obituaries

By the time of her death at age 103, Olivia Hooker ’62 (PhD) was an early witness to devastating acts of racist violence, the first African-American woman to serve in the Coast Guard, and a prominent psychology professor.

University Trustee and Board Chairman Emeritus G. Robert Witmer Jr. ’59—noted jurist, distinguished alumnus, longtime servant of the University and the Greater Rochester community, and a man known affectionately as “Mr. Rochester”—is being remembered this week as one of the institution’s most significant and beloved leaders. Witmer died Sunday evening, August 18.

An internationally renowned art and cultural critic, theorist, curator, and activist, Rochester professor Douglas Crimp created work important to thinkers across the arts and humanities.

Friends and colleagues are remembering Dean A. Miller, a professor emeritus of history with a secondary appointment in religion and classics, for his 30-year career at Rochester, and for his scholarship, character, and generosity.

Colleagues and friends are remembering William (Ted) Bluhm, a political theorist who served on the University faculty for nearly 40 years and whose work on political philosophy and ethics endures.

Curt Smith, senior lecturer in the Department of English and speechwriter for George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, remembers the former president as a man who "embodied the way the world has historically seen America."

John Waters, a professor emeritus of history, died September 14, at the age of 83. He is remember for his inspired teaching, energetic enthusiasm, and trailblazing approach to the history of ordinary folks.

Wolf served on the Rochester faculty for more than 50 years and was a leading expert in coherence and polarization of optical fields. His Principles of Optics is the most cited textbook in physics.

Kende was a former chair of the Department of Chemistry and a world renowned organic chemist and inventor who specialized in the synthesis of complex molecules, including ones used for anti-cancer treatments.

Harper, a member of the Rochester faculty for six decades whose work influenced academic thinking on the sociology of mental illness, is being remembered as a dedicated researcher and thoughtful teacher.