Class Notes

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.”

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

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.

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.

Bill Coburn* (CivEngr’49) and his wife Carol Coburn*(Edu’60) are thrilled for their granddaughter, Emma Coburn, a CU senior majoring in business, who won the women’s USA 3,000 meter steeplechase in June (covered in the September issue of the Coloradan) and who competed in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in September. The couple lives in Boulder.

*Directors Club member

Longtime supporter of the Leeds School of Business Richard “Dick” Burridge Sr.* (Fin’51) made a $2.5 million gift to establish the Burridge Chair in Finance. In 1997 Dick helped establish the Burridge Center for Securities Analysis and Valuation at the school. He serves as the chair of the investment policy committee for the CU Foundation. He lives in Burr Ridge, Ill.

*Directors Club member 

After several years of active duty in the U.S. Navy, including time spent as a quarter master on a Landing Craft Infantry in the Pacific, Jack Fowler (CivEngr’51) returned to CU to earn his degree. He retired from Public Service Co. of Colorado after 37 years and lives in Fort Collins with his wife of 62 years. He has two daughters and four grandchildren.

For the last six years, Roger C. Allen (A&S’52) developed and organized the Tucson, Ariz.,-based group The Desert Readers. The volunteer performers tell humorous jokes, inspirational short stories and memorable poetry to seniors in nursing homes, assisted-living and independent-living residences. The group has performed more than 365 times since July 2005. Roger lives in Tucson.

In the spring Robert Byrne (CivEngr’54) will publish his 24th book, The 2,548 Wittiest Things Anybody Ever Said (Simon & Schuster). While at CU he was editor of the humor magazine The Flatiron and played pool, snooker and billiards. One of his books, Byrne’s Standard Book of Pool and Billiards (Marnier Books), has sold more than 500,000 copies and helped him get inducted into the Billiards Congress of America’s Hall of Fame in 2001. He also became a full-time freelance writer after 20 years as editor of an engineering magazine based in San Francisco. Robert lives in Dubuque, Iowa.

A flight test engineer and test pilot for 46 years, James Patton Jr. (Aero’56) retired from NASA in 1987 [see the online September 2011 Coloradanprofiles to read the article on him]. He earned numerous aviation awards, including NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal, the FAA Master Pilot Award and an induction into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame. He lives in Crystal River, Fla.

After retiring from 30 years of teaching social studies in 1982, Harry Stokes (MEdu’56) has remained extremely busy. He moved to Tennessee and became an archivist at the Tennessee State Library and Archives where he processed manuscript collections and governor’s papers until 2005. During his retirement years, he and his wife have enjoyed traveling in the United States and abroad. Harry lives in Old Hickory, Tenn.

Denver resident Pat Hill Pascoe (Engl’57) served in the Colorado Senate for 12 years. She published a biography of the first woman state senator in Colorado, Helen Ring Robinson: Colorado Senator and Suffragist (University Press of Colorado) in November. For more information see patpascoe.com.

After 11 years Ron Moore (Mgmt’59) writes to say he has retired from his position on the board and executive committee of the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, an executive MBA program in the Chicago area. He will continue to be a member of the Business Advisory Council. He also serves as director of the Chicago Crime Commission, a citizens oversight committee, and as a trustee on the CU Foundation board. Ron lives in Lake Forest, Ill.

Early this year Frank Reno’s (Engl’60, MA’67) third book was published. Arthurian Figures of History and Legend: A Biographical Dictionary(McFarland) covers more than 400 legendary and historic people from the Arthurian era. Frank lives in Lafayette, Colo.

When she is not traveling Elizabeth Shellabarger Bayne (Mus’61, MA’66) teaches weekly private voice lessons. She has sung with the Cathedral Choir at St. John’s Cathedral of Albuquerque for more than 30 years. She also is a member of POLYPHONY: Voices of New Mexico, a professional choral ensemble, and CANTAT, a semi-professional Santa Fe group. She lives in Albuquerque.

Sequim, Wash., resident Bruce Busch (Bus’61) married Pamela Gates last June at his home. On their honeymoon they visited several states in the U.S. The couple met while serving on various committees of the Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County, Wash.

Madame Bovary’s Daughter (Random House) by Linda Urbach Howard (A&S’62) hit the shelves in July. Linda writes she “owes it all to the great teaching I got from the English department at Boulder.” She lives in Bridgeport, Conn.

In June David Jamieson (A&S’62) received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Canadian General Counsel Awards in Toronto. He is executive vice president and corporate secretary at J.D. Irving.

After serving as a public school teacher and administrator for over 25 years, Charles Wooten (MEdu’65) taught English in China in 1990. His experience there sparked the idea for his novel Letters From a Chinese Angel: Heavenly Messenger (Xlibris Corp.), which can be purchased on Amazon.com. Charles completed his third novel in the unpublished AngelTeam trilogy series, Journey to Jerusalem (A Disappearance at Damascus.) He lives in Broomfield, Colo.

Senior consultant Jacqueline “Beau” Sweney Rezendes (Psych’68, MEdu’69, PhD’76) is a board member of the Grillo Health Information Center in Boulder. She has experience in corporate, academic and public sector work and was a founding member and director of education and training for the National Hospice Organization. Beau lives in Boulder.