Obituaries

1945

Jerome Rothenberg, professor emeritus of economics, Waban, Mass., on August 10, 2015. Rothenberg earned a master’s and a Ph.D., both from GSAS, in 1947 and 1954, respectively. He had been professor emeritus in the economics department at MIT for most of his career and before that at Oxford, Northwestern, Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, Chicago, UC Riverside and Amherst. Rothenberg authored the following books, all in the field of public sector and welfare economics: The Measurement of Social Welfare; Economic Evaluation of Urban Renewal; The Maze of Urban Housing Markets: Theory, Evidence, and Policy (with George C. Galster); and Readings in Urban Economics (with Matthew Edel); and numerous articles. Above all, says his wife, Winifred Barr Rothenberg BC’47, GSAS’49, who survives him, Rothenberg was a poet.

1947

Stanley H. Milberg, stock analyst and broker, Brooklyn, N.Y., on December 13, 2015. Born in Jersey City, N.J., Milberg was a decorated WWII veteran, an Army Air Corps navigator who flew more than 20 bombing missions over Germany. He earned an M.A. in statistics from GSAS in 1949. Milberg and his wife, Sylvia Lowits Milberg, who predeceased him in 1994, lived for almost 40 years in Westport, Conn., where they shared their active commitment to community well-being and the town’s Democratic Party. Co-founder of the management consultant company Marcom, Milberg went on to a successful career as a stock analyst and broker. He was intellectually curious; a lover of music, the arts and the Mets; an avid reader; and an enthusiastic chef. Milberg is survived by his wife, Marcia Osofsky; sister, Rita Bricken; sons, Daniel, David, William and John PH’89; seven grandchildren; and daughters-in-law, Hedy Kalikoff and Sara Sade.

1948

Jackson H. Sheats Jr., musician, Lansdowne, Va., on January 27, 2015. Born in Memphis on October 26, 1926, after graduation Sheats worked for the American Viscose Corp. in Chicago. He studied voice with Robert Long in Chicago, sang in the Lyric Opera of Chicago chorus and was the tenor soloist at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel in Chicago. In 1964 he moved his family to Europe and signed on as lyric tenor with the City Theater of Koblenz, Germany. In addition to 52 performances of The Merry Widow at the Koblenz Operette on the Rhein, Sheats sang more than 20 leading tenor roles on the opera stages of Germany 1964–73, when he returned to the United States to teach voice at the Shenandoah (University) Conservatory, from which he retired as professor emeritus in 2002. While at Shenandoah, Sheats sang in several performances at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. An avid fan of movies from the 1930s and ’40s, he was a veritable encyclopedia of famous stars of that era. He also loved animals, especially cats. Sheats is survived by his wife of 60 years, Ilse Henning Sheats; sister, Jeannine Odom; daughter, Anna Askari; son, David; one granddaughter; and one great-grandson. Memorial contributions may be made to the ASPCA.

1951

Robert S. Allgaier, research physicist, Potomac, Md., on January 9, 2016. Allgaier was born on November 29, 1925, in Union City, N.J. Valedictorian of his high school class, he served in the U.S. Merchant Marine as a radio officer during and after WWII. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics, the latter in 1952 from GSAS, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year. Allgaier earned a Ph.D. in physics from Maryland. He had a long career as a research physicist for the Navy and published extensively. Allgaier was a visiting scientist at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, England, 1965–66, where he worked with Sir Nevill F. Mott and contributed to the research on disordered materials for which Mott received the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physics. After retirement, Allgaier worked at several places, including the Office of Naval Research and the National Institute of Standards and Technology; taught at Maryland; and also taught and researched for a semester at Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, in Austria. Allgaier worked to successfully have merchant mariners awarded veteran status for their service during WWII. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Nancy Lalos Allgaier; children, Stephanie and Eric; two granddaughters; and brother, Richard. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Columbia University Department of Physics or Friends of the National World War II Memorial.

Thomas E. Withycombe, attorney, Hillsboro, Ore., on March 31, 2016. Born in Montana, Withycombe was the son of a pharmacist and the grandson of Oregon Gov. James Withycombe (1914–19). Withycombe led the Eureka H.S. basketball team to the Montana State Championship finals; he also played competitively in squash, racquetball and tennis. Withycombe graduated from Harvard Law and served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, leading a mortar division and achieving the rank of captain. An expert marksman, forward scout and adviser, he served as a liaison officer, training and fighting along with Korean Marines. After law school, he worked in the Oregon state legislature, moved to King, Miller (now Miller Nash) and then had a 34-year career with Georgia-Pacific, becoming deputy general counsel. He was on the Board of Directors of the Portland and Atlanta YMCA, and held leadership positions at First Presbyterian churches in Portland and Atlanta. Withycombe supported all of his children in Scouting and was Scoutmaster for Troop 200 in Beaverton, Ore., and a member of the Cascade Pacific Council Executive Board and Protestant Committee. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Kathy; five children; their spouses; and 14 grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church Columbarium Fund or to the Boy Scouts of America, Cascade Pacific Council Chaplains’ Fund.

1954

Robert A. Falise, attorney, Bedford, N.Y., on August 13, 2015. Falise was born in New York City in 1932 and earned a J.D. from the Law School in 1956. He was assistant director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 1960–61 and prior to that an Army judge advocate officer for the secretary of the Army. Falise was in private practice with Olwine Connelly Chase O’Donnell and Weyher in the early 1960s and prior to that with Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine. He was VP and general counsel of Dictaphone 1966–80, VP and corporate counsel of RCA 1980–86 and EVP of Irving Bank until 1988. From 1991 until his death, Falise was chairman of the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, formed to settle asbestos personal injury claims. In 2001, he was selected by Texaco, Chevron and the FTC as chairman and divestiture trustee of the Texaco Alliance Trust. Falise was an avid sailor, classic car enthusiast and active member in several sporting and social clubs. Survivors include his wife of nearly 50 years, Katharine; children, Katherine Knapp and her husband, Phillip, and Christina; and four grandchildren. Falise was preceded in death by a daughter, Elizabeth Bjorlin. Memorial contributions may be made to VNA Hospice House, 901 37th St., Vero Beach, FL 32960.

1955

Michael Hollander, professor of architecture, New York City, on November 11, 2015. Born on May 27, 1934, Hollander grew up in Manhattan and attended Bronx Science, then the College while simultaneously undertaking a professional dance career with the José Limón Dance Foundation. During this period, he also taught at both the Limón Studio and The Juilliard School. After retiring from dance, he earned a master’s in architecture from Yale. Upon graduation, Hollander worked with distinguished architects Philip Johnson and John M. Johansen before beginning a 40-year career as an influential, distinguished professor of architecture at Pratt. There, he mentored generations of future designers and planners. His favorite song was Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Waters of March,” which spoke of the promise of life. Hollander was predeceased by his wife, Judith; and brother, renowned poet John ’50, GSAS’52. He is survived by his sons, Samuel and Benjamin; nieces, Martha and Elizabeth; daughters-in-law, Jennifer and Julie, and two grandchildren.

1959

Harold M. “Hal” Stahl, retired physicist, Phoenix, on March 8, 2016. Born in the Bronx, Stahl earned bachelor’s and master’s in physics, the latter from Brooklyn Polytechnic. He attributed the teaching assistant job he got there to a recommendation from Nobel Prize winner Polykarp Kusch. While working on the Ph.D. he was unable to complete due to equipment failure, he met his wife, Toby Schleifer, a chemist at NYU. They married in December 1965 and started their family in Flushing, Queens, where they welcomed son Barry and daughter Fran. After relocating to Ridgefield, Conn., they welcomed third child Carrie. Stahl earned an M.B.A. from the University of New Haven before the family relocated to Phoenix. While a software engineer on the Apache helicopters, he earned a master’s in aerospace engineering. The family grew to include daughter-in-law Pattie, son-in-law Lewis and four grandsons. In retire­ment, Stahl and his wife were dedicated to their grandsons and to volunteering for nonprofits that supported healthcare, the environment, protecting Arizona’s natural history and progressive politics. Stahl was a proud lifelong Democrat. Memorial contributions may be made to AZGiveCamp or Democracy for America Maricopa County.

1974

Michael Evans, human resources director, Atlanta, on March 13, 2016. Born in Philadelphia and educated in the public schools of Springfield, Mass., Evans was a graduate of Classical H.S. in Springfield. While at Columbia, he was football co-captain. In 1971, he received All-Ivy League, All-East and honorable mention All-American honors as a defensive end. After college, he played for the New York Stars of World Football League. Passionate about working with people, Evans moved into the human resources arena and was president of the Atlanta Human Resources Association. He was also passionate about sports and mentored and worked with many young boys through Pop Warner Little Scholars. Survivors include his wife, Jackie Stallings Evans; son, Michael; sisters, Barbara Evans Watkins and Brenda D. Evans; and a host of relatives, in-laws and friends. Evans will be remembered for his unique way of sharing his kindness, hospitality, love and concern for others.

1975

Richard A. “Rick” Shur, adjunct professor of ESL, activist, New York City, on January 6, 2016. Shur was a Columbia gay rights pioneer, famous as “Rick X,” creator and host of The Closet Case Show, and one of the AIDS activism era’s most incisive chroniclers. Amid 1972’s war protests and musical theater, Shur came out, becoming a leader of Gay People at Columbia. After earning a master’s at TC in 1979, he mentored a new generation of student leadership, dramatically revitalizing and expanding campus LGBT activities, programming and services in the 1980s. The Closet Case Show, launched in 1984 on Manhattan Cable Television, presented gay news and commentary and satirized culture, gender and sexuality, providing safer-sex information and inspiration at the height of the AIDS epidemic. In 1994, Shur joined WBAI’s Gay Show. In recent years, he was often seen communing with campus birds and squirrels, a St. Francis-like figure called “Birdman of Columbia.” For more information, visit facebook.com/rick.shur.9.

2001

Jon Wakiya Krug, options trader, Long Beach, N.Y., on June 9, 2014. Krug earned a degree in economics and joined Wolverine Trading as a clerk on the AMEX. He quickly rose to trading options on a variety of equity products. In 2007 he moved to the COMEX exchange to trade in the silver options pit, where he soon emerged as a leader owing to his critical thinking skills, congeniality and competitiveness. Krug’s nature was to think outside the box, which served him well in his vocation and personal life. Through engagement in sports, be it ping pong, basketball, surfing or snowboarding, he stretched both himself and his competitors. Krug enjoyed cars, motorcycles, nature, acting, photography, music, cooking and physics. Friends around the world describe him as kind, loyal, creative, an innovator and a visionary. They remember that his smile made them laugh, his intellect brought wonder and his charisma made those around him shine. He is survived by his wife, mother, father, stepmother, two half-brothers and a large extended family. Memorial contributions may be made to Columbia men’s varsity basketball by contacting Victor Spinelli, athletics development assistant: vs2557@columbia.edu
or 212-851-7979.

— Lisa Palladino