Obituaries | Faculty

Catherine Rachel Ostrow-D’Haeseleer, adjunct instructor of French, passed away on Nov. 23, 2019. A remberance can be found here.

Sherman Hawkins, professor of English, emeritus, passed away on Dec. 3, 2019. A remembrance can be found here.

John Robert Kirn Hon. ’09, professor of biology, passed away on Nov. 10, 2019. A remberance can be found here.

William “Bill” Francisco, professor of theater, emeritus, passed away on Nov. 22, 2019. A remembrance can be found here.

Carol Lynch, former professor of biology, passed away on June 22, 2019. Carol joined the Wesleyan faculty in 1973 then served as dean of the natural sciences and mathematics. While at Wesleyan, Carol established a model system for studying the evolution of complex traits using house mice, and played a pioneering role in supporting and mentoring women in the sciences. She left Wesleyan in 1992 to join the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she served as dean of the graduate school and vice chancellor for research from 1992 to 2004, and was a professor of ecological and evolutionary biology and fellow of the Institute for Behavioral Genetics. She was a resident of Colorado at the time of her passing. Carol and her husband, Bob, generously established the Carol and Robert Lynch Student Research Fund at Wesleyan, which continues to support the research of undergraduate biology students.

Joseph P. “Joe” Rumberger passed away on Oct. 22, 2018, at the age of 92. He earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and naval science and a master’s degree in anthropology and linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. He served in the U.S. Navy office training program and later received a fellowship to study linguistics at the University of Indiana. He was also a Fulbright Scholar and earned a second master’s degree from the London School of Economics. He worked at several places before coming to Wesleyan in 1977 to work as the director of personnel. He was active in the Middletown community, taught Swahili, and wrote a memoir. He is survived by Gertrude, his wife of 57 years; three sons, Tim, James, and John; seven grandchildren, and a nephew. He was predeceased by son Tommy and brother Andy.

Lewis C. Robertson, professor of mathematics, emeritus, passed away on Dec. 22, 2018, at the age of 80. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago and his PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles. Before teaching at Wesleyan, he was an assistant professor at the University of Washington. He taught at Wesleyan from 1970 to until his retirement in 1998. A passionate mathematician, Robertson conducted scholarly research on Lie groups, topological groups, and representation theory, and often collaborated with his Wesleyan colleagues on papers. Carol Wood, the Edward Burr Van Vleck Professor of Mathematics, emerita, said, “Lew was a gentle fellow, and unfailingly kind. As a mathematician he was extremely self-effacing. Nonetheless, it was impossible for him to hide his mathematical ability. Lew was a regular in the topology seminar over the decades, and when a topic (often outside his area of expertise) caught his interest, the depth of his comments would yet again remind me that Lew was a gifted mathematician.” Robertson is survived by his wife of 44 years, Janet; their son, Michael; one child from a previous marriage, Laureen; Janet’s daughters from a previous marriage, Julie and Jeanne; and eight grandchildren.

Joseph W. Reed, professor of English and American studies, emeritus, passed away on Feb. 11, 2019, at the age of 86. Reed earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Yale University. He also served in the U.S. Navy. While at Wesleyan, he served as the chair of the English department and of the Sesquicentennial Committee, and was one of the founding architects of both American Studies and Film Studies at Wesleyan. He retired in 2004 after 44 years at Wesleyan. Richard Slotkin, the Olin Professor of English, emeritus said, “Joe Reed was my good friend and colleague for more than 40 years. His intelligence was adventurous, and his scholarly and teaching interests ranged from 18th-century British literature, to Faulkner and the American novel, to movies and television.” Reed is survived by his children, Mack, John, and Kate, and their families, including four grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Kit, author and former resident writer.

John D. Maguire passed away on Oct. 26, 2018, at the age of 86. He attended Washington and Lee University as an undergrad then completed his bachelor of divinity and doctorate in theology and psychiatry from Yale Divinity School. He was a Fulbright fellow in Scotland and later a Fulbright scholar in Germany, where he conducted post-doctoral research. He began his academic career at Wesleyan as a professor in the religion department. He later served as an associate provost. Throughout his career, he held many academic leadership positions such as president of the State University of New York College at Old Westbury. In 1981, he joined Claremont Graduate University and became the longest-serving president, a role he held until his retirement. He was known for his passion for civil rights. President Michael S. Roth ’78, who knew Maguire well, said, “John’s life-long, exuberant dedication to the combination of moral activism and liberal learning . . . is stamped upon the memory of all who knew him.” Maguire is survived by his family including wife Billie and their daughters Catherine ’83, Mary, and Anne.