Class Notes

To honor John Egan (Acct ex’47) for more than 65 years of loyal service to the village of Lombard in Illinois, the village’s board of trustees proclaimed March 21, 2014, “John Egan Day.” John was instrumental in the Jaycees, the Lombard Park District, the Lombard Historical Society and was named Lombard Man of the Year in 1967. He celebrated his 90th birthday on March 16. He writes, “As a grad of the business school in 1947, I thought you might like to hear about the results of your education.” John and his wife moved to Lombard in July 1947 where they raised five children.

Every Tuesday former all-conference football player Stan Hendrickson (Econ’47) meets past CU players and coaches for coffee. “It’s the bright spot in my life,” he told the Denver Post. Bill Kucera (PE’56), who played a decade after Stan, drives him to ensure he gets to every meeting. Stan played for CU from 1941-42 before serving in World War II. While in New Guinea, he received a telegram revealing he was drafted by the Detroit Lions. An injury from the war left him unable to play, so he pursued a business career. He lives in Boulder.

M. Ben Harris (Acct’48) celebrated his 100th birthday on July 8. After graduating from Montrose High School, Harris served more than three years in World War II before returning home to earn a degree at CU, where he was a collegiate swimmer. Afterwards, he began his career as a banker. He and Jerry Hyink married in 1952 and celebrated 53 years together before her death in 2006. They have two children, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Today, Ben lives independently in Montrose, Colorado.

CU Regent Emeritus Hugh Fowler (Mgmt) received the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award in Advocacy from the Colorado League of Charter Schools. Hugh, 93, writes that most of his classmates and Navy shipmates have passed away. In the ’60s and ’70s, Hugh hosted three CU Navy alumni reunions with his late twin brother and “computer science wizard” Parker Fowler (Mgmt; MS’55).

Bonnie Forsberg Bentson (IntDes) wrote a collection of her memories called My Life Story. Bonnie lived in London for 15 years from 1954 to 1969 and adopted four children with her then husband. When she returned to Denver, Bonnie worked for a nationwide travel club. Bonnie has lived in Grand Junction, Colo., for about 25 years.

This year Dorothy Doll Jorgens (A&S) was honored by the mayor of Thousand Oaks, Calif., in recognition of her 90th birthday. Dorothy has spent many years in service, including providing childcare for her three grandchildren, volunteering in charitable gift shops and lunchrooms and serving as a teacher’s aide. In May 2009, she was a contestant in the Ms. Senior Conejo Valley pageant and shared some of her crafts and paintings. Dorothy is an active member of her church and has served as a deacon. She enjoys playing bridge Friday mornings with friends at the local community center.

Four kids and 11 grandkids joined James Brewbaker (DistSt) for a family reunion on their ranch north of Boulder in July. James retired July 1, 2015, after more than 53 years at the University of Hawaii. He plans to continue to write research as an emeritus professor. James was the founder of Hawaii’s seed industry in the 1960s, which is now Hawaii’s biggest agriculture industry.

Former University of Hawaii at Maānoa plant breeder and corn expert James Brewbaker (DistSt’48) received the Crop Science Society of America Presidential Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to crop science through education, national and international service and research. James developed new varieties of crops for improved nutrition, yields and pest and disease resistance. He played a key role in developing the seed corn industry as the state’s most valuable agricultural crop. James lives in Kailua, Hawaii.

After graduating from CU, rocket scientist Bob Waldo (Aero’48, MS’49) worked on F86s at North American Aviation in Englewood, Calif. He then worked at Aerojet, an aerospace company in Los Angeles. Bob has a doctorate and two master’s degrees in economics and business. He served as dean at the business school at the University of Puget Sound for 29 years. Bob last designed a boat, SES100A, for the Navy and tested it in Puget Sound. He and his wife live in Tacoma, Wash.

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society awarded Stuart Parsons (Psych’48) the 2011 Arnold M. Small President’s Distinguished Service Award at an annual meeting in Las Vegas. He is a retired engineering manager from Lockheed Martin, taught at six universities and served as a consultant for the power industry and numerous law firms. He lives in Saratoga, Calif.

Jim Friedlander (PolSci) of Portland, Maine, is writing several books: A memoir, a novel, a collection of short stories and a cookbook. Originally from Manhattan, Jim graduated from high school at 16. His memoir explores his experience running a bed-and-breakfast in Freeport, Maine, for more than 20 years with his late wife Glynrose Friedlander.

Last spring Loretta “Lee” Ford (Nurs’49, MS’51, EdD’61, HonDocSci’97) was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame for her work in the nursing profession. In 1965 Loretta began working with pediatrician Dr. Henry Silver at the CU Health Sciences Center to develop a pediatric nurse practitioner program, the first in the nation. Their program resulted in more than 140,000 nurse practitioners working in the U.S. today. Loretta resides with her husband in Wildwood, Fla. See the article, “Revolutionary nurse,” about her online in the September 2012 Coloradan.

On May 24, 1962, Scott Carpenter (Aero’49, HonDocSci’00) lifted off from Earth in NASA’s Aurora 7 space capsule mounted atop a Mercury-Atlas rocket at Cape Canaveral, Fla., climbing to roughly 165 miles in altitude. Scott was the fourth American astronaut to fly in space and the second to achieve orbit of Earth. Last May Scott participated in a two-day event in New York City in honor of the 50th anniversary of NASA’s Aurora 7 flight. He lives in Vail. See the feature on Scott in this magazine.

Masks and Totems: A Northwest Coast Odyssey is Edward Malin’s (Anth’49, MA’61) fourth published book. It describes Indian tribes living on the northwest coast of British Columbia and southeast Alaska and Edward’s observations of their cultures. He lives in Lake Oswego, Ore., and says this will be his last book as he is 89. It’s available at www.amazon.com. Edward writes he is thankful for his glorious years at CU, noting his very best and most influential professor was Earl Swisher.

The nurse practitioner movement was initiated in part by Loretta Pfingstel Ford (Nurs’49, MS’51, EdD’61, HonDocSci’97) as a way to give nurses more responsibility during doctor shortages. For her work she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, which includes women such as Oprah Winfrey and former Secretary of State Madeline Albright. Loretta lives in Wildwood, Fla.

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

The Board of Directors of the Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society has awarded Bill Rickard Jr. (Btny; MA’53) and his wife Barbara Rickard (Zool’52; MA’57) lifetime memberships in recognition of their contributions to the establishment of the society. The couple lives in Richland, Wash.

The Pacific Northwest section of the Society for Range Management honored environmental scientist William H. Rickard (Btny; MS’53) for his dedication to the study and preservation of Washington’s shrubsteppe ecosystem. In 1967, William worked with the Department of Energy to set aside a portion of land in southeastern Washington as space for shrub-steppe vegetation research, and in 1971 he was instrumental in the designation of the 77,000-acre Arid Lands Ecology Reserve, now known as the Rattlesnake Hills Resource Natural Area. William serves as a senior research scientist with Environmental Assessment Services, a company based in Washington. He specializes in vegetation restoration. A prolific writer, he has published more than 80 scientific articles and papers.

Art collector Henry Roath (Mktg’50, Law’53) gave 50 of his prized possessions of Western art to the Denver Art Museum. His gifts include “Sunset, Green River Butte” by Thomas Moran and “Landscape with Indian Camp” by Ernest Blumenschein. His donation added nearly 10 percent to the museum’s Western art collection, increasing its importance. Henry is a retired lawyer and banker and lives in Greenwood Village, Colo.

World War II veteran Norman Jaramillo (IntlAf’50) and his wife Florence Jaramillo write that their two grandchildren are avid chess players who played in national chess tournaments in Nashville, Tenn., in April. Norman and Florence look forward to celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on Oct. 6, 2013. The couple lives in Valley Stream, N.Y.