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Former chemistry department head Dixon dies at 93

2/8/13

Joseph Dixon, professor emeritus of chemistry and former head of the Penn State Department of Chemistry, died Feb. 7 at the age of 93.

Born in Philadelphia on Nov. 4, 1919, Dixon began his career in chemistry in 1937 as an undergraduate student at Penn State, receiving his bachelor's and master's degrees before earning his doctorate in chemistry in 1946. He then became a chemistry instructor at Penn State. From 1951 to 1955, he was a chemist with the California Research Corp. and an associate professor of chemistry at Lafayette College. He then returned to Penn State as a member of the chemistry faculty in 1955, attaining the rank of professor in 1961. His research interests included the study of compounds of organolithium and organomagnesium, the structure of molecules and the physical properties of organic systems.

Law School remembers professor and alumnus D. Fenton Adams

12/18/12

D. Fenton Adams, a 1949 graduate of the Dickinson School of Law and a professor of law from from 1949 to 1965, died on Dec. 13.

Fenton was born in West Reading, Pa., and served in the U.S. Army during World War Two. He is a graduate of Dickinson College. After leaving the Dickinson School of Law in 1965, he served as assistant, acting and interim dean and dean of the law school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock from 1965-1970 and 1977-1993, and then as professor of law at the University of Mississippi at Oxford (Ole Miss) from 1970-77, visiting professor at Stetson University 1976-77 and 1993-2001 and the University of Tennessee college of Law in 1993.

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Penn State mourns alumni leader and philanthropist J. Lloyd Huck

12/7/12

Penn State has lost an alumnus whose leadership and philanthropy have helped the University to become a pioneer in the life sciences. J. Lloyd Huck, the retired chairman of the board of pharmaceutical firm Merck & Company and a former chairman of Penn State's Board of Trustees, died in State College, Pa., this week at the age of 90. With his wife and fellow Class of 1943 member Dorothy Foehr Huck, he established endowments in fields ranging from molecular biology to nutrition, leading to the creation of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

"Few institutions are fortunate enough to have such visionary advocates as Lloyd and Dottie Huck," said Penn State President Rodney Erickson. "Through Lloyd's decades of service to the University, he guided Penn State on an ambitious path, and through the Hucks' philanthropy, they have enabled our students and faculty to fulfill that ambition.

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John Lucas, emeritus professor, dies

11/16/12

John Lucas, professor emeritus of exercise and sport science in the College of Health and Human Development's Department of Kinesiology, passed away on Friday, November 9, 2012, after a year-long battle with Lewy body dementia. He was 84.

Warren W. Hassler, professor emeritus of American history, dies

7/23/12

Warren W. Hassler, Jr., Penn State professor emeritus of American history, died on July 12 in La Jolla, Calif., after a brief illness. Hassler was born and raised in Baltimore, Md. He served in the 7th Army Air Corps at the end of World War II.

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Penn State mourns alumni leader and philanthropist Verne Willaman

6/29/12

Penn State and the Eberly College of Science have lost a leading advocate and supporter with the passing of Verne M. Willaman, a class of 1951 graduate and retired chairman and president of Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation. Willaman, whose philanthropy and volunteer leadership helped the University's life sciences and molecular biology programs to gain international prominence, died recently at his home in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Founding leader of Penn State Hershey remembered

5/16/12

One of the founding leaders of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, John Waldhausen, has died at the age of 82. Waldhausen was the founding chair of the Department of Surgery at the Medical Center and the College of Medicine and led the department for more than 25 years.

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Paterno's impact spanned generations

1/24/12

Joe Paterno, the Hall of Fame head coach who led the Penn State football program for 45 years, died Sunday, Jan. 22, at the age of 85, after a battle with lung cancer. The list of Paterno accomplishments is vast. His head-coaching career began in 1966 and spanned nine presidential administrations and nearly 900 Division I coaching changes. He won more games (409) and bowl games than any other coach in Division I history. He brought Penn State five undefeated seasons, three Big Ten championships and two national championships. His teams finished 23 seasons in the top 10 and 35 in the top 25. However, his career never was simply about wins, banners and trophies. An altar boy and Boy Scout as a child who served in the Army before attending Brown University, Paterno used his considerable on-field success to espouse a philosophy that college athletics and academics should go hand-in-hand.

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John Vairo, founding leader of Brandywine campus, dies at 91

1/3/12

The Penn State community is mourning the death of Brandywine campus founding executive officer John D. Vairo, who died Jan. 1 following a long illness. He was 91. "We are very saddened to learn of John Vairo's death," said Sophia Wisniewska, chancellor at Penn State Brandywine. "Those of us who worked with him applaud both his contribution as founder and head of Penn State Brandywine and his extraordinary commitment to the Delaware County community. John was respected and admired by all who were privileged to know him. He was a Delaware County icon. No matter where you went, everyone knew of John Vairo. I was honored to learn from John. He was my best supporter and adviser, and he was a joy to work with. I will miss him."

Cable pioneer, retired faculty member dies at 95

12/28/11

Former College of Communications faculty member and television pioneer E. Stratford "Strat" Smith -- the man whose legal advice and approach opened the door for the growth of cable television across the country -- died Dec. 25, 2011.

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University mourns loss of colleague

10/24/11

The Penn State community is mourning the death of Edward N. Thompson, director of development for the Office of Educational Equity, who died Sunday, Oct. 23. "Everyone feels they've lost a very good friend," said Terrell Jones, vice provost for Educational Equity, said. "Ed was so positive about the University and everything he was doing. He always had a smile on his face, and was probably the most optimistic man I've known."

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Longtime campus 'resident' Ben Lane dies

7/19/11

"It is a wonderful experience to live so close to an institution you have watched grow," said Ben Lane, sitting in his yellow house on Jordan Road during a May 2007 interview with the Erie Times-News. Ben Lane, associate professor emeritus of English at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, died July 15, at Twinbrook Medical Center after a brief stay. He was 88.

Public invited to March 20 celebration of Schreyer legacy

3/14/11

The public is invited to celebrate the life and legacy of William A. Schreyer, the pioneering Penn State philanthropist for whom the Schreyer Honors College is named, at a Memorial Mass on Sunday, March 20. The event, which begins at 2 p.m. in University Park's Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, will include remarks from University representatives and some of Schreyer's many friends in the Penn State community, including head football coach Joe Paterno and Schreyer Honors College dean Christian M. M. Brady.

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