior editor of Bloomberg Markets, a monthly magazine for investment professionals.
He founded the "Money & Investing" section of the Wall Street Journal during his 18-year tenure there as an editor. He also created the paper's annual "Best on the Street" securities analyst evaluation. He also served as the Wall Street Journal's personal-finance editor for more than a decade and edited The Wall Street Journal Lifetime Guide to Money (Hyperion, 1997).
Mr. Wiegold's other journalistic credits include work with WFLD-TV, American Banker and the Financial Times of London's World Business Weekly magazine. He served as a governor of the Overseas Press Club Foundation, an organization dedicated to encouraging and supporting international reporters.
He is survived by his wife, Karen; a daughter, Gwendolyn; and his mother, Eloise. |
