Passings: Winter 2019

William Cornelius Banks A&S ’55, December 2017, age 94, of Newport News, Va. After serving in the Army and graduating from Pitt, he started a coal analysis laboratory for Bureau Veritas and ATIC, which eventually included service to coal importers around the world. He sat on many professional committees and boards and volunteered his time with numerous charitable causes, including the Denbigh Lions Club and Presbyterian Homes and Family Services. He was a member of the Hilton Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years, serving in multiple capacities.

LeRoy W. Bowers MED ’51, August 2018, of Sewickley, Pa. He served as a missionary of the Presbyterian Church in Hamadan, Iran, where he was a general surgeon in the Mission Hospital. Later, he  relocated to Tyrone, Pa., where he worked for the community as a physician while maintaining his appointment and ordination with the Presbyterian Church and filling the role of pulpit supply throughout the Huntingdon Presbytery. In 1994, he and his wife, Jean, returned to Pittsburgh to be closer to their grandchildren.

Jack Wayne Boyle EDUC ’67G, June 2018, age 80, of Fernandina Beach, Fla. Trained in theater and education, he started his teaching career at Ridgewood High School in New Jersey, where he taught English, speech, theater arts, and television production for 26 years and founded The New Players Company, which opened the door to a love of theater for hundreds of students. He later taught theater and speech at the University of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville.

Sarah Bradford Campbell GSPIA ’72, August 2018, age 96, of Homewood, Pa. Known as a prolific champion for racial justice and social change, she served on the board of the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh for 56 years, was a founding member of the Homewood-Brushton Community Improvement Association, and served on the board of Bridgeway Capital, including three years as board president. Beyond her extensive volunteer service, she was an employment specialist and a social worker for the Department of Public Welfare.

Ronald J. Hornak ENGR ’67, BUS ’70G, July 2018, age 73, of Kendall Park, N.J. He was an assistant vice president of cash management at Marine Midland Bank in New York City before he became the assistant treasurer at PSE&G in Newark, N.J., where he worked for more than 30 years. A dedicated friend, he served as the president of the New Jersey Chapter of the Pitt Alumni Club and held a great passion for the University of Pittsburgh. 

Helen (Mowry) Kinlan A&S ’67, May 2018, age 73, of Ambridge, Pa. She worked with developmentally disabled children in the field of special education in and around Boston and Hartford, Conn. After moving to the Washington, D.C., area, she became a therapist focusing on individual, couples, and group counseling at The Women’s Center in Vienna, Va.

Terrence P. Laughlin BUS ’81G, October 2018, age 63, of Claverack, N.Y. A Pittsburgh native, his long and successful career in financial services culminated in his most recent position serving as vice chairman of Bank of America. He served for more than a decade as a member of Pitt’s Board of Trustees, was a passionate patron of the arts, and is remembered as a dedicated and gifted leader who did not shy away from some of the world’s toughest challenges.

Catherine B. Mavrinac EDUC ’72, February 2018, of Pittsburgh. She taught school for more than 27 years, mainly in the South Fayette School District, where she instilled a love of reading and poetry in her students and encouraged them to do good. A devout Roman Catholic, she was a 61-year member of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in Whitehall. Her lasting legacy, says her family, was the strong faith that she gave to her children and those who knew her.

Arthur Nakazato A&S ’75, December 2017, age 65, of Santa Ana, Calif. He was the founding president and director of the Orange County Asian American Bar Association, and a founding director of the Orange County Japanese American Lawyers Association. In 1996, he was appointed as a magistrate judge for the Central District of California, making him the first Japanese American appointed as a magistrate judge in the continental United States. He served the court for nearly 20 years, retiring in 2016.

Rade Pejic MED ’66, August 2018, age 78, of New Orleans, La., and Michigan City, Ind. He served as a surgeon and lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps before settling in Indiana. During his nearly 30-year career at the Medical Group of Michigan City, he performed general, vascular, thoracic, angioplasty, and trauma surgery on thousands of patients at St. Anthony Hospital, La Porte Hospital, and the former Memorial Hospital. He was a longtime fan of Pitt football.

Diane Redington NURS ’83G, March 2018, age 65, of Park City, Utah. She worked as a nurse and held management positions at several local and national health care organizations. She devoted the last three years of her life to establishing The GCS Project, a foundation funding targeted clinical research for gynecological carcinosarcoma and an interactive social media platform to provide hope, education, and information to those diagnosed with the rare cancer and their families.

Benjamin Thomas Jr. A&S ’52, LAW ’57, May 2018, age 87, of Delray Beach, Fla. He served in the Air Force and worked for the Crucible Steel Company before beginning his 29-year career at the H.J. Heinz Company. He retired as vice president, corporate secretary, and associate general counsel. He was an active member of the Mt. Lebanon United Presbyterian Church, served on the Mt. Lebanon School Board, and was a former president of Pitt’s Alumni Association.

James B. Weber MED ’78, June 2018, age 66, of La Grande, Ore. He received his residency training at UCLA Medical Center and was a beloved pediatrician in La Grande from 1994 to 2007.

To submit In Memoriam information, email classnotes@pitt.edu.