obituaries
September 1, 2009
Jim Owens, 1927-2009
One of the most iconic figures in Husky football history, Jim Owens, died June 6 at his home in Bigfork, Mont. He was 82.
Samuel E. Kelly, 1926-2009
Higher education lost a friend and champion of diversity with the July 6 death of Samuel E. Kelly, ’71, from congestive heart failure at his Redmond home.
June 1, 2009
Marquis Cooper, 1982-2009
Former Husky football standout Marquis Cooper and two other passengers aboard his 21-foot fishing boat were presumed dead March 6 after the vessel capsized in rough seas near Clearwater, Fla., five days earlier. He was 26.
December 1, 2008
Edwin O. Guthman, 1919-2008
Before earning the Silver Star, Purple Heart and Pulitzer Prize, Edwin O. Guthman earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington.
Rosie Santizo, 1979-2008
Baseball lost one of its most promising stars Sept. 3 when Rosie Santizo, 29, died in a car accident in Amman, Jordan. Santizo was a UW student finishing up degrees in business administration and Near Eastern studies.
June 1, 2008
Irvine Robbins, 1917-2008
Irvine (Irv) Robbins, '40, introduced America to a host of unusual ice cream flavors as co-founder of Baskin-Robbins.
Hal Riney, 1932-2008
Hal Riney graduated with an art degree and went on to lend his hand to some of the most memorable advertising campaigns of the TV era.
March 1, 2008
Tom Lantos, 1928-2008
Tom Lantos, ’49, ’50, the only Holocaust survivor to serve as a member of Congress, died Feb. 11.
December 1, 2007
Joseph Eschbach, 1933-2007
Joseph Eschbach made a medical breakthrough that would improve the lives of more than a million people suffering from kidney disease.
Joseph Rantz, 1914-2007
Joseph Rantz had a key role in what would come to be known as one of the greatest athletic contests in UW history.
September 1, 2007
John Hogness, 1922-2007
John Rusten Hogness spent a turbulent five years as president of the UW.
June 1, 2007
Ruthanna Boris, 1919-2007
When Ruthanna Boris began her 18-year stint as dance professor at the UW in 1965, she taught ballet on the top floor of the old Armory building, often competing with the erratic noise of ROTC practices.
Herman Brix, 1906-2007
Herman Brix, ’28, also known under the screen name of Bruce Bennett, died Feb. 24 after living an eventful 100 years.
March 1, 2007
‘Fil’ Leanderson, 1931-2006
Matthew Fillip “Fil” Leanderson, '53, had a dedicated work ethic and an innate sense of leadership that carried him to a stellar career as rower and coach for the UW crew team.
Mark McDermott, 1930-2006
Mark McDermott, a UW physics professor for 43 years, passed away Nov. 4 from complications related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
December 1, 2006
Daniel Lev, 1933-2006
A professor of political science at the UW and a renowned scholar of Indonesia, Daniel Lev, who died of lung cancer at the age of 72, was well loved and influential on both sides of the Pacific.
September 1, 2006
Mary Cooper, 1950-2006
Mary Cooper, '75, '04, a librarian since 1991 at Alternative Elementary II (AEII) School in Seattle, and her daughter, Susanna Cooper Stodden, were killed while hiking in the Cascade Mountains July 11.
Pamela Waechter, 1947-2006
Pamela Waechter, '85, a dedicated volunteer within and outside of the Jewish community, died in a shooting at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.
Denice Denton, 1960-2006
Those who knew Denice Dee Denton describe her as a strong leader who was never afraid of a challenge. To many, the news of the death of the former dean of the UW College of Engineering came as a shock.
June 1, 2006
A. Scott Crossfield, 1921-2006
A. Scott Crossfield, '49, '50, was the fastest man alive—the first person to fly at twice the speed of sound and a pioneer in space exploration.