Theta Xi - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

William P. Speed '53 (A798), 83, of Beaufort, NC, entered Chapter Eternal on February 25, 2013. William had a career at IBM as an electrical engineer. James M. Leather '54 (A804), 84, of Irvine, CA, entered Chapter Eternal on October 30, 2015. His wife of 58 years, Alma, preceded him in death. James enjoyed golf, traveling, and spending time with family and friends, especially Beverly Catt. Elwood H. Johnson Jr. ['54] (A806) entered Chapter Eternal on November 2, 1978. Rev. George G. Morgan ['54] (A815), 81, of Little Rock, AR, entered Chapter Eternal on September 6, 2012. A US Air Force veteran, he went on to serve as a pastor of Episcopal churches in Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, FL, and also as chaplain for Covenant Hospice in Pensacola. Alfred B. Zustovich '58 (A886), 83, of Houston, TX, entered Chapter Eternal on December 10, 2019. After graduation, Al served in the Air Force and earned an MBA at Ohio State. He worked for Exxon with his family moving to Houston in 1980. After his retirement, Al and his wife enjoyed many travels, spent summers in upstate NY, and mentored youth back down in Houston. He is survived by his wife Georgie and his son Peter. William M. Dimbat ['64] (A1000), 70, of Islamorada, FL, entered Chapter Eternal on September 19, 2013. After a six year stint in the Army, he went on to work for Digital Equipment Corp before retiring in 1993. For the next 20 years, William had a second career as a self-employed computer technician in the Upper Keys of Florida. Peter E. Paddrik '69 (A1072), 71, of Marietta, GA, entered Chapter Eternal on September 11, 2019. Peter is survived by his wife Chris. Please send remembrances of Brother Paddrik to Matt Glaccum. Email: mattglaccum@gmail.com. ALUMNI NEWS ________________________ William Murray '45 (A633) turned 96 on September 30, 2020, and is healthy enough to live alone in the old homestead in Westport, Conn., where he has lived for nearly 50 years. "Because of the pandemic I'm quarantined here, but my four children, who are in their 60s, drop in frequently and keep me busy." Email: wkmurray@frontier.com John R. Wells '51 (A751) is 90 years old and his wife, Darleen, is 89 years old. They are simply sitting out the pandemic at home. "Not very exciting. We will probably go to assisted living when this is over," he shared. All of their children are well; they have 17 grandchildren, 18 great- grandchildren, and some great-great-grandchildren. They live in Brigham City, Utah. Email: johnrwells610@gmail.com Van C. Mow, Ph.D. '62 (A966) retired as chairman of the new bioengineering department at Columbia University. He and his wife, Barbara, reside in Rosecliff, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. Their sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren live in Hong Kong and San Diego. Email: barbara.mow@gmail.com Bob Nilsson '63 (A984) received the Distinguished Citizen Award in 2019 from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society (www.cmohs.org). This award is "reserved for those persons who, through their life's work, have distinguished themselves as Americans dedicated to freedom and the ideals represented by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society." Only a recipient of the Medal of Honor may nominate someone for an award. Brother Nilsson founded and is president of the 100 Entrepreneurs Foundation (www.100entrepreneurs.org), which provides means for wounded veterans and their caregivers and families to move on to their next careers. Begun in 2009, the foundation's work includes scheduling classes and presentations with industry speakers. Participating veterans are also provided access to business coaching and mentoring through the Foundation's network. To date, the Foundation has had thousands of participants, 300-plus of whom have gone on to start their own businesses. Bob resides in Centreville, Md. Thanks to Rick Gordon '65 (A1024) for passing this news along. James R. Hover '68 (A1055) lives in Overland Park, Kan., with his wife, Kathy; they spend their winters in Phoenix, Ariz. He's had three back surgeries since the fall of 2017 but is getting better. When his back and COVID-19 allow, he enjoys ice fishing in Canada and pheasant hunting in South Dakota each year. Email: hoverjr@gmail.com Arthur J. Katz '71 (A1115) shared that after retiring in 2017, he was able to travel and met many wonderful people. In these travel-restricted times, he and his friends periodically get together on Zoom for a game night and to catch up. He lives in Clifton Park, N.Y. Email: ajkatz164@verizon.net Duncan Sparrell '77 (A1160) was recently named to the Industry Era Magazine list of 10 Best CSOs of 2020. After a 35-year career at AT&T, Duncan founded sFractal Consulting LLC in 2013 and serves as "Chief Cyber Curmudgeon," principal of the boutique security and software consulting firm. Continuing his interest in cyber defense and security solutions while a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at AT&T, Duncan also serves on numerous boards, commissions, and technical committees to tackle the challenges facing the United States and its allies in keeping internet traffic secure on current and developing networks. He lives in Oakton, Va. Email: duncan.sparrell@gmail.com David McWilliams '14 (1650) recently purchased his first home and is looking forward to the new projects and challenges that come with it. Email: mcwild1650@gmail.com We Want to Hear from You! Tell us what you're up to! Do you have any career highlights or family updates you'd like to share with your Theta Xi brothers? How have you been coping with life during the pandemic? What has been keeping you busy? We are always looking and listening for stories to include in our AlphaBet Soup updates. Submissions can be sent to Matt Glaccum '92 (A1324) at mattglaccum@gmail.com.

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