Obituaries | 1950-1959

ROBERT M. GIPSTEIN, M.D., a nephrologist who was an associate professor of clinical medicine at U.C.L.A., and who retired as chief of staff at Santa Monica Hospital, died Sept. 3, 2010, at age 75. A member of Gamma Psi, he majored in biology and received his degree with high honors and with distinction in creative writing after writing a novel for his honors thesis. He received his medical degree from Tufts University and served in the U.S. Army. Always devoted to ethical principles, he braved a potential court martial by refusing to execute a direct order to perform, on enlisted men, a particular experiment that he did not believe had been tested sufficiently. He published numerous research articles, and he lectured and presented at medical conferences worldwide. Divorced from Gwynne Zachs Gipstein, he is survived by his life partner, Joan L. Colwell, with whom he reunited at their 50th high school reunion, and one son, Jason Gipstein ’87.

WILLIAM R. GREINER, 75, who spent 42 years at the University of Buffalo as president, provost, and longtime law school faculty member, died Dec. 19, 2009. He was a member of Sigma Chi and received his degree with honors. He received master’s, law, and master’s in law degrees from Yale University. He joined the law faculty at the University of Buffalo in 1967 and rose through the faculty and administrative ranks, culminating with his appointment as the university’s president in 1991. He served until 2003, when he was named president emeritus by the SUNY Board of Trustees. During his 13 years as president he oversaw the construction of new buildings and the creation of an increasingly residential university. He tried to connect the university to the community and boost its economic impact on the region, and he focused on the creation of research centers and how to translate research into commercial applications. Among those who survive are his wife, Carol Morrissey Greiner, four children, and 13 grandchildren.

ALAN G. GORDON, 77, a physician and medical missionary, died May 7, 2010. He was the son of Donald C. Gordon ’19, M.D., and was a member of the John Wesley Club. He earned his M.D. from St. Paul University. He is survived by his wife, Alma Carita Daugherty Boughton; six daughters; 18 grandchildren; his brother, Gary D. Gordon ’50; and a cousin, William C. Gordon ’55.

FREDERICK W. GLASSBERG, a real estate and community developer, died Sept. 15, 2011. He was 77. A member of Phi Sigma Kappa, he received a law degree from New York University and an MBA from Loyola College. After practicing law in New York and in Washington, D.C., he joined the Rouse Company and Howard Research and Development Corporation concurrently as vice president. Later, he founded Crystal Hill Investments, a commercial real estate company. He also founded Dornbush Enterprises and served as director of development for the Columbia Foundation, as well as serving on community boards. He is survived by his wife, Leslie Kaplan Glassberg, three children, and six grandchildren.

ROBERT A. GEIGER, 73, who retired as manager of environmental affairs for Public Service Electric and Gas of New Jersey, died Mar. 9, 2006. A member of Delta Sigma, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in economics. He received a master’s degree from Columbia and served in the U.S. Army. Among those who survive are his wife, Eileen Flanagan Geiger, three children, five grandchildren, and a brother.

MITCHELL V. GREEN, a former manager for the Dennison Manufacturing Company, died Sept. 5, 2003 at age 72. He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi and was a U.S. Army veteran. Survivors include his wife, Sarah A. Green; his mother; two daughters; two grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

RICHARD E. FISCHER, 80, the retired president of Hunterdon Lumber & Building Supply in Annandale, N.J., died Mar. 12, 2011. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he received his degree with honors and served in the U.S. Air Force. Predeceased by his wife, Patricia, survivors include three children, four grandsons, and two stepchildren.

EDWARD B. FISCHER, a manager of information systems, who was associated with the General Electric Corporation in Schenectady, N.Y., for 35 years, died Mar. 19, 2003 at age 72. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he received his degree with honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran. Predeceased by his wife, survivors include three children and three grandchildren.

DONALD C. FORD, an editor and academic publisher, and assistant director of admission at Wesleyan from 1954–1961, died Dec. 15, 2010. He was 80. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors and served in the U.S. Army. He was the brother of the late Andrew E. Ford Jr. of the class of 1950. Before joining the administration at Wesleyan he was a research mathematician. In 1961 he moved to John Wiley and Sons, where he served as the first president of Hamilton Publishing Company, and published textbooks in mathematics, statistics, accounting, and business. An avid sailor, he was also a lifelong supporter of Wesleyan and was a member of the first class of inductees into the Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife, Diana Schafer Ford, two stepchildren, three grandchildren, a brother, and a large extended family.

F. ROBERT FEKETY JR., M.D., professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and a distinguished physician, teacher, author and medical researcher in infectious diseases, died Jan. 6, 2009. He was 79. A member of Sigma Nu, he received his degree with high distinction in chemistry and was elected both to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi. He received his medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine. After serving in the U.S. Public Health Service and teaching at Johns Hopkins University, he established and was chief of the infectious disease division of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, where he was on the faculty from 1967 to his retirement in 1995. He was a discoverer of the causes and treatment of Clostridium difficile colitis, which was and is a significant problem for hospitalized patients. The University of Michigan established the Fekety Lectureship in Infectious Diseases in 1992 and the Fekety Professorship in 2008, in recognition of his commitment to education, research, and patient care. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Baker Fekety, two daughters, and a sister.