| Obituaries |
2004
AARON LEVINE
Aaron Levine, HonDoc '96, he indefatigable cofounder of the University
of Cincinnati’s popular Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR),
died in June 2004. Aaron Levine was 85.
A Harvard graduate, Levine attended German language classes at UC after
retiring in 1982 as director of operations research for Federated Department
Stores. While he enjoyed learning alongside youthful students, he thought
it might be interesting to share classes with peers who had similar life
experiences. After visiting an elder-studies program at Harvard, Levine
decided UC needed one, too.
Working with the late Jean Eggers of the College of Evening and Continuing
Education in 1990, Levine designed curriculum and recruited moderators
for what became the first ILR program in Ohio. Thousands of 55-plus students
were drawn to the eclectic mix of noncredit fare, and asked for more.
Levine received an honorary doctor of humanities degree from UC in 1996
in appreciation for his ILR efforts. He was also elected to the Ohio Senior
Citizens Hall of Fame.
THOMAS KANE
Professor and assistant department head, University of Cincinnati Department
of Biological Sciences was a naturalist who loved the wilderness, an evolutionary
biologist who could quote Darwin, a widely respected colleague and a gifted
teacher. Thomas Kane died unexpectedly in June. He was 59.
In his quiet, intelligent way, Kane and his colleagues did extensive studies
of cave organisms in Romania, following up by coauthoring “Adaptation
and Natural Selection in Caves” for Harvard Press. The work received
critical acclaim for its clarity in explaining the role of natural selection
and adaptation in evolution.
Gifted with wisdom, grace and humor, the professor shared his scientific
method with graduate students. He counseled them to approach each study
by considering not only the narrow question at hand, but the more complex,
theoretical implications.
A research endowment has been established at UC in the professor’s
name: Thomas Kane Memorial, Department of Biological Sciences, University
of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH 45221-0006.
THURMAN OWENS
Former Bearcat football captain and UC administrator, Thurman Owens, Ed
'50, died in February '04 at age 78, following a career as a teacher,
coach, Marine Corps brigadier general, UC Foundation director and executive
director of the UC president's office.
Owens first came to the university on a football scholarship, after serving
with the Marines at the end of World War II. The new graduate taught and
coached in Indiana before being recalled to active duty during the Korean
War. He remained in the Marines for the next 23 years, serving in China,
Japan, Vietnam and Korea. Recipient of a Bronze Star, Legion of Merit
Medal and other honors, he retired in the '70s as deputy chief of staff
for programs at the Marine Corps headquarters.
He joined the University of Cincinnati Foundation in '78, was inducted
into the UC Athletic Hall of Fame in '87 and retired from the president's
office in '91, although he remained a familiar face on campus, particularly
through Sigma Sigma activities. He was especially involved in the funding
and construction of Sigma Sigma Commons in '98.
2003
WILLIAM BLACK
Internationally known pianist William Black, UC professor and department
head of Keyboard Studies, a College-Conservatory of Music faculty member
for more than 16 years, died in December 2003. He was 51.
An alumnus of the Juilliard School of Music and the Mozarteum in Salzburg,
Austria, the Dallas native performed concerto, solo and chamber concerts
in venues around the world, including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Recital
Hall and Lincoln Center. A recording artist as well, Black made a memorable
album with the Iceland Symphony in 1991, playing the historic original
version of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 4th Piano Concerto.
CCM has created the William Black Memorial Prize in Piano -- a scholarship
to support undergraduate piano study -- to honor the professor’s
memory. The only program of its kind in U.S. music schools and conservatories,
it awarded the $5,000 prize to the first two recipients in June.
Dean Douglas Lowry called the memorial “a touching reminder of the
powerful and lasting impact that Bill had on his students, colleagues
and the world of music. He was a superb teacher and artist, and a warm,
genuine, intelligent and witty human being.”
JACK WATSON
Dean Jack Watson, CCM '30, HonDoc '58, dean emeritus,
professor emeritus returned 33 years after he was graduated to lead the
College-Conservatory of Music through a difficult time (1963-74). He died
during the summer of 2003 in Florida at 94.
While dean, Watson found funding for new scholarships, facilities and
projects; hired talented new faculty; shook up existing members by introducing
new ideas; and found ways to recruit exceptional students, such as Kathleen
Battle and Barbara Daniels.
Current Dean Douglas Lowry called Watson "the founder of the modern-day
CCM." "His vast background in radio, television, music education,
vocal performance and management were all called into action as Jack brought
the college into national prominence," Lowry observed.
Music education was Watson's overriding passion, but he funded his postgraduate
studies through his talents as a commercial radio singer, contract motion
picture actor (screen tested for the Rhett Butler role in "Gone With
The Wind"), singer with the Harry James and Andre Kostelanetz orchestras
and on radio shows hosted by Kate Smith, Burns and Allen and Bob Hope.
SID GILLMAN
Indeed the football world lost one of the greatest football minds in the
history of the sport when hall of fame coach Sid Gillman passed away in
January 2003. For the University of Cincinnati, however, the loss was
a bit more personal. His six seasons as head coach (1949-54) of the Bearcats
mark the most successful period for football in UC history. During his
tenure, the Bearcats were 50-13-1, played in four conference-title games
and two bowl games.
"This is not only a great loss for the University of Cincinnati and
our football program, but for the sport of football as a whole,"
former UC head football coach Rick Minter said. "He was a true pioneer
of the game, developing innovations that were decades ahead of his time."
Gillman left UC in 1955 for the head coaching position with the Los Angeles
Rams. He coached both the Rams and the Chargers off and on through 1971
and eventually won a Super Bowl ring in 1980 while serving as quarterbacks
coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. Many consider Gillman the father of
the West Coast offense for his early development of a passing scheme that
spread the field and gave quarterbacks more options to throw the ball.
Gillman is also known as one of the first to break up game films to analyze
a team's approach to on-field situations, a revolutionary tactic in those
days. UC's enormous library of old game films is a testament to Gillman's
success and innovation -- the same characteristics that landed him in
both the College and National Football League halls of fame.
LINK: Gillman’s greatest hits
2002
DORIS TWITCHELL ALLEN
Doris Twitchell Allen, a pioneering child psychologist and professor emerita,
died in April 2002. She was 100. Allen, associate professor of clinical
psychology, retired in 1962. She developed the Twitchell-Allen Three-Dimensional
Personality Test in 1948 and was an early advocate of psychodrama, which
encourages patients to act out their conflicts. She founded psychological
services at Cincinnati's Children's Hospital in 1936 and years later founded
Children's International Summer Village, a month-long camp that unites
more than 150,000 children from 100 countries to promote international
understanding. Her career included a nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize
in 1979 and the Freedom Medal in 1999
ED JUCKER
Ed Jucker, Ed '40, legendary coach of the '61 and '62 national championship
UC basketball teams, died in February 2002. The South Carolina resident
was 85. Jucker returned to UC in 2000 to be honored by the athletic department
for his contributions to UC baseball, which he coached for seven years
beginning in 1954. Sandy Koufax was among the players who attended the
weekend of events to honor their former coach. Jucker's name remains in
the record books as the college basketball coach with the highest winning
percentage in the NCAA Tournament (.917).
JORGE CARRO
Jorge Carro, a former dean at the UC College of Law, died in January 2002.
Carro, 77, an immigrant from Cuba, came to UC in 1976 as head law librarian
and associate professor. Two years later he was promoted to acting dean.
Carro was also former chairman of the ethics committee of the Cincinnati
Bar Association.
2001
ALBERT HAGUE
Albert Hague, CCM '42, Tony Award-winning composer, died in December
2001 at the age of 81. He composed the music for "How the Grinch
Stole Christmas" in 1966. Hague's Broadway breakthrough came in 1955
with "Plain and Fancy." His "Redhead" won nine Tonys
in 1959. Hague appeared in several movies throughout his career, including
a role as Professor Shorofsky in "Fame," the 1980 film and popular
TV series.
STAN MATLOCK
Stan Matlock, BusAd '47, a familiar voice to many Cincinnatians for decades,
died in September 2001. Matlock's "Magazine of the Air" radio
programs played on several Cincinnati stations throughout his broadcasting
career, and at one time in the '60s the storyteller drew a 50 share (half
of all listeners). The Melbourne, Fla., resident was 78.
LOU OSINSKE
Lou Osinske, the former director of educational services at UC, died in
September 2001. Osinske had a distinguished 30-year career with UC. Her
family has established a scholarship fund in her memory.
THEODORE McCARTY
As president of the Gibson Guitar Co. in the '50s and '60s, Theodore McCarty,
Eng '33, helped develop the instrument that forever changed the music
industry -- the electric guitar. He died in April 2001 at the age of 91.
Under McCarty, Gibson produced the Les Paul, the Flying V and the Firebird
-- now classic designs played by guitar greats like Eric Clapton, Jimmy
Page, BB King and Jimmy Hendrix. In the '90s, McCarty worked as a consultant
to the Paul Reed Smith company, which paid him the ultimate compliment
by naming a guitar after him, an honor usually reserved only for high-profile
musicians.
2000
LEO HOLLISTER
Leo Hollister, A&S '41, MD '43, a pioneer in the field of psychopharmacology,
died in December 2000. His research in the '50s played a role in the development
and acceptance of drugs for treating mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.
Hollister also became known for his study of LSD and marijuana.
THEODORE "TED" BERRY
National civil rights leader Ted Berry, A&S '28, Law '31, died in
October 2000, three weeks short of his 95th birthday. Born in rural Kentucky,
Ted graduated from Woodward High School as Cincinnati's first black valedictorian,
then earned his UC degrees while working at the Newport steel mill. After
graduation, Berry was hired as Hamilton County's first black assistant
prosecuting attorney, then went on to become a civil-rights attorney for
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Later
President Franklin D. Roosevelt named him morale officer for the Office
of War Information, and President Lyndon Johnson appointed him head of
Community Action Programs, which included Head Start, Jobs Corps and Legal
Services. Back in Cincinnati, he served on the Ohio Committee for Civil
Rights Legislation and created Cincinnati's first Community Action Commission,
before becoming the city's first black mayor in December ’72. After
his death, Cincinnati City Council named three projects in his honor:
Theodore Berry Head Start Children and Family Learning Center, the Theodore
Berry International Park on Eastern Avenue and Theodore Berry Way, a street
near the riverfront.
LINKS:
Struggles give "earning a degree" extra meaning
Editor's tribute to Mr. Berry
Theodore M. Berry showed them the way
Extensive biography, tributes and photos from the Cincinnati Enquirer.
JAMES LAVERTY
For nearly 30 years, UC students have been grabbing a bite to eat at Mr.
Jim's restaurant in Tangeman University Center. Mr. Jim's founder, James
Laverty, 70, passed away in May 2000. Students and alumni may remember
him as the "guy with the bow tie." In the last few years, Laverty
occasionally still worked in the restaurant that he opened at UC in 1971.
1999
AL HIRT
Al Hirt, CCM '41, HonDoc. '68, legendary Dixieland trumpeter,
died in April 1999 of liver failure at age 76. A native of New Orleans,
Hirt first came to Cincinnati in 1940 to study classical music at the
Conservatory of Music, now UC's CCM. By the 1960s, when he was being heralded
as "King of the Trumpet," Hirt returned to the university for
a special concert at Corbett Center, which included a performance of a
composition honoring one of his former teachers. A virtuoso jazzman for
five decades, Hirt impressed listeners with both the power of his delivery
and his spectacular technique. He made more than 50 albums, won a Grammy
for a non-jazz instrumental, was nominated for 20 more, gained popularity
as both a TV guest and host, toured with dance bands and played concerts
in a variety of musical styles -- from blues and jazz to classical Hayden
and Handel.
