Edith Allen Countryman ‘39, P’63, P’65, P’69 died on June 12 in Lacey, Wash., at the age of 100. An Indiana native and daughter of two Puget Sound graduates, she followed in her parents’ footsteps and earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and theatre arts from Puget Sound. She married Kenneth Countryman, a Methodist pastor, and had three sons, who all also attended Puget Sound. Edith is preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by her sons, Robert Countryman ’69, John Countryman ’65, and Kenneth Countryman ’63; and dozens of grandchildren, great-grandchildren; and great-great-grandchildren.
R. Ronald Rau ‘41, Hon.‘41 was accepted into college in the midst of the Great Depression. In fact, the Tacoma native turned down an offer of admission from Columbia University because he could not afford the train fare, a summer 2004 Puget Sound Sound Advice newsletter indicates. But Ronald’s mother was determined to ensure her son would receive an education. She and Puget Sound administrators worked to create a payment plan. Ronald then received a scholarship at the end of his first semester, according to the Sound Advice piece. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics and was a member of the Logger golf and swim teams, and went on to earn both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in physics from the California Institute of Technology. He received a Fulbright Scholarship to study cosmic rays at the École Polytechnique in Paris. He continued his research at DESY Laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, and received an Alexander von Humboldt Research Professorship. Ronald became a respected physicist; he worked at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and taught at Princeton University. In 1968, Puget Sound recognized him with the title Alumnus Cum Laude, and in 2002, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Puget Sound. Ronald died on March 13 in New York, but his love for Puget Sound continues in the form of the R. Ronald Rau Endowed Physics Research Award, which he and his late wife, Maryjane Rau, created in the early 2000s. The fund provides scholarships for Puget Sound physics students.
Paul Pruitt ’44 died on July 2 at the age of 96. Born in Nebraska, he grew up in Washington and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Puget Sound where he played basketball as a Logger, was a member of the Adelphian Concert Choir, and worked for ASUPS. After completing his theological studies at Yale Divinity School, Paul worked as a minister in the United Church of Christ. He became active in the Tacoma-area civil rights movement of the 1960s and many other local efforts, and was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives, where he served as the 34th District representative from 1977 to 1985.
Betty Fry Rudolph ’44 passed away in California on June 16. She was 97. The Montana native grew up in Tacoma and attended Puget Sound, where she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority. She went on to earn her elementary school teaching credential from San Jose State University and taught in San Jose’s Alum Rock Union Elementary School District. She is preceded in death by her son, John. Betty is survived by her children Allen Rudolph and Karen Rudolph ’75.
Robert Medlock ’46, P’78, a U.S. Army veteran who served as a pilot during World War II, died on Feb. 20 at the age of 94. Born in Oregon, he moved to Tacoma as a teenager and flew missions during WWII in the European, North African, and ChinaBurma-India theaters. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound, where he played football as a Logger and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He married Charlotte Plummer ’47, P’78 and went on to hold positions with the George Scofield Company, St. Regis Paper Company, and Champion International. Survivors include his wife; daughter Janice Medlock Spiger; and sons Robert Medlock, Gary Medlock ’78, Ronald Medlock, Brian Medlock, and Murray Medlock.
Betty Heidinger Smith ’46 died on July 25, her 95th birthday. A lifelong Tacoma-area resident, Betty spent 70 of her 95 years living in University Place, Wash. She graduated from Stadium High School and met Kyle Smith, a U.S. Army soldier stationed at Fort Lewis, while singing in the USO shortly after graduation. They married in January 1942, before he was sent to North Africa and Italy during World War II. While Kyle was overseas, Betty earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound, where she was a member of the Adelphian Concert Choir and Delta Delta Delta sorority, and worked for ASUPS. In 1947, Kyle returned stateside and the couple founded Tacoma’s souvenir product design company Smith-Western Co., which still exists today.
Jack Knapp ’49, P’78, P’85 was a lifelong Tacoma resident and devoted Logger. In the 1930s, his family opened the Proctor District institution Knapp’s Restaurant—which still stands today in its original location in the Gamble Building on North Proctor Street, just one mile from the Puget Sound campus. Nearly two decades after the restaurant’s opening and the completion of his military service, Jack graduated from Puget Sound with a degree in business administration and married Jane Hagen ’49, P’78, P’85. He went on to work for the Occidental Chemical Corporation (known then as Hooker Chemical) and worked his way up from a sales representative to western regional sales manager. The couple’s two daughters, Carolyn Knapp Broberg ’78 and Julie Knapp Richards ’85, also became Loggers. The Knapps continued their connection to Puget Sound by creating the Knapp Family Endowed Scholarship in 2014. Jack died on July 14, and is survived by his wife and daughters. His son, Jack, preceded him in death.
Paul Gingrich Jr. ’49, a Tacoma native and U.S. Army veteran, passed away on July 19. He was 92. After graduating from Stadium High School, Paul attended Puget Sound, became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology. He continued his education and studied architecture at the University of Washington before joining the U.S. Army and being stationed in Germany. Following his military service, he began a career at a Tacoma architecture firm, where he oversaw Tacoma General Hospital’s first remodel and construction of Wilson High School. Paul enjoyed traveling to Egypt, New Zealand, and Australia.
Robert Hauge ’49, a longtime teacher and park ranger who summited Mount Rainier more than a dozen times, died on May 4. He was 89. Robert served during World War II before earning his bachelor’s degree in education from Puget Sound. He went on to become a teacher and coach at Goodman Junior High in Gig Harbor, Wash., and taught for more than three decades. He worked as a park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park, grandstand manager at the Washington State Fair, and security guard at the Tacoma Dome before retiring at age 82.
Joseph St. Jean ‘49 died on March 7 in Raleigh, N.C. He was 95. Joseph earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Puget Sound before earning a Master of Art degree and Ph.D. from Indiana University. He went on to become a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of North Carolina.
Joseph Martin ’49 passed away in Enumclaw, Wash., on June 11, after a brief bout of pneumonia. He was 90. Born in Buckley, Wash., he joined the U.S. Navy after high school and served as a radarman in the Pacific theater during World War II. Upon returning home, he earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Puget Sound, where he played saxophone in the university’s band. He went to work as a service repairman for Interlake Steel Corporation and retired from the same company.
Richard Osborn ’49 died this spring. The Michigan native and World War II U.S. Air Force veteran earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Puget Sound and went on to work for the Bureau of Prisons before transferring to the U.S. Marshals Service. He retired from his position as chief deputy marshal of Washington’s western district in the 1970s after 32 years of government service. Richard is preceded in death by Jean Muncey Osborn ’49, his wife of 71 years.
Roy Loper Jr. ’50 passed away in Illinois on July 10. He was 96. Roy was born in Texas but spent most of his childhood in Washington state. He served in the Army and was stationed in Hawai’i during World War II. Upon completing his service, he enrolled at Puget Sound, where he was a member of the Logger baseball and football teams and joined the Theta Chi fraternity. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and went on to have a long career as an occupational and correctional therapist in various VA hospitals throughout the nation.
Herb Satterlee ’50 passed away on May 21 at the age of 90. Born in Tacoma, he graduated from Stadium High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. After graduating, he joined the military and went on to work for his father at Tacoma’s Herb Satterlee Motors.
Patti Lemley Chapman ‘51 died on May 19, five weeks before her 89th birthday. The Tacoma native earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Puget Sound, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. She worked as an elementary school teacher before raising two children with her husband, Timothy Chapman ’52, who preceded her in death.
Barry Garland ‘51 passed away on June 7, less than one month after his 88th birthday. He was born and raised in Tacoma alongside his three older brothers and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound. While on the university’s debate team, Barry met Arlene Olsback ‘54. The two married in 1951, and Barry joined the U.S. Army the following year. Following his service, he worked in accounting and management training, and retired in 1997.
Richard Price ‘51 died in Tempe, Ariz., on June 17. He was 94. Richard was born in Texas and grew up throughout the South before joining the U.S. Air Force during World War II. After completing his service, he earned a bachelor’s degree in society and justice from Puget Sound and began a job at Western Airlines. There, he met Muriel Maas, the woman who would become his wife. The couple and their children lived throughout California, Washington, and Arizona while Richard completed a 30-year career with the Social Security Administration.
Frederick Traill ‘53 died on May 3 at the age of 86. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound, where he became a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and a master’s degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley.
John Beimborn ’54, ’61, a Tacoma native and World War II U.S. Marine Corps veteran, passed away on May 14. He was 90. Following his graduation from Lincoln High School and subsequent military service, John earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Puget Sound. Seven years later, he earned another bachelor’s degree, in education. John went on to become a counselor at Pierce County’s Remann Hall juvenile detention center, a teacher in the Seattle School District, a counselor for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and a real estate agent. He was also a constant student and was enrolled in classes continuously for eight decades. He earned a master’s degree in psychology from Seattle University in 1988 and was awarded an honorary master’s degree in theology from Covenant Bible Seminary in 2012. He is preceded in death by his wife, Beverly Royse Beimborn ’54.
Robert Powell ’55 passed away on May 17, five days before his 85th birthday. Born and raised in Tacoma, Robert earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound, where he was a member of the Logger football team and Sigma Nu fraternity. He moved to Sacramento, Calif., shortly after graduating to begin what would become a 38-year career with Aerojet.
Alex Brockwell ‘59 died on June 5 at the age of 81. He graduated from Puget Sound with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and went on to work for the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind.
Patricia Latshaw Crounse ’60 died on May 16. She was 90. Born and raised in Tacoma, she attended Puget Sound before graduating from Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Washington. She taught for more than 30 years in the Tacoma and Highline school districts.
Darryl Johnson ‘60, Hon.‘97, P’87 died on July 1 at the age of 80. Born in Chicago, Darryl moved with his family to Washington when he was young, and he attended Puget Sound before joining the Peace Corps. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Washington and continued his studies at the University of Minnesota and Princeton University. He went on to become an American diplomat and was appointed the first U.S. ambassador to Lithuania after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Following his service in Lithuania, he held a chief of mission position in Taiwan, served as undersecretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs in Washington, D.C., and was the U.S. ambassador in Thailand. He had the opportunity to work on U.S.-China relations after President Richard Nixon opened trade with China, worked on Cold War diplomacy during the last decade of Soviet power, and witnessed both the Tiananmen Square protests and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Lawrence Kelly Jr. ‘60 passed away on July 2, two months before his 83rd birthday. Raised in Tacoma, he attended Puget Sound before joining the U.S. Marine Corps and being stationed in Japan for two years.
V. A. James Winn ’60, a retired U.S. Navy captain and Tacoma native, passed away on June 8. He was 85. After graduating from Clover Park High School and serving eight years in the U.S. Navy, James earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound while serving in the Navy Reserve. He returned to active military service after graduation and became a decorated pilot and instructor who served in Taiwan; Whidbey Island, Wash.; Vietnam; and Hawai’i. He retired from his position as executive assistant to the Navy recruiting commander in Washington, D.C., in 1977.
Lois Jacques Nelson ’61 passed away on May 11 at the age of 93. The Colorado native earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound and became a senior administrator at the Internal Revenue Service’s Seattle office.
Lester Wambold ’62 died on April 16. He was 86. A Tacoma native who spent most of his life in nearby Fife, Wash., Lester earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound. He completed submarine service in the U.S. Navy and became a teacher at Sumner High School, where he remained for 25 years until his retirement.
Bonnie Dee Simpson ‘63 died on July 17 at the age of 77. Born in Louisville, Ky., she graduated from Puget Sound with a bachelor’s degree in biology and, that same year, graduated from Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing. She worked as a registered nurse for 36 years in both Washington and Kentucky.
Ronald Bertram ’64 died in Wapato, Wash., on May 23. He was 75. Born in Tacoma, he graduated from Lincoln High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Puget Sound. While at the university, he worked at the Tacoma post office and participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He joined the U.S. Air Force and, upon being discharged, moved back to Tacoma and began working for Sears. In 1974, he purchased an insurance agency in Grandview, Wash., and became a fixture in the community.
Laura Greer Clapp ’64 passed away in Mississippi on July 25 from Parkinson’s disease. She was 75. Born in Tennessee, Laura graduated from Starkville High School in Mississippi before moving west and earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Puget Sound. She moved back to the Magnolia State and became a teacher. She taught in the Rankin County public school system for three decades. She remained heavily involved in the Episcopal Church, holding multiple positions at Mississippi churches and traveling abroad for medical missions.
Burton Joyce ‘65, P’82, P’85, P’91, an Army veteran and longtime Tacoma police officer, died this summer. Born on a Connecticut farm, Burton joined the U.S. Army at 24 and was stationed at Fort Lewis. He met and married Mary Krilich, and the two bought a home in Ruston, Wash. He began a career with the Tacoma Police Department in 1960, and while helping to raise the couple’s six children, took night classes at Puget Sound. He
earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Puget Sound and a master’s degree in criminology from the University of California, Berkeley. He retired from the Tacoma Police Department as a captain in 1990.
Aileen Frater Morin ’65 passed away on June 3 in Yakima, Wash. She was 75. The longtime teacher received a bachelor’s degree in English from Puget Sound before working in schools throughout Tacoma and Yakima. She is preceded in death by her husband, Leo Morin ’65.
David Quilici ’65 died on Jan. 4 in Plano, Texas. He was 74. David was born and raised in Tacoma and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Puget Sound, where he joined the Theta Chi fraternity. He worked for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway for 35 years. He retired from his position as vice president of marketing in 2001.
Bonadean Corbin Han Men ’66, ‘67 passed away on June 2 at the age of 79. She was born in Salem, Ore., and received a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from Puget Sound. She went on to work for Tacoma Public Schools.
Amos Deaven ’67 passed away on May 15 after suffering a heart attack. He was 77. The Michigan native joined the U.S. Army after graduating high school and was stationed in Taiwan until returning stateside in the 1960s. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound, where he was a member the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Amos went on to hold multiple positions with Farmers Insurance Group over his 36-year career.
Robert Blethen ’68, a lifelong newspaperman whose Seattle Times obituary called him “the gregarious soul” of the family-owned publication, died on June 13. He was 71. Robert was born and raised in Bellevue, Wash., and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Puget Sound, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, worked for The Trail, and played tennis as a Logger. It was at Puget Sound where he met fellow tennis player Susan Crary ‘68, the woman who would become his wife. Following graduation, he began working as a copy aide at The Seattle Times and advanced through the company, eventually working in the marketing department. He retired as the company’s vice president of corporate marketing in 2007 but continued to serve on the company’s corporate board until his death. “He died in his sleep, which is the way he wanted to go, after having enjoyed his last coffee sundae with chocolate sauce,” Susan told The Seattle Times.
Jerome Crawford ’69 was known to many as “The Jet” for his three record-setting punt returns during the Logger football team opener against Whitworth in 1967. He took all three into the end zone, going 97 yards first, followed by 41, and then 82, setting an NCAA record for punts returned for a touchdown in a single game. Puget Sound won that game, and Jerome and the rest of the 1967 football team went on to tie or set 41 school athletics records. The game was the beginning of the Loggers’ “golden era” of sports, which saw, for the first time, Puget Sound athletes competing at the NCAA level and traveling outside the state to compete. According to a September 2017 article in The News Tribune, the ’67 Loggers traveled more than 5,200 miles during their season. This April, it was announced that Jerome would be inducted into the Puget Sound Athletics Hall of Fame. He died in August and was formally inducted at a ceremony in September. But Jerome was more than the numerous Puget Sound football records he set. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Puget Sound and was a leader of the Black Student Union. He went on to earn a law degree from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in education. He taught locally for many years.
Michael Smith ’69 died this summer at the age of 72. The Tacoma native earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound and went on to open Able Remodeling, a company he started with his brother.
Robert Solie ’69, M.B.A.’75 passed away on July 9 at the age of 70. Born and raised in Olympia, Wash., he earned his bachelor’s degree in geology and master’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound, where he was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity. He spent his summers working at the Olympia Brewing Company, but his career path eventually changed to include sales, marketing, and real estate ventures. He was passionate about technology and opened his own cellphone business, Washington Cellular, in 1990. He retired in 2017.
Susan Goddard ’70, who attended Puget Sound, died on Feb. 28 at the age of 69.
Susan Arbury ’72, P’04 passed away unexpectedly on July 17. She was 69. A Seattle native, Susan earned her bachelor’s degree in music from Puget Sound, where she was a member of the Adelphian Concert Choir and met Charles Orser ‘75, the man who would become her husband. The two married in 1990. She went on to earn her teaching certificate and master’s degree in administration. She is survived by Charles, daughter Autumn Arbury, and stepdaughter Celeste Orser ’04.
Roger Myers ‘74, a Nebraska native and Army veteran, passed away in Edmonds, Wash., on June 7. He was 75. Roger graduated from Puget Sound with a bachelor’s degree in public administration and worked as a Seattle Police Department officer and U.S. marshal before retiring in 2010.
Marilyn Brown ’79 died in Gig Harbor, Wash., on May 7. She was 94. The Illinois native graduated from Puget Sound with a bachelor’s degree in English at the age of 55.
Calvin Springer ’79 passed away on May 24 at the age of 73. Born in Ireland, he was a longtime Washington resident and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound. He worked in the finance industry for more than 25 years and became vice president of American Marine Bank in 2001.
Elston Kitamori ‘80 died on June 22. He was 60. Elston earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound and held positions as a programmer, systems administrator, and senior analyst at multiple banks and, most recently, Hawai’ibased food company Aloha Shoyu.
David Lind ’82 passed away on May 20 after a fight against pancreatic cancer. He was 58. Born and raised in Washington, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound, where he was a member of the Logger football team and Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He went on to have a career in the sales industry and was last employed as a national account executive for student loan company Navient.
Ann Hert Paulson ’83 died on July 25, nine days after her 60th birthday. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer three and a half years earlier. Ann was born in Yakima, Wash., and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Puget Sound. She worked as a physical therapist at Tacoma’s St. Joseph Medical Center for 28 years and loved to travel and spend time with her family.
Connie Perkins Gleghorn ‘84 died on June 28 after a years-long battle with ALS. She was 56. A native of Washington state, she graduated from Garfield High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound. She met Joel Gleghorn ’85 while at the university, and the two married in 1985. They had three children. Connie went on to work at multiple companies as a human resources manager and most recently worked at Heritage Christian Academy in Bothell, Wash.
Karen Eagan McDermott ‘84 died on June 8 from complications caused by lupus and a brain injury. She was 63. Born in New Jersey, she attended high school in Colorado and California before getting married and having a son. Karen enrolled at Puget Sound when her son was 10 years old and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She went on to own Creative Impact Advertising in Spokane, Wash., and become a traveling sales representative for a national giftware company.
Derek Wood ’87, a longtime computer engineer and Washington native, passed away on July 7 at the age of 53. Born in Seattle and raised in University Place, Wash., Derek earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Puget Sound and went on to work for more than 14 years as a senior computer engineer at Boeing.
R. Marie Knox ’00 died from complications from organ transplant surgery on May 16. She was 39. A longtime Tacoma resident, she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Puget Sound and went on to work for the Federal Aviation Administration in Des Moines, Wash.
Jared Stoltzfus ‘11 died of a brain aneurysm on July 21 while on a road trip between Glacier National Park, Mont., and Priest Lake, Idaho. He was 29. Jared, an avid outdoorsman, was born in Idaho and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Puget Sound. Following graduation, he moved to Seattle and began working at Tableau Software. He married Courtney Drake ’10 in April 2017.
Louise Barnett ‘20 died on July 14 following a brief hospitalization. She was 23. The California native was a member of the Logger cheer team and was working toward her bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology. “Louise’s passing is heartbreaking, and our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and colleagues across campus who knew, lived, loved, and worked with her,” Puget Sound President Isiaah Crawford said in a statement to the campus community. An on-campus memorial was held in Kilworth Memorial Chapel on Sept. 14.