Class Notes

Last year, Bill Shutts (MechEngr; MAeroEngr’47) celebrated his 100th birthday. He began his teaching career in the 1930s in a one-room schoolhouse in Osborne, Mo. Later in his career, he worked at San Diego State University and also at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his doctorate degree in aeronautical engineering. He was featured in a story in the U-T San Diego in May 2014. He lives in Vista, Calif.

Life has been full of diverse achievements for William Judd (Geol’41). He retired from Purdue University in 1987 where he served as head of the geotechnical area of the civil engineering department for 12 years. He founded the university’s research and teaching program in rock mechanics and rock engineering, which was one of the first in the nation. He earned six national and international awards, including the prestigious Hans Cloos Medal from the International Association of Engineering Geologists in 1993. At CU, he was president of the hiking club and was inducted into the Colorado Ski Museum’s Hall of Fame in 1983 for his work as national director of the National Ski Patrol. William lives in West Lafayette, Ind., and has five daughters.

Author Richard “Dick” Suddath* (Econ’41) published his second book, ­Ohio is Purple, written for elementary school students learning geography. His first book, A Simple Thread, is based on his father’s family history in the South before and during the Civil War and was published in 2003. Dick was owner and president of Suddath Van Lines until his retirement in 1989. He and his wife Barbara Anne Johnson* (A&S’44) live in Jacksonville, Fla.

*Directors Club

As part of the field artillery of the 90th infantry division in World War II, Clyde Kennedy (Acct’41) landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, France, and writes he looks forward to the 31st Army reunion in Minneapolis, Minn. For their 65th wedding anniversary, Clyde and his wife flew to Wolverhampton, England, the town where they were wed. Their two children, along with 44 other guests, attended the couple’s celebration dinner. He lives in Granada, Colo., and his parting message is “forget that someday there will be no tomorrow.”

Martin Trotsky (Acct) turned 100 on April 3. His family planned a dancing-filled birthday celebration in May. He lives in Denver with his wife, Gloria (MusEd’43).

Phyllis Gates Fenger (Fren) finished writing American Red Cross Nurse Beulah Feely 1917-1918. The book is based on a diary of her cousin, Beulah Feely, a CU Anschutz College of Nursing graduate who was a Red Cross nurse in France during World War I. Phyllis donated the book to the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Mo. In July, Phyllis celebrated her 95th birthday at her home in Carpinteria, Calif.

Last fall at Coors Events Center Leason McCloud (A&S’42) was inducted into the Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame. Leason was a first-team All-American, the third in CU basketball history and sixth in any sport at the time. He was the Buffs’ leading scorer on the 1941-42 team that reached the Final Four and a member of the 1939-40 team that won the NIT and was invited to the first NCAA tournament. Leason resides in Newton, Kan.

Denver chapter member Lula Weeden Jacobs (A&S’42) of The Links — a nonprofit dedicated to the enrichment and sustainment of African-American culture and economic survival by women of color — appeared in The Denver Post with her daughter Yolanda Jacobs when they attended The Links luncheon celebrating its 60th anniversary. The Links chapter provides service to youth, health and human services and the arts. Lula lives in Denver.

After graduating, Mary Lou Wilkerson Unterburger (Engl’43) enlisted in the Navy and served for two and a half years instructing Naval air cadets in their first training in instrument flight and radio aids for navigation. She writes she enjoyed reading Clay Evan’s story on the WAVES, “WWII — Women at War,” in the December 2011 issue of the Coloradan. Mary Lou is retired and living in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Last fall Gerald Hodge (Art’43) was one of the main speakers at the Johns Hopkins Medical School for its 100th anniversary of the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine. He also gave a half-day workshop in silver point drawing, a technique used by artists during the Renaissance. He did his graduate work at Johns Hopkins from 1946 to 1949. Gerald lives in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Professor emeritus of biological chemistry at the University of Michigan Minor “Jud” Coon (Chem’43) was honored by a symposium with lectures by his former students. He was recognized for his research on the enzyme cytochrome P450, which helped establish its biomedical importance in steroid synthesis, chemical carcinogenesis and drug metabolism. He also was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and awarded an honorary medical degree from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. He writes he has fond memories of chemistry professor Gustavson who was an inspiring professor.

In August Clara Straight (MFA) joined the centenarian club. Clara, an artist in Kirksville, Mo., selected her favorite works from her private collection to be exhibited in the Kirksville Arts Association this summer. Clara still paints, drives and lives on her family farm.

At age 91, wind energy pioneer Palmer Carlin (ElEngr; MS’52; PhD’55) can be found at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Wind Technology Center in Golden, Colo., three days a week answering questions from the public about renewable energy. While working at CU as an electrical engineering professor, he built an early wind turbine prototype and discovered his calling. He’s been with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory ever since. “We’re trying to keep the planet’s temperature down,” Palmer says. “Wind is one way to do that.”

For more than 65 years Ruth Law O’Neal (Mus’45) has taught piano, voice and piano pedagogy. She was an adjunct professor for 30 years at CU Denver. She remains an active musician, teaching piano bi-weekly to advanced pianists and music appreciation to about 50 residents of the Vi at Highlands Ranch retirement community. She lives in Littleton, Colo.

In March Loy Ledbetter (MechEngr’46) and Peggy Cushman Ledbetter (DistSt’47) celebrated 66 years of marriage. They live in St. Louis, Mo.

It’s one thing to walk the halls of CU as a woman today. But 70 years ago, in the wake of World War II, being a woman on a college campus was a whole different story. It’s a story that Timmye Berg Pollard (ArchEngr’46) still likes to tell. She and her late husband, Theodore E. Pollard (ArchEngr’49), who died last fall at age 90, met at CU, when Timmye was often the only woman in her classes. While she was waiting for her husband to graduate, she worked as an engineer and even assisted with the structural design of some of the buildings on campus. In May, Timmye, now 88, and her daughter, Evelyn McLane, visited CU.

At the Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society’s national conference in July Virginia Wheeler Patterson (Jour’46) received the Distinguished Lifetime Membership Award. This annual award is presented to alumni who demonstrate a lifelong devotion to Mortar Board’s ideals of scholarship, leadership and service. After returning from being a guest editor of Mademoiselle in New York, Virginia served as president of the Boulder Valley School board for seven years. She helped create the Pearl Street Mall and found the Downtown Boulder Association.

The Sink, Timber Tavern and Greensman’s Drug Store are establishments that remain vividly in Gene W. Miller’s (CivEngr’46) memory when he recalls his CU-Boulder days. Along with living in the dorms, he lived in Vetsville. He fondly recalls professors Warren Raeder, Bill Thoman and Dean Eccles. Married 64 years, Gene retired from the steel industry. Some of his projects included Disneyland’s Matterhorn Mountain and Chicago’s State Street Bascule Bridge. He lives in Houston.

Mary Grills Broadhurst (Engl) has written a number of short stories and reminiscences. One of her recent stories was featured in the book World Wars - Memories and Reflections of Boca Grande Families, which was published by the Boca Grande Community Center in Florida. Mary lives in Denver.

Only a year after John Egan (Acct ex’47) left CU-Boulder, he moved to Lombard Village, a suburb of Chicago. He still calls the place home 66 years later. And since earlier this year, Lombard residents officially call March 21 “John Egan Day,” in recognition of his more than six decades of loyal service to the town. John, who celebrated his 90th birthday March 16, was also named Lombard Man of the Year in 1967.