Steven J. Sandtner, ’33, chemistry, died Feb. 6, 2009, at age 101. Mr. Sandtner was born Dec. 22, 1907, in Chicago to immigrants from Hungary. When he was 4 years of age, his mother died, and he and his three sisters were sent to an orphanage. He was reunited with his father and siblings when his father remarried four years later. Mr. Sandtner spent most of his youth in Chicago. While in grade school, he delivered milk in four-story buildings starting at 4 a.m. for 50 cents a day. He spent his professional life as a chemist. He owned and operated Sandtner and Valentine Laboratory. According to his obituary in the Missoulian (Mont.) newspaper, he developed the formula for the 25-second-instant dessert that later become Jell-O instant pudding. The newspaper also said that he developed a formula for the decontamination of radiation and cooling agents for nuclear reactors in Hanford, Wash., and created lotions and soaps for the military. He created a cosmetic line named “Smoothie,” as well as perfumes for his wife. In 2007, he co-published his last paper titled “Hydrogen Perodize as a soil amendment for Greenhouse Nasturtium Production (Tropaeolum majus L).” Mr. Sandtner was a member of the OSU Alumni Association, American Cancer Society, American Chemical Society and the Shriners International. He died in Missoula, Mont. George W. Pluto Jr., ’49, mathematics and physics, died Dec. 26, 2008, at age 84. Mr. Pluto was president and owner of the Dallas-based Texas Testing Laboratories. He served in the military in World War II. Afterward he attended then- Oklahoma A&M where he earned degrees in mathematics and physics in 1949. He died in Dallas. Judith Long Derrick, ’56, sociology, died June 10, 2009, at age 73. Mrs. Derrick graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from then- Oklahoma A&M in 1956. After graduation, she toured Europe by bicycle before starting a job as a statistician at the U.S. Census Bureau in Washington, D.C. In 1960, she married William Richard Derrick in Stillwater. After residing in Maryland, Virginia, New York, Indiana and Utah, the family eventually settled in Missoula, Mont., in 1972. Mrs. Derrick’s love for animals and the environment was evidenced by her donations to several conservationist organizations. She also was a member of Girl Scouts of America, the Faculty Wives Club at the University of Montana and the Holy Spirit Church choir. Mrs. Derrick served as a hospital volunteer. She and her husband traveled extensively including trips to Australia, and Columbia and Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as Arcata, Calif., and Chapel Hill, N.C. She also traveled to Europe, New Zealand, Tasmania, Mexico, Greece, Turkey and the Caribbean. She died in Missoula, Mont. Rex D. Russell, ’63, physical sciences, died Jan. 29, 2009, at age 68. Dr. Russell was a resident of Fort Smith, Ark., for 34 years. He was a National Football Hall of Fame Scholar, Athlete of the Year in 1962. He received his education from OSU and Baylor College of Medicine. He served an internship through the University of Kentucky and his residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Russell retired from Sparks Regional Medical Center, in Fort Smith, after 29 years of practice as an invasive radiologist. He was a member of the Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology. He was a speaker on “Evidences on Scientific Creation” and “If a Perfect God Created Us, Why Do We Get Sick.” In 1996, he authored What the Bible Says About Healthy Living. He was a longtime supporter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He died in Houston. Terry Harper, ’86, political science, died June 2, 2009, at age 45. From February 2002 through May 2009, Mr. Harper was the executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists. He took the helm of SPJ after a series of short-term executive directors. While there, he encouraged the organization to enhance professional development training programs at the local level, as well as train in partnership with other journalism groups. During his dual tenure as executive director of SPJ and its non-profit educational arm, the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, Mr. Harper marshaled the Foundation’s financial support for a wide range of journalism, First Amendment and diversity efforts. Though trained in association management and development, Mr. Harper liked to note that his first paying job was in journalism — as a paperboy for the Yukon Review in his hometown of Yukon, Okla. Mr. Harper was a Certified Association Executive. He had 19 years of nonprofit association management experience, including 13 years with Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, where he served as executive director from 1990 to 1999. From 1999 to 2001, he was a financial adviser at UBS Paine-Webber (now UBS Financial Services) where he worked in a partnership providing investment management consulting to nonprofit organizations and foundations. Immediately before coming to SPJ and the SDX Foundation, Mr. Harper was director of fundraising for the Kiwanis International Foundation. He died in Indianapolis. Kerri Maureen Duffy, ’94, art, died June 21, 2009, at age 38. Ms. Duffy was born on Dec. 29, 1970, in Vineland, N.J. She died on June 21, 2009, after an extended battle with diabetes and complications thereof. She graduated from Jenks (Okla.) High School. In 1994, she received a bachelor of fine arts in art from OSU During her time at OSU, she was the recipient of many honors including a Faculty Award for her work in the 1992 Annual Juried Student Exhibition. Ms. Duffy worked for a number of corporations in Tulsa, including Brothers and Company, PennWell Publishing and Winnercomm. She died in Tulsa. College of Arts and Sciences 28 memorials
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAxMjk=