Theta Xi - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

ALPHABET SOUP – SUMMER 2023 CHAPTER ETERNAL___________________ William K. Murray '45 (A633), 98, of Westport, CT, entered Chapter Eternal on April 5, 2023. Bill earned a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering in 1945 through the accelerated Navy V-12 program at the age of 19. After receiving additional training at the US Naval Academy, he went on to serve on the USS Suwannee in the Western Pacific during WWII. Bill married Betty in 1949 after his stint in the Navy, and they enjoyed 58 years together before she passed away in 2008. He worked for Enthone, Inc., for many years in various positions including director of public relations and advertising before retiring in 1989. He was active in the YMCA and enjoyed playing bridge along with watching UConn women's basketball and Giants football. Bill is survived by four children, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. William D. Thomas '46 (A647), 97, of Pomona, CA, entered Chapter Eternal on June 29, 2022. Raised in Park Ridge, IL, Bill graduated from RPI with a bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1946. During WWII, he served in the Pacific Theater from 1943 to 1949 before being honorably discharged in 1955. Bill met Rosemary while working at Cleveland Pneumatic Tool in Ohio and they married in 1950. Bill and Rosemary moved to Claremont, CA, in 1958 with Bill working at H.W. Loud Machine Works. After stints at several aerospace companies in Southern California, he went on to become co-owner and vice president of engineering at Loud Engineering and Manufacturing. He liked tinkering in his workshop building small remote-control boats and planes, but time with his wife and family was his joy. After retiring, Bill and Rosemary traveled abroad and around the US visiting friends and family. Bill is survived by his wife Rosemary, four children and four grandchildren. Walter T. Schultheis '47 (A697), age 95, of Mystic, CT, entered Chapter Eternal on August 5, 2022. Born in Albany, NY, Walter graduated with a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from RPI in 1947. He underwent Naval Officer Training and was a member of the track team while in school. Upon graduation, Walter served on the aircraft carrier USS Philippine Sea where he acquired a lasting love for the sea. In 1950, he started his career in the electric power industry before retiring in 1991 from his position as Vice-President for Northeast Utilities. Walter met his wife Sydney on a Long Island beach; they married in 1951 and enjoyed 65 years together before she passed away in 2016. They loved to travel and spend time on their sloop. Walter is survived by three sons, five grandchildren, and two great- grandchildren. Elwood "Woody" W. Phares '51 (A753), 92, of Princeton, NJ, entered Chapter Eternal on July 19, 2022. While working toward a bachelor's degree in Management at RPI, Woody played both football and lacrosse, serving as co- captain of the 1951 lacrosse team. At the 1951 North/South All-Star [lacrosse] game, Woody led the team to a 12-11 win and was also selected as an All-American that year. Coach Ned Harkness remembered him as "one of the best centers I ever had the pleasure of coaching." Woody was named to the RPI Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993. Following graduation in 1951, he joined the 82 nd Airborne Division as a 1 st Lieutenant Paratrooper in strategic reserve during the Korean War. After the war, Woody then went to Harvard Business School, graduating in 1955.While at Harvard, he met Jacqueline, marrying the following year after graduation. Woody worked in the chemical engineering business, and, in 1979, became CEO and President of West/Penetone, Inc., He was proud of transitioning the company from being publicly traded to a privately owned "family company" by the time he retired in 2016. Woody was a patron of the arts and a theatergoer, and he loved to ski, play tennis or squash. He and Jacquie enjoyed traveling with many tales to tell of their trips around the globe during their 66-year marriage. Woody is survived by his wife, two children, and five grandchildren. Fernando Illanes de la Riva '55 (A828), 89, of La Paz, Bolivia, entered Chapter Eternal on May 23, 2021. Prepared at La Salle Secondary School, Fernando graduated in 1955 with a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from RPI. Specializing in nuclear engineering and business administration, he went on to earn a master's degree in Engineering from Yale University. After graduation, Fernando served as an inspection engineer for the St. Joseph Company in Monaca, PA, before continuing his career with various positions at Foster Wheeler Engineering and Colgate-Palmolive in New York. Following this time in the US, he returned to his native country of Bolivia where he held the positions of general manager of the National Distillers and Chemical Corporation and was president of Plastics Boliviano. He spent time in Brazil as partner in the National Distillers of Brazil and held the position of president of the Baker Industries. Fernando also created the Enterprises and Administration Development Institute (IDEA), serving as president, and co-founded the Confederation of Private Entrepreneurs in Bolivia (CEPB), also serving as its president. He served as a government minister of various Bolivian administrations over the past 30 years including Minister of Finance, Minister of Energy, and Minister of Hydrocarbons. Fluent in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Italian, Fernando was the Bolivian Ambassador to the United States from March 1986 to March 1988. In 1990, he co-founded the Bolivian Private University (UPB) in the hopes of bringing an educational experience akin to "the quality and characteristics of the university he had attended in the United States", serving as its longtime president. In addition to the UPB, he was noted for creating many philanthropic foundations and supporting the country's art. Former president of Bolivia, Carlos Mesa, noted his passing; "outstanding businessman, promoter of

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