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OBITUARIES
Compiled by Lisa
Palladino
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1926
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Hugh J. Kelly, retired publishing executive, Olive
Bridge, N.Y., on November 19, 2001. Kelly retired in 1970 from
McGraw-Hill, where he worked for 43 years and was a member of the
board of directors since 1949. At the College, Kelly was elected
Phi Beta Kappa and served as editor of Spectator. He briefly worked
for Columbia University Press before joining McGraw-Hill’s
newly formed college book division in 1927. In 1932, he was chosen
to lead McGraw-Hill’s new trade book division, which he
headed through the 1940s. During World War II, Kelly served as a
major in the Army on the national headquarters staff of General
Lewis B. Hershey, where he helped plan and direct the Selective
Service System; he received the Army Commendation Ribbon. In 1953,
Kelly was appointed a corporate vice president of McGraw-Hill,
where he headed all manufacturing and services, a role he held
until shortly before his retirement. In 1956, he was named
executive vice president. Kelly also served as a director of
Federal Paper Board Co. and of the Columbia University Press. He
was active in Columbia fund raising, and at one time served as
chair of the Friends of Columbia Libraries. In 1997, he made a gift
and established the Hugh J. and Catherine Kelly Endowment for the
annual Thomas Merton Lecture on campus. Kelly was a knight of the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a trustee of the Ulster County
Historical Society and was awarded the Sister Mary Charles Medal,
the highest recognition given annually by the Benedictine Health
Foundation. Kelly’s wife, the former Catherine M. Rice, died
in 1990. He is survived by his daughter, Sister Agnes Kelly OSU;
four sons, Hugh Jr., Edmund, Neill and Daniel; 18 grandchildren;
and 29 great-grandchildren.
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1928
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Royal M. Montgomery, retired dermatologist, Silver
Spring, Md., on December 14, 2001. Montgomery received his medical
degree from P&S in 1931 and practiced in New York City from
that year until his relocation to Silver Spring in 1983. Following
is an excerpt from a letter that CCT received from his son, Andrew:
“I can remember as a child being brought up on Lion baseball,
basketball and football. In the fall, we seemed to attend all home
games sitting on the 50-yard line, just above the box where Dwight
Eisenhower sat. The highlight of those years was the Lions’
1947 21-20 defeat of Army with a spectacular [Gene] Rossides
[’49] to [Bill] Swiacki [’48] pass in the far
right-hand corner. At Homecoming, the attendance award always
seemed to go to the Class of 1928. Both my dad and uncle, Andrew
Peers Montgomery ’24, sponsor scholarships for deserving
students. Dad was a varsity swimmer, a member of Delta Upsilon and
always active in Columbia functions. Manhattan was his island and
Manhattan was his drink. Our whole family appreciated our ties with
Columbia and can’t wait for the Lion to roar once
more.” Montgomery married Maxine Cooley in 1934; she
predeceased him in 1997. He is survived by his sons, Andrew and R.
Bruce; daughter, Clare Davis; 12 grandchildren; and 16
great-grandchildren. Another daughter, Diane Greene, predeceased
him.
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1932
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Harold Carnegie Apisdorf, attorney and real estate
developer, Longboat Key, Fla., on April 13, 2000. Apisdorf was born
on July 14, 1912, in New York City, the nephew of prominent
American fashion designer Hattie Carnegie. He received his law
degree from Yale and practiced in New York City and Greenwich,
Conn., which he left more than 20 years ago to relocate to Longboat
Key. Apisdorf was a member of Temple Beth Israel on Longboat Key,
the Longboat Key Country Club, and the Columbia University Club of
Sarasota. He is survived by his wife, June E.; son, Peter;
stepsons, Thomas, Douglas and Wayne Huebner; eight grandchildren;
and one great-grandchild.
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1935
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Oliver M. Neshamkin M.D., retired physician, New York, on
July 8, 2001. A native New Yorker, Neshamkin earned a
master’s in zoology from the Graduate School in 1937 and his
medical degree from Anderson College, Glasgow, Scotland, in 1942.
While at Columbia, Neshamkin was a cartoonist for Jester and
won the Silver Crown. During World War II, he served in the U.S.
Army Medical Corps as a combat surgeon with the 75th Division and
earned three Battle Stars in the European Theater. After retiring
as a captain, he returned to New York and joined the staff of
Midtown Hospital. He served as the corporate physician for various
companies before establishing a general practice in Manhattan that
he maintained for more than 45 years. Unwilling to stay retired, he
went back to work in his 80s at the ILGWU clinic. His love of words
and humor are reflected by his uncounted entries (and prizes) in
the New York Magazine Competition. He won many awards for
sculpture, painting and photography at the New York Medical Society
annual shows. His love of Columbia football was shown by his almost
55-year long attendance record. He is survived by his wife, the
former Lucy Kinghorne McCallum; son, Paul ’63 and his wife,
Ruth; daughter, Linda, ’67 Barnard, and her husband, John W.
French; and two granddaughters, Anda French, Barnard ’02, and
Jenny French.
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1936
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Donald K. Beckley, retired marketing expert, Hollywood,
Fla., on December 8, 2001. Beckley was born in Washington, D.C., on
March 27, 1916. After graduating from the College, he received a
master’s from the Business School in 1937 and a Ph.D. from
the University of Chicago in 1948. Beckley worked in department
stores for several years after graduation, then became an
instructor of retailing at the Rochester Institute of Technology
from 1939–42. He was on the staff of the U.S. Armed Forces
Institute at the University of Chicago for the next year, followed
by a year as a teacher of naval flight preparation at Monmouth
(Ill.) College. Beckley served with the U.S. Army Air Force from
1944–45. He was a professor of retailing and director of the
Prince School of Retailing at Simmons College in Boston from
1946–58. He then was the executive director of the Boston
Center for Adult Education for the next four years, and later the
director of development operations and donor relations for NYU from
1962–68. Beckley was a consultant for Franzreb and Pray
Associates from 1968–75 and development coordinator for the
American Museum of Natural History for a year after that. From
1977-81, he was coordinator of the New York State Commission of
National Health Agencies for Federal Campaigns. Beckley co-authored
several publications on merchandising. Beckley’s stepson,
Jeffrey Sussman, wrote CCT that Beckley will be missed for
“his uproarious, delighted, body-shaking laughter; his sunny
disposition; his piercing intelligence; his love of music; and the
love he shared with my mother.” Beckley’s first
marriage, to Eugenie Smith, ended in divorce. Flora Mack, who he
married in 1980, died in 1999. Beckley is survived by his stepson
and his stepson’s wife, Barbara Ramsay Sussman.
Seymour J. Sindeband, engineer and inventor, Pound Ridge,
N.Y., on February 1, 2002. Born April 20, 1916, in New York City,
Sindeband also received a B.S. in 1937 and an M.A. in electrical
engineering in 1938 from the Engineering School. He received the
1996 John Jay Award for Distinguished Professional Achievements
from the College and the 1989 Egleston Medal for Distinguished
Engineering Achievement from SEAS. Sindeband served in the Navy
from 1940–46 and the Naval Reserves from 1946–55,
achieving the rank of commander. His professional accomplishments
include work as an engineer, inventor and facilitator of research
and development in computers. Sindeband developed the early
telephone reservation systems for American Airlines, TWA and United
Airlines. He pioneered real-time commercial use of computers and
related communications equipment, exploiting the use of the
magnetic disk and envisioning novel engineering and commercial
potential; designed computer systems for railroads, banks and
hotels; and developed early computer systems for the American Stock
Exchange that used stored vocabulary to synthesize voice responses.
He was a leader in the development of sonic digitizers with many
applications in medicine, motion studies and robotics. Sindeband
held three patents with the Navy for inventions involving magnetic
mines and magnetic acoustic depth charges as well as nine patents
for inventions and developments in metallurgy involving
high-temperature materials and corrosion and wear-resistant parts.
He was technical director for American Electro Metal Corp.;
president of Mercast Corp. and Alloy Precision Casting; president
of Teleregister Corp.; vice president of C.I.T. Financial;
president of Kensington Equities; and president/chairman of Science
Accessories Corp. Active in his community, Sindeband was a founder
of Bedford Central School District #2 and later became president of
the school board. He also served on the Advisory Council of the
Engineering School. His interests and hobbies focused on politics
and history; classic cars; collecting autographs of scientists and
inventors; collecting antiques, artifacts, maps, currency and art;
humor and public speaking; beekeeping; bird watching; gardening;
travel; theater; and the arts. According to a remembrance sent to
CCT by his son, Markham ’64, “All who knew him found
him to be a passionate, inspiring and remarkable person of great
loyalty, patriotism, humor and intellect. His vitality lay in his
capacity to remain interested in all that the world had to offer.
His family and friends’ hearts are filled with infinite pride
and all whose paths crossed with his feel privileged to have known
this great man.” Sindeband married Elizabeth Bennett in 1939;
she predeceased him. He is survived by his brother, Allan; son,
Markham ’64 and his wife; daughter, Carolyn S. Ricker; eight
grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
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1937
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Vincent P. Cieri, teacher, developer and consultant,
Little Silver, N.J., on February 20, 2001. A native of Union City,
N.J., Cieri was a pioneer in the development of computer-assisted
instruction for the U.S. Army. He received master’s and
doctorate degrees in education from Teachers College in 1947 and
1955, respectively. During World War II, Cieri served from
1941–43 in the U.S. Army Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth, N.J.,
and the Pentagon, reaching the rank of captain. He taught at
Emerson High School, Union City, from 1938–42, and was
director of research and measurement for the Union City schools
from 1946–58. As chief of testing and evaluation for the
Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth in the 1950s, Cieri was instrumental
in the development of computer-assisted instruction for the Army.
He was later the Signal School’s education adviser, from
1970–76, and chief of the training development office for
CORADCOM at Fort Monmouth from 1976–79. Upon retirement from
civil service, Cieri served as a consultant to Bell Labs, Data
Communication, New York Institute of Technology, Florida State
University, GTE Sylvania, Norden Systems/United Technologies,
System Development Corporation/Burroughs and Tech Dyn Systems,
among others. He was an adjunct faculty member in psychology at
Monmouth’s Graduate School of Education from 1956–70.
He also taught at Brookdale Community College. Cieri authored
several technical papers and was a panelist at numerous seminars on
training technology, including the NATO Advanced Study Institute in
Greenwich, England. He received many awards, including the Army
Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 1970 and 1979. He was a
member of the American Educational Research Association, the
National Association of Retired Federal Employees, Phi Delta Kappa
and American Legion Post #1000, Trenton, N.J. He is survived by his
wife, Marie Corse Cieri; daughter, Nina, and son-in-law, Harmon
Willey; daughter, Marie E. Cieri; and grandchildren, Allison Willey
and Todd Willey.
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1939
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Ralph C. Staiger, retired professor and reading
professional, Newark, Del., on January 7, 2002. Born September 10,
1917, in New York City, Staiger earned a master’s from
Teachers College in 1942 and was awarded his doctorate in the
psychology of reading by Temple University in 1952. He was
executive director emeritus of the International Reading
Association (IRA), serving that professional society from
1962–84. Its professional library is named in his honor. He
also was adjunct professor of education at the University of
Delaware until his retirement in 1984 and served as chairman of the
University of Delaware Association of Retired Faculty. Beginning
his education career as a teacher in Quinwood, W. Va., Staiger
later took assignments as supervising principal in Portland, Pa.,
and reading consultant for the Utica, N.Y., school system. At the
University of Southern Mississippi, he was professor of psychology
and director of the school’s reading clinic. He also taught
in summer programs at Cornell, Rutgers and Syracuse, as well as in
the U.S. Indian Service. During Staiger’s tenure as chief
administrative officer of the IRA, the association grew from 12,000
to 80,000 members. Staiger initiated the IRA’s Literacy
Award, presented annually by UNESCO to honor meritorious work in
promoting literacy internationally. Staiger served as consultant to
the U.S. Department of Education, was a member of the executive
committee of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO and served on
the advisory committee of the Library of Congress Center for the
Book. He received numerous reading-related awards and commendations
and was elected to the Reading Hall of Fame in 1980. He also served
as the organization’s president. He was active in several
other reading organizations. After his retirement from the IRA,
Staiger was elected president of the United States Board on Books
for Young People. He authored more than 80 publications on reading,
including Roads to Reading, which has been translated into
six languages. Staiger was his class’s CCT correspondent
(1998–2002) and treasurer. He is survived by his wife of 56
years, Marian Carpenter Staiger; son, Charles, and daughter-in-law,
Marsha; daughter, Joan; three granddaughters; and a
goddaughter.
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1943
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James J. Lennon, Haddonfield, N.J., independent business
problem analyst, on February 17, 2002. Lennon was born on May 7,
1921, in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., and attended parochial schools in Dobbs
Ferry and Hastings-on-Hudson. After graduating from high school at
15, he worked for two years for the Yokohama Specie Bank in New
York. At the College, he won a $750 scholarship and worked multiple
jobs on- and off-campus, graduating with a degree in international
relations. He was president of the student advisory board and a
member of the Nacoms and Van Amringe honorary societies, and won
his classmates’ vote as Most Likely to Succeed. Lennon served
as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy in the Mediterranean and Pacific
during World War II. From war’s end through the 1970s, he
worked for RCA in the United States and Canada as a manager of
sales, distribution and marketing. In the late 1970s, he left RCA
to found his own management advisory firm, the Lennon System, which
worked with private and not-for-profit clients throughout the
Delaware Valley. Lennon was active in the Haddonfield Democratic
Club, Haddonfield Rotary and the Columbia Alumni Club of
Philadelphia. He spearheaded and was chairman emeritus of the
Columbia War Remembrance, an alumni group organizing an on-campus
memorial dedicated to the memory of Columbia alumni who died in
service to America from the Revolution to the present. In a letter
to CCT, his son, Mark, wrote that Lennon “was
eternally grateful for the opportunities that Columbia provided for
him. It’s fair to say that his time and accomplishments at
Columbia were among his happiest. The good relationships and
friendships he forged and maintained through his association with
Columbia have been among the most important of his recent
life.” Lennon is survived by his wife of 55 years, Patricia
Willett Lennon; brother, Joseph; son, Mark; grandsons, Emerson and
Edgar Lennon; and adopted grandson, Steven Hardgrove.
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1948
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William A. Vessie M.D., physician, Kalispell, Mont., on
December 1, 2001. Born in New York City on November 20, 1922,
Vessie attended school in Greenwich, Conn., and graduated from
Hackley Prep School in Tarrytown, N.Y., in 1941. He attended
Dartmouth for a year, then enlisted with the Marine Corps in
December 1942. After the war, he returned to New York, completed
his education at the College and received his M.D. from P&S in
1954. He did his residency, internship and fellowship in the
urology department at Roosevelt Hospital in New York. Prior to an
accident in 1964 that left him quadriplegic, Vessie was a
world-class athlete, holding international high jump records that
were unbroken for 30 years. Vessie later moved to Montana, which he
had vowed to do after seeing the area during the war while he was
in charge of transferring troops from Chicago to San Francisco. He
practiced in Kalispell, Mont., until 1983, and then accepted a
position as a prison physician in Deer Lodge with the Montana
Department of Institutions until his retirement in 1990. His
interests included fly-fishing, fly-tying, calf-roping (he became
one of the world’s 10 best rodeo ropers), race horses,
falconry and dogs. He then returned to Kalispell. Vessie is
survived by his wife, Donna; sons, Joel, Thomas and Timothy;
stepchildren, Dixie, Lance, Lisa, Julie and Brenda; and numerous
grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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1952
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Robert N. Landes, retired executive vice president and
general counsel, Naples, Fla., on January 25, 2002. Landes earned a
degree from the Law School in 1954, where he was editor of the
Columbia Law Review and a Harlan Fisk Stone Scholar. From
1954–57, he served as a lieutenant junior grade in the Navy.
From 1957–61, Landes was an associate with Shearman &
Sterling. He then moved to U.S. Industries, where in 1970 he was
named vice president and general counsel of U.S.I. Apparel, a
subsidiary. In 1974, he joined McGraw-Hill, where he handled first
amendment cases, negotiated acquisitions and divestitures and
defended McGraw-Hill against a hostile takeover in 1979. He retired
from the company in 1996. Landes was on the board of the
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law and a
member of the New York City Bar Association. He chaired the
Lawyers’ Committee of the Association of American Publishers
as well as the legal affairs committee of the Magazine Publishers
Association, and wrote articles for the New York Law Journal.
Landes served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Columbia
Graduates and was treasurer of the Law School Alumni Association.
He lectured at the Law School during 1996. Landes is survived by
his wife, Phyllis Markman Landes; son, Jeffrey; daughters, Lucy
Harrop and Kathy Braddock; daughter-in-law, Andrea Landes;
son-in-law, Mark Harrop; and three grandchildren.
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1961
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James F. Dana M.D., physician, Nesconset, N.Y., on
December 28, 2001. Dana attended the Hill School on a Dupont
Scholarship and the College on an academic scholarship. While in
prep school he won the American Legion Oratorical Championship for
Pennsylvania, and while at the College he won the trophy in
original oratory in the Irish feis, a cultural festival that was
held at Fordham. While at the College, he ran track and rowed crew
on the lightweight team. He attended New York Medical College, and
after becoming a physician served as a commander in the U.S. Public
Health Service. He later served as deputy coroner and narcotics
examiner of Suffolk County. Dana taught many physical therapists at
Touro College, where an academic chair was endowed in his name. He
also served as a forensic specialist in legal trials. At the time
of his death, Dana was a practicing physician of physical
rehabilitative medicine. He is survived by his wife, Alice; son,
James; daughters, Ali Nicole and Melissa; and brother, Thomas
’58.
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