Photo: John Solem
In Memoriam
The aviculturist of the Vineyard
A dedicated naturalist on Martha’s Vineyard, Augustus “Gus” Donald Ben David ’64AS died on July 4, 2024, at the age of 81. Though he was best known for his osprey conservation efforts, Ben David was also a respected wildlife rehabilitator and teacher.
An island native, Ben David grew up on a small farm and quickly learned how to tend to livestock. At the age of nine, he acquired his first pet—a red-tailed hawk—followed by a cow. When he was in high school, he and his uncle started an egg business. Ben David was the first in his family to go to college, attending the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, and managed to graduate with his associate degree in poultry science before he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
When he returned to the Vineyard after serving at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and achieving the rank of sergeant, he and his uncle started another business, Gus N’ Gus Wild Animal Farm. Though he was mostly a self-taught zoologist, Ben David was named director of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. His largest project, erecting nearly 150 poles for osprey nests to protect the birds from the newly outlawed pesticide DDT, began in 1972. Its effects were quickly apparent as the Vineyard was one of the first places to see the osprey population recover.
Those who knew Ben David extolled his love not only for wildlife but also for teaching and building up his community with kindness. When asked about his life philosophy by the Vineyard Gazette, Ben David replied, “I have a universal statement that is shared: We live by encouragement and die without it—slowly, sadly, and angrily.”
‘Grandma Rachel’
Rachel Tierney ’62, ’74MS, ’90PhD, professor in the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, died in July 2024 at the age of 82. Over the course of her more than 40-year career, she worked as a mental health clinical nurse specialist and a nursing professor at the graduate level.
Tierney served on the college’s alumni board and dean’s advisory council, and she established an endowed scholarship for students in UMass Amherst’s doctoral nursing program. In 2012, the Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses recognized her as a “Living Legend in Massachusetts Nursing.”
“The students and their families referred to [her] as ‘Grandma Rachel’ because of her kindnesses,” says Marie Rohan ’74MS, Tierney’s UMass classmate and longtime friend.
Outside of work, Tierney was a devoted and compassionate member of the Amherst community. She was actively involved in her local church and participated in several organizations, including P.E.O. International, a nonprofit that supports women in pursuit of education, and the Alzheimer’s Association.
“She was good at building bridges,” Rohan says of Tierney. “She never made a big deal out of who she was and what she accomplished. Instead, she just shared herself and what she knew. She valued being part of the community, being part of people’s lives.”
Photo: Marian V. Walters
Diplomacy in action
Cynthia Shepard Perry ’72EdD, who served with distinction as a U.S. ambassador to Sierra Leone and the Republic of Burundi, died in June 2024 at the age of 95.
Perry graduated high school in 1946 as one of the few African American students at her school and with multiple honors for her writing talents. From the age of 16, she planned to be an ambassador.
The first woman doctoral recipient of the UMass Amherst College of Education’s International Education program, Perry focused her studies on developing African studies curricula for public schools. Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, Perry worked as an educator at the University of Nairobi, trained Peace Corps volunteers, and consulted with the U.S. Information Service in Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia. In 1971, she joined the faculty at Texas Southern University, where she later became dean of International Affairs.
In 1982, Perry was appointed by the Reagan Administration to be chief of the Education and Human Resources Division in the Africa Bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where she remained until 1986 when she was appointed U.S. ambassador to Sierra Leone. She was again tapped in 1990, this time as U.S. ambassador to Burundi by President George H.W. Bush. In both countries, Perry navigated complex political landscapes with diplomacy and tact, including working on the ground during the Hutu-Tutsi conflicts.
Following her time as an ambassador, she served as regent of Texas Woman’s University, and later as the U.S. executive director of the African Development Bank. She retired in 2007 but went on to serve as honorary consul general of Senegal and later as honorary consul general of Rwanda.
Perry received many honors over the course of her career, including a NAACP President’s Award in 1987 and a United Nations Association Global Citizen Award in 2016. UMass Amherst recognized her with an honorary doctorate in public service in 1988 and a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2002. Her papers now reside at the UMass Amherst Libraries Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center.
Perry is remembered as an accomplished self-taught oil painter, a master gardener, and an inspiration by her large family and many friends.
Photo: John Solem
Long may you run
Ken O’Brien, UMass Amherst coach emeritus and former head coach, died last June at the age of 82.
O’Brien began his tenure at UMass coaching men’s cross-country and track and field in 1967— coaching for 50 seasons. During that time, the Minutemen won 19 conference titles (the Yankee, Eastern, and Atlantic 10), four New England titles, and two Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America crowns. On top of his conference successes, he mentored 13 individual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) qualifiers and seven All-America performers. O’Brien was also instrumental in founding the women’s cross-country and track and field programs in 1975–76, serving as head coach of those programs from their inception through 1987.
“As our head coach for 50 years, he had a lasting influence on the lives of thousands of student-athletes,” says UMass Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford. “Helping young people was his life’s work, and he excelled in innumerable ways.”
In 1995 and again in 2008, the men’s cross-country team finished first in the Atlantic 10 league, and both years, O’Brien was named A-10 Coach of the Year. He earned NCAA District 1 Track and Field Coach of the Year honors four times, and he was a four-time District 1 Coach of the Year award winner for cross-country. In 2016, he was inducted into the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame.
“As a mentor, coach, and leader, Coach OB was awesome,” says David Jackson, UMass director of track and field and cross-country. “He allowed you to grow and gently guided you to understand the paths to success. Coach did so via sport, education, or chatting over a cup of coffee and a chocolate chip cookie.”
Below we recognize the alumni and faculty whose deaths were reported to the UMass Amherst Alumni Association between September 1, 2024, and February 15, 2025. Please submit address changes and nominations for remembrances to: updates@uma-foundation.org.
1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Faculty
Alumni
1940s
Thelma (Tarlow) Ellerin '48, 08/19/2024, Rutland, VT
Mary E. (Miller) Kates '48, 08/17/2024, South Hadley, MA
Elizabeth A. (Goodall) Pease '48, 08/18/2024, Buzzards Bay, MA
1950s
Antonio Ferreira '50, 09/21/2024, Chicopee, MA
Harold A. Richardson '50, 09/23/2024, Okatie, SC
Arthur Cole '51, 09/18/2024, West Tisbury, MA
Gilbert T. Joly '51, 08/13/2024, Venice, FL
Robert F. Jordan '51, 08/24/2024
George H. Whitney '51, 08/05/2024, Peabody, MA
Edna J. (Joslin) Woodbury '51, 09/11/2024, South Windsor, CT
Joan H. (Heath) Day '52, 09/20/2024, Lynn, MA
Jean G. (Gimalowski) Everett '52, 09/03/2024, South Windsor, CT
Jean E. (Carlson) Fletcher '53, 10/08/2024, Southampton, MA
Charlie Feldberg '54, 09/06/2024, Palm Beach, FL
Basilio Henriques '54, 08/01/2024, Brownville, ME
John E. Cannon '55, 04/16/2024, Spokane, WA
Ronald W. Frost '55, 09/04/2024, Murrysville, PA
Barbara K. (Kimball) Holmer '55, 09/15/2024, Littleton, MA
Edward R. Lavagnino '55, 10/04/2024, Indianapolis, IN
Alfred R. Dufva '56, 09/19/2024, Somersworth, NH
Louis J. Gobeille '56, 08/26/2024, Sanford, NC
Anthony W. Kilinskas '57, 09/07/2024, Oxford, MA
Robert S. Sabin '57, 07/18/2024, Mashpee, MA
James N. Conway '58, 09/04/2024, Pepperell, MA
Donald J. Forrester '58, 04/01/2023, Tallahassee, FL
Richard A. Fredrickson '58, 04/05/2022, Crystal River, FL
Stephen E. Goldman '58, 05/09/2022, Ellicott City, MD
Edward K. Hassett '58, 03/20/2024, Stafford, VA
Richard L. Herrick '58, 04/05/2023, South Glastonbury, CT
Thomas R. Kerr '58, 08/17/2024, Bethlehem, PA
John S. Kulpinski '58, 05/04/2024, Durham, NC
Sylvia M. (Marand) LeBlanc '58, 08/16/2023, The Villages, FL
Peter A. Levenson '58, 01/31/2024, Hyannis, MA
George H. Marston '58, 09/29/2024, Fitchburg, MA
William J. McBane '58, 04/21/2023, Kansas City, MO
Edward J. Moakler '58, 11/13/2023, East Windsor, NJ
Leonard J. Monize '58, 06/23/2023, New Bedford, MA
Frank J. Olbrych '58, 02/14/2022, Agawam, MA
Ferdinand M. Olchowski '58, 12/07/2022, Madison, CT
Arthur S. Piech '58, 06/07/2024, Naples, FL
Ronald E. Pozzo '58, 03/20/2024, Canton, MA
John D. Richardson '58, 12/17/2023, South Easton, MA
Roger A. Rondeau '58, 06/11/2023, Franklin, MA
Peter J. Schwarz '58, 08/27/2023, Orlando, FL
Jeanette (Adelman) Shalov '58, 05/02/2022, Greenwich, CT
David V. Sibel '58, 08/28/2022, Titusville, FL
Cathleen F. (Clark) Smith '58, 09/24/2024, Granby, MA
George R. Tanguay '58, 04/08/2024, Atlanta, GA
Pauline F. (Lanoue) Thomas '58, 04/03/2024, Wareham, MA
Elizabeth G. Tite '58, 04/12/2023, Auburn, MA
Thomas C. Walsh '58, 05/14/2023, Vero Beach, FL
Harold M. Becker '59, 10/05/2024, Weston, MA
George E. Belhumeur '59, 09/10/2024, Agawam, MA
Robert F. Betts '59, 10/06/2024, Rochester, NY
Curtis E. Carlson '59, 08/02/2024, Nashua, NH
Josepha A. (Germanowski) Des Jardins '59, 03/17/2023, Taylors, SC
H. K. Grant '59, 09/25/2024, Fort Myers, FL
Shelby A. (Widland) Herman '59, 09/09/2024, Rockville, MD
Kenneth R. Lovell '59, 06/08/2024, Harwich, MA
Edward T. McCarthy '59, 09/28/2024, Colton, NY
Alfred J. Pedercini '59, 07/31/2022, Syracuse, NY
1960s
Russell H. Bancroft '60, 12/05/2022, Ware, MA
Richard J. Des Jardins '60, 08/15/2024, Taylors, SC
Randall B. Fairbanks '60, 06/17/2024, Chatham, MA
Wayne J. Le Blanc '60, 09/29/2024, Lyndhurst, OH
David E. Sanders '60, 09/11/2024, Ipswich, MA
Thomas W. Sayre '60, 07/10/2024, Medford, OR
Carlene E. (Fraser) Duprey '61, 07/31/2024, Barnstable, MA
Elinor (Erlichman) Mannis '61, 10/01/2024, Glen Mills, PA
Sidney J. Poritz '61, 09/29/2024, Leverett, MA
Peter M. Thomson '61, 09/22/2024, Washington Crossing, PA
Joseph W. Bucceri '62, 09/17/2024, Chelmsford, MA
Louis Greenstein '62, 08/30/2024, North Reading, MA
Andrew S. Kim '62, 08/24/2024, Westfield, MA
Raymond G. Mello '62, 08/17/2024, Newburyport, MA
Mary K. (Heath) Muckenhoupt '62, 09/02/2024, Amherst, MA
Anthony J. Piraino '62, 08/08/2024, Danvers, MA
Freda R. (Estner) Weiner '62, 06/28/2022, Mashpee, MA
Philip G. Coates '63, 09/30/2024, Sagamore Beach, MA
Jeff L. Hubler '63, 08/27/2024, Belchertown, MA
Howard E. Stone '63, 08/19/2024, Wenham, MA
Anne G. (Garside) Cann '64, 08/20/2024, Amherst, MA
Richard S. Lopatka '64, 09/22/2024, Sunderland, MA
Austin C. Morris '64, 09/11/2024, Redding, CA
James E. Bloom '65, 08/16/2024, Henrico, VA
Walter A. Korzec '65, 09/11/2024, Amherst, MA
Paul J. Loughlin '65, 10/05/2024, Spring Hill, FL
James G. Sartori '65, 10/01/2024, Lynnfield, MA
Colin E. Bourn '66, 08/29/2024, Ashby, MA
Kenneth P. Kane '66, 07/26/2024, Wilmington, MA
John J. Lavoie '66, 08/10/2024
Gary R. Spongberg '66, 08/31/2024, Schenectady, NY
Ned A. Vitalis '66, 07/15/2024, Jefferson, ME
George W. Babcock '67, 09/24/2024, Yarmouth Port, MA
George F. Mosley '67, 09/13/2024, Middleboro, MA
John S. Potasky '67, 09/03/2024, Easthampton, MA
Emily M. (Fila) Bancroft '68, 10/19/2024, Ware, MA
James B. Brown '68, 08/12/2024
Gary L. Gasperack '68, 09/05/2024, Belchertown, MA
Gregory P. Landry '68, 10/04/2024, Troy, MI
Edward M. Medeiros '68, 09/01/2024, New Bedford, MA
Tim Cunningham '69, 08/07/2024, Albuquerque, NM
John L. Morgan '69, 08/27/2024, South Yarmouth, MA
John J. Ramaska '69, 09/22/2024, Derry, NH
1970s
Nan F. Darack '70, 10/04/2024, Rockville, MD
Carmella J. (Lentini) Fidler '70, 08/10/2024, Jamaica Plain, MA
Louisa A. Varnum '70, 08/22/2024, Lowell, MA
John E. Denny '71, 08/25/2024, Maryland, NY
Joseph A. Fagg '71, 08/09/2024, Salem, MA
Frances C. Hankinson '71, 10/07/2024, Leverett, MA
Robert E. Heon '71, 09/07/2024, Springfield, MA
Donald P. Sanders '71, 08/28/2024, Exeter, NH
Daniel F. Yauckoes '71, 09/16/2024, Chelmsford, MA
D. B. Boffey '72, 08/19/2024, White River Junction, VT
Michael F. Breen '72, 09/19/2024, Tewksbury, MA
Terrence J. Devine '72, 10/06/2024, Orchard Park, NY
Bradlee B. Graves '72, 08/19/2024, Westerly, RI
Robert J. Mastromatteo '73, 08/12/2024, Brewster, MA
Maurice E. Olivier '73, 08/30/2024, Dover, NH
Robert A. Avery '74, 09/28/2024, Turners Falls, MA
Mark A. Black '74, 09/22/2024, Raleigh, NC
Melvin L. Bullock '74, 09/17/2024
Diane G. Callahan '74, 08/31/2024, Concord, NH
Mary E. Kohler '74, 09/20/2024, Amherst, MA
Annie Richardson '74, 03/31/2024, Brooklyn, NY
Stephen J. Herman '75, 07/01/2024, Easthampton, MA
William S. Rathbun '75, 10/06/2024, Leverett, MA
Robert A. Russell '75, 08/24/2024, Warren, OH
Janet L. Ryan '75, 09/06/2024, Amherst, MA
William W. Strickland '75, 04/10/2024, Amherst, MA
Cheryl L. Walsh '75, 10/10/2024, Methuen, MA
Patrick J. Cauley '76, 08/17/2024, Winthrop, MA
Ann E. Czupryna '76, 10/20/2024, Bemidji, MN
Cynthia M. (Byrda) Hollman '76, 09/23/2024, Chelmsford, MA
Paul C. Mishler '76, 08/25/2024, South Bend, IN
Diane M. (Boucher) Appel '77, 08/20/2024, Leverett, MA
David M. Kelly '77, 09/07/2024, Stoneham, MA
Meryl M. (Sontz) Holley '78, 10/05/2024, The Woodlands, TX
Dudley M. Marchi '78, 09/02/2024, Raleigh, NC
Gordon H. Moye '78, 01/12/2024, Gilbert, AZ
Neal R. Ogden '78, 09/01/2024, Albuquerque, NM
Edward D. Shirley '78, 10/09/2024, Boston, MA
Paul M. Torpey '78, 08/26/2024, Amherst, MA
Faythe D. Turner '78, 09/06/2024, Concord, MA
Kathleen A. Barrett '79, 10/04/2024, Milton, MA
Steven P. Kalisz '79, 09/21/2024, West Bath, ME
1980s
Niall P. Hurlbutt '80, 10/08/2024, Marlborough, CT
Michael A. Barbiasz '81, 10/01/2024, Ware, MA
Gwen M. Sunderland-Haggett '81, 08/20/2024, Oakdale, CT
Elizabeth Y. (Young) Ebeling '82, 10/05/2024, Portsmouth, NH
Scott L. Kendall '82, 07/21/2024, Miami, FL
Edward M. Zielinski '82, 09/11/2024, East Boston, MA
Keyvan Karbasioun '84, 10/02/2024, Agoura Hills, CA
Matthew J. King '84, 08/14/2024, Marshfield, MA
Dolores Root '84, 07/12/2024, New York, NY
Dr. Francis X. Mangan '86, 08/12/2024, Amherst, MA
Paul D. Phaneuf '86, 09/16/2024, Sandy Hook, CT
F. T. Walsh '86, 09/27/2024, Barrington, RI
Linda G. LaPointe '87, 10/06/2024, Pittsfield, MA
Patricia B. Moynahan '87, 09/02/2024, Lenox, MA
Jon Novak '87, 07/22/2024, Chicopee, MA
Janet L. Kelly '88, 09/16/2024, Northampton, MA
Niki L. Glanz '89, 09/03/2024, Lebanon, NH
James M. McKenna '89, 09/13/2024, Essex, MA
1990s
Mark P. Barrett '90, 09/20/2024, Melrose, MA
Darren M. Garnick '90, 08/30/2024, Amherst, NH
Gad Karmi '90, 04/18/2023, Davis, CA
Michael C. Mannix '90, 08/27/2024, Wilbraham, MA
Richard J. French '91, 09/17/2024, Springfield, MA
Jeanne M. (Sonier) Hayes '91, 09/06/2024, Milford, NH
James C. Whiteley '93, 09/30/2024, Akron, OH
Jason A. Graham '96, 09/28/2024, Petersburg, NY
Kimberly D. Gregory '96, 10/02/2024, East Orange, NJ
Laurie C. Magriel '96, 08/11/2024, Sunderland, MA
John R. Pappalardo '98, 09/29/2024, Keene, NH
2000s
Dr. Karen A. Dunphy '00, 10/14/2024, Conway, MA
Ann W. Richards '03, 10/08/2024, East Dummerston, VT
Daniel A. Jeannotte '09, 09/22/2024, Enfield, CT
2010s
Jessica S. Edson '13, 10/03/2024, Gill, MA
Benjamin J. Lafollette '14, 09/25/2024, Holyoke, MA
Daniel K. Franc '16, 09/11/2024, Arlington, MA
Faculty
Professor James R. Averill, 08/19/2024, Northampton, MA
Jamison P. Burnside, 09/17/2024, Enfield, CT
Alon Confino, 06/27/2024, Amherst, MA
Professor Alfred P. Defonzo, 08/30/2024, Amherst, MA
Cindy R. Dubchak, 09/04/2024
Dr. Karen A. Dunphy '00, 10/14/2024, Conway, MA
Howard V. Gallagher, 05/05/2024
Francis H. Gochinski, 09/08/2024, Greenfield, MA
Anthony W. Hoynoski, 08/18/2024, Montgomery, MA
Professor Alfred B. Hudson, 06/12/2024, Pelham, MA
Monika T. Johnson, 02/13/2022, Tustin, CA
Lisa P. Kennedy, 08/09/2024, Belchertown, MA
Joseph C. Kisloski, 09/01/2024, South Deerfield, MA
Kenneth S. Kowal, 09/25/2024, Hadley, MA
Richard R. Lavoie, 09/17/2024, Holyoke, MA
Dr. Francis X. Mangan '86, 08/12/2024, Amherst, MA
Barbara M. Mantovani, 09/29/2024, Amherst, MA
Nicola Mare Usher, 01/14/2023, Amherst, MA
James M. McKenna '89, 09/13/2024, Essex, MA
Janice M. Murphy, 09/17/2024, Easthampton, MA
Agnes E. Smith, 09/09/2024, Rockland, MA
Mary A. (Pszeniczny) Stoddart, 09/15/2024, South Deerfield, MA
William W. Strickland '75, 04/10/2024, Amherst, MA
Jamie L. Thornton, 09/07/2024, Dallas, OR
Professor Robert T. Wilce, 02/26/2022, Amherst, MA
Helen J. Yagodzinski, 08/28/2024
We’re on the lookout
Share your most intriguing nooks, niches, coordinates, or curiosities on campus or anywhere in the region. Email magazine@umass.edu and we’ll investigate!