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OBITUARIES

1930

Mark Freeman, artist, New York City, on February 6, 2003. Freeman earned a degree from the Architecture School in 1932. His prints and paintings from the 1930s chronicle a seminal period of New York’s architectural growth in a style that has been described as “a beautiful blend of the poetic and historical” and are represented in the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Whitney Museum, the British Museum, the Corcoran Gallery and the Library of Congress, among others. He supported the cause of art and artists, serving as executive officer to numerous art organizations. Freeman was a lifetime honorary member of the Lotos Club and had one-man shows at the Hirschl & Adler Gallery and the Sylvan Cole Gallery in New York. In 1992, Freeman published a book of his work from the 1930s, Reaching for the Sky. Survivors include his sons, David ’61 and Stephen ’70 AR; and seven grandchildren, including Rod ’97E. Freeman’s wife of 67 years, Polly Allen, predeceased him.

1933

Orpheus A. “Al” Rogati, retired physician, Whiting, N.J., on April 15, 2003. Rogati was born in New York City. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War II. Rogati was an assistant Manhattan medical examiner, and his medical practice was in the Bronx until his retirement in 1973, when he moved to Crestwood Village in Whiting. He was a member of the American Medical Association, the Bronx County Medical Society and the Bronx District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association. In Crestwood Village, he was a member of the Residents Club, the Italian American Club and the Billiard Club. Rogati is survived by his wife, the former Kathryn Lewis; daughter, Aurora Ferrero; son, John A.; and two grandsons.

1937

Eugene J. Kalil, engineer, New York City, on August 5, 2003. Born in Lawrence, Mass., in 1911, Kalil graduated from Chapman Technical School in 1930, where he was a champion pole vaulter. At the College, where he earned a degree in metallurgical engineering, Kalil won the Metropolitan intercollegiate title in pole vaulting and participated in the Penn Relays. After graduation, he worked at International Nickel, where he developed a procedure for making nickel sheet of the right porosity to separate uranium 235 from uranium 238, a process involved in making the atomic bomb. The War Department recognized his work on the Manhattan Project by awarding him a Certificate of Appreciation on August 6, 1945, for effective service contributing to the successful conclusion of World War II. Kalil later graduated from the N.Y. School of Law and became a patent attorney, becoming a senior partner at the law firm of Hopgood, Calimafde, Kalil and Judlowe in New York. He also was a teaching instructor for the metallurgical laboratories at Columbia. Kalil was married to the late Rose Stevens for 42 years. He was a member of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, N.Y. Athletic Club and The Society for Metals, and he served on the board of the Assad Abood Foundation. Kalil is survived by his brother, Sam, and many nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl., Memphis, TN 38105-1905.

1938

A. Leonard Luhby '38

A. Leonard Luhby, retired pediatrician and researcher, Bronx, N.Y., on November 14, 2003. Luhby, a lifelong resident of the Bronx, was a graduate of DeWitt Clinton H.S. At the College, he was Phi Beta Kappa and later became president of his class. Luhby, who graduated at the top of his class from NYU Medical School, was board-certified in pediatrics, nutrition and hematology. He developed pediatric hematology programs at Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and at Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital in Manhattan in the 1940s and 1950s. Retired since the early 1980s, Luhby was professor emeritus of pediatrics at New York Medical College and was former director of its pediatric hematology and oncology division. Luhby did pioneering research work in pregnant women’s needs for folic acid and folic acid deficiencies in adults, as well as work in children’s leukemia. He also authored many articles and medical book chapters on the subjects. In a family history interview several years ago, his daughter, Tami Luhby ’92, a reporter at Newsday, asked her father why he had gone into pediatrics. “I liked children,” he responded. “When you work with children, nature is on your side. It is helping you as well as your future.” Luhby served as a CCT class correspondent for the past four years. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his wife of almost 36 years, Sara; and son-in-law, Edward Purce.

James E. Zullo '38

James E. Zullo, retired ophthalmologist, Sarasota, Fla., on October 26, 2003. Born on December 29, 1916, in Jersey City, N.J., Zullo was a pre-med student at the College, received his medical degree from Albany Medical College in 1942 and interned at St. Francis College in Hartford, Conn. Zullo served as a flight surgeon in the Army Air Corps from 1943–46. He then was associated with another doctor’s practice before establishing a residency in ophthalmology in Rochester in 1957. Zullo moved to Gloversville, N.Y., in 1959 and practiced ophthalmology until his retirement in 1985. Zullo and his wife, the former Helen J. Cross, relocated to Sarasota, Fla. She passed away on August 4, 1997, following more than 54 years of marriage. Zullo was a member of the Palm-Aire Country Club of Sarasota, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the New York State Medical Society. Survivors include sons James E. Jr., William R., Jeffrey C. and Don N.; daughter, Carol Z. Young; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; a niece and a nephew. Zullo was predeceased by another daughter, Jane C., and sister, Beatrice Dingman. Memorial contributions may be made to Mountain Valley Hospice, 73 N. Main St., Gloversville, NY 12078.

1940

Philip V. Krapp, retired bookstore owner, Homewood, Ill., on June 9, 2003. Krapp was born on June 6, 1919. For many years, he worked in publishing with such companies as World Book, Encyclopedia Brittanica, Scott-Foresman, the University of Chicago Press and the University of Michigan Press. After retirement, Krapp ran a second-hand bookstore in Park Forest, Ill., where he lived for many years, and volunteered at the local library. A letter that CCT received from Krapp’s nephew, Nicholas Adams, said: “[My uncle’s] death closes a chapter in our family’s connection with Columbia. Starting in 1899, my great-grandfather, Carl Frederick von Saltza, began teaching at Teachers College; my grandfather, George Philip Krapp, taught in the English department for many years; my father, Robert M. Adams ’35, ’37 GSAS and my uncle were students there, and my aunt was at Barnard.”

1941

Hugh H. Bownes, retired federal appeals court judge, Branford, Conn., on November 5, 2003. Bownes was born in the Bronx in 1920 to working-class Irish immigrants and received a scholarship to the Horace Mann School for Boys as well as to Columbia. He enlisted in the Marines in 1941, a month after starting the Law School, from which he graduated in 1948. He was wounded in the leg by mortar fire during the invasion of Guam, developed gangrene and nearly died. Bownes was awarded a Silver Star and the Purple Heart; he left the Marines as a major and returned to Columbia on the G.I. Bill. He and his first wife, Irja Martikainen, whom he married in 1944 and who died in 1990, moved to New Hampshire after he graduated from the Law School, and he established a law practice. From his first years as a lawyer, Bownes’ concern for civil rights culminated in his defense of an accused “communist” in the McCarthy era, a case he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also became an activist in Democratic politics as city councilman, then mayor of Laconia, as well as a member of the Democratic National Committee. Appointed a judge of the New Hampshire Superior Court in 1966, he soon was selected by President Lyndon B. Johnson to become a Federal District Court judge. From 1968–77, he was the sole District Court judge in New Hampshire, handling more than 450 cases including the famed “Live Free or Die” license plate case in which he upheld the defendants’ First Amendment right to tape over this state motto. While on the district court in New Hampshire in 1977, he ruled in response to an inmate’s lawsuit that the conditions at the state prison were “deplorable,” a ruling that led to an overhaul of the prison system. In 1977, Bownes was recommended to President Jimmy Carter to be elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals, a position he held until his retirement on September 1, 2003. He mentored nearly 100 law clerks, several of whom have become state and federal court judges. Bownes is survived by his second wife, Mary E. Davis, whom he married in 1992; daughter, Barbara McLetchie and her husband, Olaf; son, David; son, Ernest, and his wife, Colleen; stepchildren, Jonathan Farnham and his wife, Jeanine Vivona; Christopher Farnham and his wife, Caroline; and Julia Brown and her husband, Richard; 15 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; brother, Malcolm, and his wife, Arline; and four nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to the Judge Hugh H. Bownes Forum on Civil Rights at Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, N.H., or to the Jimmy Fund at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

1942

Nicholas J. DeVito '42

Nicholas J. DeVito, retired physician, Huntington, N.Y., on March 3, 2003. DeVito grew up in the Bronx and Forest Hills, Queens. He received his medical degree from New York Medical College in 1945 and a year later joined the Army, where he alternated between active duty and the Army Reserves for the next 14 years. DeVito served as a surgeon for the 1st Cavalry Division, 7th Cavalry Regiment in Yokohama and Tokyo. He also served at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. DeVito’s most notable assignment came when he was designated chief of surgery for the U.S. Army Hospital in Berlin. He remained there until 1956, and his duties and experiences at the early stages of the Cold War reflected the times and the place in which he lived: DeVito was called to Spandau prison to treat Nazi war criminals Albert Speer and Rudolph Hess; he was assigned to escort and entertain many luminaries who visited the divided city, including Hollywood star Ava Gardner; and he rescued a friend and American intelligence agent being kidnapped by Communists from a Berlin café. It was in Berlin that DeVito met the Pan American Airlines flight attendant and German native who would become his wife of nearly 48 years, Gay DeVito (formerly Gisela Wolf). During the early stages of his medical career, DeVito filled in briefly as a cruise ship doctor and during his travels, he treated, among others, Walt Disney. Throughout his years in private practice, DeVito continued to serve in the Army Reserves, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. His devotion to the Army and his country was demonstrated during the Persian Gulf War, when, at 70, he wrote the surgeon general to volunteer for a return to active duty to treat troops wounded in action. His request was graciously denied, but his desire to serve remained resolute. DeVito served as a surgeon in Huntington from 1961–90, first with the North Shore Medical Group, then later in private practice. Throughout those years, he remained on the staff at Huntington Hospital, establishing one of Long Island’s first burn units. He also was an associate clinical professor of surgery at SUNY-Stony Brook and delivered surgical services and clinical teaching at the Northport V.A. Hospital. He was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. To the end of his life, DeVito demonstrated great pride in his alma mater at Homecoming games, enthusiastically gathering his family to join him in meeting up with his beloved classmates under the Homecoming tent. Standing below the bright blue and white 1942 banner, the classmates would joyfully reminisce and toast to “Columbia pride, forever.” In addition to his wife, DeVito is survived by his children, Steven, Joan Cergol and Nola; three grandchildren; and sisters, Grace Martino and Catherine Petrone.

1943

Stanley R. Drachman, physician, Mamaroneck, N.Y., on November 16, 2003. A 1946 graduate of P&S, Drachman was a specialist in internal medicine at his private practice and a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He was cited in The New York Times as “a generous man, his curiosity was unbounded. He loved life in every possible way.” Drachman was a member of the Westchester Reform Temple and the Beach Point Club. He is survived by his wife, Sally Ann; children, Virginia, Susan, Josh and Dori; brother, Harvey; sister, Diane; and four grandchildren.

1946

Peter E. Stern, dentist, New York City, on May 18, 2003. A 1948 graduate of SDOS, Stern is survived by his wife of 54 years, Dorothy Servadio Stern; children, Lee and Randy; two grandchildren; daughters-in-law, Patricia Morrisroe and Elizabeth Eubank; brother, Leo; and sister-in-law, Enid. Contributions may be made to Peritoneal Dialysis Dept., Mt. Sinai Hospital, 1 Gustave Levy Pl., New York, NY 10029.

1947

Robert D. Anson '47

Robert D. Anson, oil industry executive, Midland, Texas, on September 28, 2003. Born February 27, 1924, in Chicago, Anson and his family moved in September 1924 to Tulsa, which was his home until moving his family to Midland in 1973. Anson graduated from Tulsa Central H.S. in 1941, entering the College that fall. His was a member of Zeta Beta Tau. Due to WWII, Anson earn his B.A. in 1947; he also studied briefly at Oxford. During the war, Anson served in Europe with the 102nd Ozark Infantry division as a combat infantryman. This unit held the distinction of completing the longest continuous front-line duty in the European Theatre of WWII. Anson was awarded the bronze star, combat infantry badge and unit citation. He was with the Bell Oil & Gas Co. in Tulsa for 15 years, becoming manager of its exploration department. In 1963, he left to work independently in the oil industry, chiefly as a royalty operator. In Midland, with his wife, the former Anne Kramer, Anson was active in support of music and the arts. He founded a reading/discussion group, “Shakespeare As We Like It,” and he created several Shakespeare celebrations for Midland Community Theater and elsewhere. He lectured on Shakespeare to various groups, and for three years taught a course for adults at Midland College on different aspects of Shakespeare. Anson was a member of the board of the Midland Symphony and was a former member of the board of The Museum of the Southwest. Survivors include his son, Tom, and his wife, Nan; son, David, and his wife, Karen; three grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Anson’s wife, whom he married on October 23, 1953, died on January 5, 1999. Memorial contributions may be made to favorite charities or to Temple Israel, Tulsa, Okla.

John Lowenthal, filmmaker and educator, London and New York City, on September 9, 2003. Lowenthal was born in Manhattan on May 14, 1925, and was a Navy veteran. While a student at the Law School, from which he earned a degree in 1950, he volunteered for Alger Hiss’ defense. Lowenthal was on sabbatical from Rutgers Law School in 1978 when he decided to make his 1980 film, The Trials of Alger Hiss, about the famous spy case that helped boost the political career of Richard M. Nixon. Using newsreel footage and new interviews, the film focused on the 1949 and 1950 perjury trials of Hiss — a former State Department official accused of passing information to the Russians — and on the political and intellectual atmosphere in postwar America. After completing his film, which was praised by film critics, including Vincent Canby, who wrote in The New York Times that it displayed “an appreciation for the uses of history that is rare in a documentary movie and virtually nonexistent in most of our contemporary fiction films,” Lowenthal taught at the New School for Social Research in New York City and at the CUNY Law School at Queens College. He performed widely as a cellist, last appearing at the Salzburg Music Festival in August 2003. Lowenthal is survived by his partner, Patricia Lousada; wife, Anne Lowenthal; daughter, Anne Hermans; son, James; brother, David; sister, Betty Levin; and three grandchildren.

1961

Angelo N. Tarallo '61

Angelo N. Tarallo, retired attorney, Ridgewood, N.J., on August 26, 2003. Tarallo earned advanced degrees from the Law School (1964) and NYU Law School (1970) and was chief executive of legal affairs for BOC in England for several years. Other positions included senior v.p. for finance and administration and general counsel, and president and member of the board of directors of the BOC Group in the United States during his 27-year career there. After retiring, Tarallo found that he loved to teach, and in 1991 began at Ramapo College of New Jersey as an adjunct professor in the international business program. In 1996, he became an executive in residence for the School of Administration and Business and a full-time faculty member in 1999. He also was an adjunct professor at Seton Hall Law School. Tarallo is survived by his wife, Particia (Klubnik); daughters, Patricia Kitchen, Gina Ribaudo, Amy and Beth; siblings Katherine Trimarco, Ida Van Lindt and Robert; and five grandchildren.

1963

Justin W. Williams, federal prosecutor, Alexandria, Va., on August 31, 2003. Williams was born in New York City. He received his law degree from Virginia in 1967 and moved to the Washington, D.C., area that year to work for the Department of Justice’s criminal division. Since 1970, Williams had worked in the U.S. attorney’s office in Alexandria, where he received numerous DOJ awards. As chief of the criminal division, he played a major role in the expansion of an office that has become one of the most visible in the country with its prosecution of high-profile terrorism cases since the September 11, 2001, attacks. At that office, he served as interim U.S. attorney from 1979–81, and again in 1986, becoming criminal division chief late that year. Williams helped develop strategy and tactics for major cases ranging from the prosecution of Aldrich H. Ames and his wife, Rosario, convicted in connection with his years of spying for the Soviets, to the recent case against 11 members of an alleged Virginia jihad network. Last year, he was honored by Attorney General John D. Ashcroft for his role in the prosecution of Robert P. Hanssen, who was sentenced to life in prison last year after spying for Moscow for two decades. Williams, who supervised more than 100 prosecutors, was known for his mentoring of young attorneys and his meticulous reading of virtually every indictment and legal brief put out by an office that extends from Alexandria to Richmond, Norfolk and Newport News. Even when Williams was a young assistant U.S. attorney, “If you had an issue, the short cut rather than researching it was Justin,” said Fred Sinclair, an Alexandria defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor. “You’d say, ‘Justin, where was this case on such and such?’ It was like pushing a button on a computer, and this was before computers.” Survivors include Williams’ second wife, Suzanne; children, Andrew G. and Caitlin G.; mother, Edith; and a sister. Donations for his children’s education may be made to the Justin W. Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Burke and Herbert Bank, PO Box 268, Alexandria, VA 22313.

1967

William Kirchgaessner, attorney, Hartsdale, N.Y., on May 18, 2003. Kirchgaessner graduated from the High School of Music and Art in New York City and Brooklyn Law School. He served as deputy commissioner at the New York City Commission on Human Rights for 22 years and was administrative law judge at the Social Security Administration since 1994. He was a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. Kirchgaessner proudest accomplishment was that he enjoyed a “normal” life, lived to its fullest, despite being blind since infancy. He is survived by his wife, Christine Pisani; daughter, Laura; son, Paul; two grandchildren; brother Erwin; and Rozella Kirchgaessner.

2007

Jessica L. Pastron, student and pianist, Piedmont, Calif., on November 12, 2003. Pastron was born on December 8, 1984. At 7, she began to study piano, and at 12, she was accepted into the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied for the next six years. Last year, Pastron toured France, studying and performing with talented pianists from around the world. In 2002, she was selected to perform at the 49th annual Junior Bach Festival in California. As a senior at Piedmont H.S., Pastron began singing, as well. Attending the College was one of her lifelong dreams, and she hoped to major in psychology. Since arriving on campus, Pastron had made new friends on her floor and in her classes and was becoming involved in the Hapa Club. An article in Spectator described Pastron this way: “To those who passed her along College Walk or on the streets of Piedmont, Calif., she was the girl with the tiara, the bindi or the purple contact lenses — or sometimes all three at once. She always had something to show, and she always had something to say. But to her friends, she was much more than her flashy appearance … she was the leader of the group, the one to make them feel good about themselves, the one who taught them to stand up for themselves.” Pastron’s memorial service was held on November 28 in San Francisco, and speakers alternated with musical performances. Three of Pastron’s high school teachers spoke about her, as did her San Francisco Conservatory of Music piano teacher and two uncles. The printed program was held together by a Columbia blue ribbon and included a passage from ‘Speech of Dlotima,’ from Plato’s The Symposium, which had been selected by Pastron’s Literature Humanities teacher, Frances Pritchett. Pastron is survived by her parents, Janice and Allen; grandparents, John and Mary Narita, and Martha Kirkpatrick; aunts and uncles; and 13 cousins. Memorial contributions in Pastron’s name may be sent to San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 1201 Ortega St., San Francisco, CA 94122.

L.P.

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