Tag Obituaries
Trailblazing African history scholar Jan Vansina dies
Vansina's work led to acceptance in the academic world of oral traditions as valid sources of history, countering the once-prevalent attitude that cultures without texts had no history.
Colleagues remember Liz Beyler Kraak
Liz Beyler Kraak, 69, a former UW–Madison broadcast and university relations specialist, died Feb. 9 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Legendary UW men’s hockey coach Jeff Sauer passes away
Sauer led the Badgers to 489 victories, the most victories for a UW coach in any sport. He guided Wisconsin to the 1983 and 1990 NCAA titles.
Former UW geneticist, Nobel laureate Smithies dies
Much of the work for which Oliver Smithies shared the Nobel Prize was performed at UW–Madison, where he was a professor from 1960 to 1988.
Hugh Iltis, UW’s ‘battling botanist,’ dies at 91
Passionate, articulate and informed, Iltis was opinionated, sometimes argumentative, but always a fearless defender of the natural world he revered.
Emeritus Professor Jack Fowler, pioneer in radiation biology, dies at 91
A physicist by training, Fowler gradually shifted his research emphasis and is considered one of the founders of modern radiation biology.
Paul Peercy, longtime engineering dean, passes away
Peercy focused on interdisciplinary experiences, innovations in teaching, and hands-on work that connected the technical aspects of engineering with real challenges facing society.
Joan Sweeney ‘cared deeply about helping students’
Joan Sweeney worked in the Work-Study office for more than 40 years, touching generations of students with her advocacy, advice and good humor.
Mara McDonald, ‘quintessential boundary crosser,’ dies at 68
Although the longtime assistant administrator in the Laboratory of Genetics and J.F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution retired from the university last year, she continued to touch lives.
Campus, family remember Beau Solomon
The 19-year-old study abroad student died in Rome last week. Solomon arrived in Italy Thursday to study at John Cabot University.
In memoriam: Peggy Leister
She served as an administrative professional in numerous departments during her 34 years at the university before retiring on April 4.
Colleagues, students remember journalism professor Baughman
“He was his own man,” says friend and colleague Donald Downs. “Isn’t that what a college education is supposed to instill?”
Remembering late UW–Madison Zoology Professor Jack P. Hailman
Hailman was a professor emeritus of zoology and well-known experimentalist and animal behaviorist. His UW–Madison career spanned 30 years.
UW-Madison alumna and women’s financial equality advocate dies
Lorna Jorgenson Wendt gained national fame in 1996 as a pioneer in the quest for equality before, during and after marriage.
Leonard Berkowitz, influential social psychologist, dies at 89
Berkowitz was an emeritus psychology professor whose widely cited research explored influences on aggressive behavior, including the “weapons effect.”
Carillon bells will play Friday in remembrance
The campus will remember University of Wisconsin–Madison students who passed away during the past summer and academic year 2014-15 during a brief ceremony on Friday, May 8 at 1 p.m. at the Carillon Tower.
UW-Madison mourns former Dean of Students Paul Ginsberg
Paul Ginsberg, a longtime dean of students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, died Monday at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison at age 90.
UW-Madison professor and Nixon historian Stanley Kutler dies
Stanley Kutler, the University of Wisconsin–Madison historian who fought for the release of hours of tape recordings related to the Watergate scandal, died Tuesday at the age of 80 after a brief stay in hospice.
Julian remembered as a good friend, co-worker
Obituary for UW–Madison employee Miguel Julian.
Neal First, whose work led to cattle cloning, dies at 84
Emeritus Professor Neal First, a pioneer in cattle reproduction and cloning who studied animal physiology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for 45 years, died Nov. 20 from complications of cancer.