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Olsson, Lynne Dewey (Towner) (04/19/1939–08/3/2010). Lynne Towner of Palos Park, Illinois received a B.A. degree in Biology from Grinnell in 1961. She lived in Cleveland and Loose Halls.

She met Donald M. Olsson (Grinnell, 1960) at the College, and on September 2, 1961, they were married. While Don was in graduate school at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, Lynne worked as a research assistant in a cytogenetics laboratory at the university. In 1965 they moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where she and her family lived the rest of her life. She was a member of the Middletown Methodist Church. Lynne had a passion for horses. At Grinnell, she was active in the campus horse club (Canter Club). In 1975 after moving to a farm near Louisville, she started breeding, raising, training and giving riding lessons on her quarter horses.

Lynne is survived by her husband Don and son Scott Towner Olsson. (Obituary, Lynne Dewey Towner Olsson, http://www.owenfuneralhome.com/Obituaries.htm.)

 

Nixon, David Andrew (December 10, 1936—June 11, 2018)

David Nixon from Chicago followed his brother Harvey (‘53) to Grinnell to join our class. He did so after a semester at his home-town Roosevelt University, thus enabling him to obtain his Grinnell B.A. degree in psychology in January 1961. He made the Dean’s List in June 1960.

He was a resident of Rawson Hall. As one of his hallmates recalls, “Dave studied hard when he studied; played hard when he played; laughed hard when he laughed; spoke hard when he spoke; and carried himself with great assurance. He stated his opinions strongly lest we doubted what he was asserting. He was strongly built and looked tough. We were glad he was in our hall for competitions, be they water fights or something more organized.” Another hallmate recalled that Dave had a phobia about flies landing on his food.

David participated in Grinnell’s football and wrestling teams. In later life he became a master body builder and then a columnist and editor of Muscle Training Illustrated, Ironman and other similar periodicals.

After college David attended Northwestern University School of Law, 1961-64, where he earned his J.D. degree. He then became an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Peoria, Illinois, where in 1967 he earned a Sustained Superior Performance award and then moved to its Kansas City office. Later he became a Supervising Attorney at that office before retiring in 2002.

Shortly after moving to Kansas City David had a blind date and fell in love with Gloria Bea Goldberg, and they were married in April 1968. They had two daughters, Faith M. Nixon and Leah A. Nixon, all of whom survived him.

He was in good health until A-fib and colon cancer claimed him on June 11, 2018.

For our class’ 50^th reunion in 2011 David wrote the following beautiful poem, which now precedes the obituaries in the In Memoriam pages of our class website and which now honors him as well:

In Memoriam:

Celebration of the Lives of Our Departed 1961 Classmates

As we gather together to renew our friendships in this reunion,

we remember our departed classmates.

They remain with us, always dear in our thoughts, most vividly now. Time has not dimmed the light of their faces in our memory.

We remember each now, each a bright, vibrant, treasured friend; each with

a reserved fond place in our hearts today, in remembrance of yesterday. . . .

Duane W. Krohnke

 

NELSON, Don Arthur (August 19, 1939—November 26, 2017)

Don Nelson from Denver, Colorado was a resident of Cowles Hall, a member of the Glee Club, College Choir and Velvetones, a vocal quartet, and a volunteer at KGRW, the College radio station. He also was in the cast of a production of “Damn Yankees” as a member of the Washington Senators baseball team. A fellow classmate and psych major said Don was a good friend and a very positive, down-to-earth guy who loved psychology. This friend was amazed that Don earned extra money by driving a school bus through the rural countryside around Grinnell throughout the school year, never complaining about the treacherous winter roads. He loved the kids. He was well-liked and genuine. Don was graduated with our class in June 1961 with a B.A. degree in Psychology.

The next stop on his educational journey was the University of Texas, where he earned a Ph.D. in Psychology in 1965.

Don then joined the faculty of Purdue University as an Assistant Professor of Psychology through 1972, when he left to become the Director of Clinical Training in Psychology at Indiana State University and later became Chair of its Psychology Department. While there he also served as President of the Clinical Division of the Indiana Psychology Association and as a member of the Indiana Board of Psychology Examiners. In 1995 he was recruited by Chicago’s Roosevelt University to be the Director of Psychology Doctoral Studies.

For these many accomplishments, Don was included in the American Men and Women of Science in 1973 and 1978.

In 1965 Don married Mary Margaret Morrow, and they had three sons, and after their divorce Don married Dr. Cheryl A. Marshall in 1989, with whom he had another son.

Don is survived by Cheryl Marshall and sons Perry Cameron Nelson, Geoffrey Morton Nelson, Bradley Nelson and Riley Patrick Nelson.

Duane W. Krohnke

 

Mullins, Samuel Richard (01/25/1939–09/21/1969). Sam Mullins from the town of Grinnell was at the College for one semester (1957-58) where he was affiliated with Gates Hall. From 1959 to 1962 he was in the U.S. Army. In September 1962, Sam joined the staff of the Eldora, Iowa newspaper as a newsman, sports editor and photographer, eventually becoming its Editor and News Manager. In July 1968 he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage that required hospitalization and a two-month recovery period.

Afterwards, Sam lived by this motto under the glass top of his news desk: “No matter what you do–do it right and be the best at it!”

On September 19, 1969, Sam suffered another cerebral hemorrhage while covering a high school football game for the newspaper, and he died the following Sunday. The newspaper stated Sam was an amiable man, a considerate co-worker, friend and devoted husband and father.

Sam was survived by his wife, Zelora Cassady Mullins, their two sons (Samuel R., Jr. and Stuart Van Mullins), his parents, three brothers and three sisters. (Rites Tuesday for Sam Mullins, 30, H-I News Editor, Eldora Herald-Ledger, p. 1, Sept. 23, 1969; A Tribute–Sam Mullins, Eldora Herald-Ledger, p.2, Sept. 23, 1969.)

 

Moore, Norma Lou (Showalter)

April 4, 1939—October 22, 2014

Enrolling at Grinnell College from Omaha, Nebraska, Norma Lou Showalter lived in Cleveland, James, Haines and Loose Halls, and was active in the Canter Club, the Iowa State Education Association and the Young Republicans. Norma majored in Sociology and Anthropology and took classes in elementary education; she obtained her B.A. with our class in June 1961. In her 1995 reunion comments, she said she was impressed by the College’s “freedom of expression, encouragement of independent study, the friendliness and warmth of small-town college, and good balance of social and academic areas.”

After returning to Omaha, she taught second and third grades, 1962-64, before starting a family of three boys and one girl. Later she said she loved taking care of grandchildren, reading, travel and collecting cat figurines.

Pre-deceased by her husband, Donald K. Moore, and a son, Mark David Moore, Norma is survived by two sons (Jeffrey Scott Moore and Steven James Moore) and a daughter (Sherri Ann Moore Clark), seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Norma is interred at Westlawn-Hillcrest Memorial Park in Omaha.

Nancy Welch Barnby

 

Moore, William Terrence (“Terry”) Moore, (April 11, 1939—September 6, 2022)

Terry Moore from Ames, Iowa was an active member of our class. He served as an officer of Cowles Hall and as a member of the College Choir and the Scarleteers vocal group. He lettered in football as the starting center on the team and his senior year was All Conference (2d team) at that position. He obtained his Grinnell B.A. in physical education in June 1961.

As Terry wrote in our 50^th reunion booklet, “After our [college] graduation, I loved Grinnell so much that I stayed on for two more years coaching freshmen football, varsity and freshmen wrestling and assisting in track while commuting to Iowa City to get my M.A. at University of Iowa.”

“Then in 1963 I answered the call to become one of the early Peace Corps volunteers in Indonesia teaching and coaching.” [The next year Chip Salmon, my Grinnell friend and classmate who was a Peace Corp volunteer in the Philippines, met me in Jakarta, Indonesia’s largest city. We then traveled together to Bali, where we stayed at the only hotel on the island and took donkey-powered carts on excursions. The two of us have fond memories of our time on the beaches of Bali and listening to the nearly hypnotic music at a village festival.]

“On my return [to the U.S.], Grinnell had still not hired a wrestling coach so I spent two more years there, lived in Norris Hall as a Head Resident and coached Grinnell’s only Conference Championship in [that sport] in 1967.”

In “1967 I moved on to Webster Groves, MO (St. Louis) and spent the next 30 years in the 8^th grade at Hixon Middle School teaching math and helping kids grow in positive ways. There I helped bring the first computers and technology to our building.”

“It was through two of my students that I met their mother, [Shirley Peterson], who became my wonderful wife [in 1978]. [At the time of our class reunion in 2011, we had her two sons], 10 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.”

“When I came to St. Louis [in 1967], I became an investor in Camp Mishawaka in northern Minnesota. I spent 25 years there as a counselor and had various jobs from running the waterfront to training counselors to sharing the Director’s job.”

“[in 2006 Shirley and I moved to] a wonderful retirement community, Laclede Groves [in Webster Groves, MO]. Here we live in a cottage home next to the recreation center where I swim almost every morning and continue helping other senior residents with their problems with phones, VCR’s, computers and the intruding technology. Not only is this a great place to live but we enjoy the security and support of staff as we age. My memory is fading but my wife reminds me that ‘You’ve had a good life.’ As I look back at Grinnell College, Hixon Middle School, Camp Mishawaka and now Laclede Groves, it couldn’t have been much better.”

[As her 2017 obituary stated, Shirley “spent the last 39 years of her life enjoying a very loving, caring, giving relationship with Terry by her side, always.”]

Sometime after 2011, Terry was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, and his public obituaries asked for any donations in his memory be sent to the Alzheimer Association. As his public obituary stated, “Beloved by so many, Terry was truly a wonderful man, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, teacher, coach, counselor, mentor and friend.”

Terry is survived by stepsons Rolf (Karen) Peterson and Roger (Shari) Peterson, ten grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, three nieces, two nephews and nine great-nieces and great-nephews.

Duane W. Krohnke

 

Morris, John Porter (02/07/1939–01/04/1995). John Morris of New Castle, Pennsylvania received a B.A. degree in Psychology from Grinnell in 1961. He was a member of the drama group (Grinnell Players, 1957-58) and won the Selden L. Whitcomb Poetry Second Prize (1960-61). He spent his junior year at the University of Edinburgh. While at Grinnell he lived in Cowles Hall.

Grinnell Psychology Professor Givens Thornton was a helpful mentor to John and directed him to graduate school at the University of Washington in Seattle. There John received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology in 1965. Later he completed a clinical internship that prepared him to work with clients.

From 1965 to 1969 John was an Assistant Professor at Denison University where he taught introductory psychology, child and adolescent development, and social psychology. He then joined the

Grinnell psychology faculty. At his alma mater, he was a tenured Associate Professor. He also started the Grinnell preschool program to serve both students and faculty interested in early childhood development. In 1975 John resigned his position at Grinnell and moved to Colombia, South America, where he started an import/export business.

A year later John returned to Seattle. There he engaged in clinical psychology in the prison system and in independent practice. In the early 1990s John retired from his Seattle psychology practice and moved to Tele, Honduras. He and friends worked on developing a resort on the coast. On January 4, 1995, John was stabbed to death while walking home at night in a random attack. His friends concluded Honduras was too dangerous for Americans and left the country shortly thereafter.

John married Linda Ann Finton ’61 in 1962. They had two children, Elizabeth and Katherine Morris. John and Linda divorced in the 1972.

John is survived by his two daughters and his sisters, Virginia Morris Weigel ’62 and Alice (Morris) Willis.

 

Muir, Mariel Rae (Meents) (11/18/1939–09/27/1996). Mariel Meents of Colorado Springs, Colorado received a B.A. degree in Chemistry with Honors from Grinnell in 1961. She had an excellent academic record: member of the freshmen and senior women’s honorary societies (Tassels and Mortar Board respectively), Phi Beta Kappa (1961) and the national chemistry honor society (Iota Sigma Pi). She was active in the Band and the Board of Religion.

Mariel earned a Ph. D. degree in Chemistry from Northwestern University in 1965. While there, she met and married a fellow graduate student, James A. Muir, in 1962, and they had two daughters, Molly and Martha.

She taught chemistry for a year at the University of Illinois (Chicago Circle). In 1966 she and her family moved to the University of Puerto Rico, where she became a Professor of Chemistry and Department Chairman while her husband became a Professor of Physics and Director of the Computer Center. Mariel conducted chemical research and published over 30 papers in the field, while mentoring 15 students for their Ph.D. degrees. Some of her research was done in 1973-74 as a Senior Visiting Scholar at Cambridge University.

When she reached early retirement age in 1992, Mariel and her family moved to Texas State University-San Marcos. She was Dean of Science there until her sudden death in 1996. Three years later the University established the Mariel M. Muir Excellence in Mentoring Award to recognize her commitment to the growth and development of those around her by annually honoring one faculty member and one staff member for exceptional commitment to assisting others to become more proficient in their professional activities and educational pursuits. (Texas State University at San Marcos, The Mariel M. Muir Excellence in Mentoring Awards, http://www.liberalarts.txstate.edu/about/news/cla-news2007-2008/muiraward08.html.)

 

McNeese, Robert W. (05/10/31–01/15/72). Bob McNeese of Newton, Iowa received a B.A. in Economics from Grinnell in 1961. Older than most of his classmates, he lived in his home town. After college, he worked for Armour & Company in Sioux City, Iowa in the 1960s. Later he was a contracts administrator for Kaiser Aerospace & Electronics. Bob was survived by his wife (Mary Ann McNeese) and three children.

 

John Z. McFarland, IV (March 1, 1939—December 29, 2019)

John was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania in 1939. His family lived in various locations across the country, moving often because his father was in the military. Some of us learned from conversations that John, age 2, and members of his family were living in Honolulu on December 7, 1941, and survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor. John was an Eagle Scout and graduated from high school in Shreveport, Louisiana before coming to Grinnell for his undergraduate work.

John was a resident of Gates Hall for all his four years, 1957-1961, including his service as its president our last year, and hence on the Council of House Presidents. He also was on the Board of Publications and was awarded a freshman numeral for being on the wrestling team. He obtained his B.A. in Chemistry-Zoology in June 1961.

On August 28, 1961, John married Jonnene I. Dunlop ’63 and they had three daughters, Jennifer, Jeanne, and Janet.

John’s education continued that fall at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, where he received his M.D. degree. Fellow Grinnell classmate and Gates Hall resident, Joel Goldstein ’61, and wife Marcia fondly recall visiting John and Jonnene in April 1964 and being shown some New Orleans sights followed by a delicious crawfish dinner at their apartment. The next year John received an award from the city’s mayor for his disaster work after Hurricane Betsy.

John subsequently joined the Public Health Service and completed a radiology residency at the Tulane University School of Medicine followed by service at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. His professional career included working as a radiologist in Clemson, South Carolina and various cities in the western U.S., including Pueblo, CO; Colorado Springs, CO; Albuquerque, NM; and Reno, NV. After John and Jonnene divorced, he married Sherri Oldham in 1983. They retired to Moran, WY near Jackson Hole where they built a home.

John inspired in others a love of travel, good food, nature, and national parks. He enjoyed sailing, fishing, skiing, camping, canoeing, snowmobiling, and hiking. He was always up for an adventure and despite traveling throughout the world after his retirement, he always looked forward to returning to his beloved home near Jackson Hole. John is survived by wife Sherri, daughters Jennifer (Andy) Whisman, Jeanne (Steven) McDonald, and Janet (Cory) Burlile; stepsons Eric Holst and Paul (Christine) Holst; sister Marjorie H. McFarland ’63; and eleven grandchildren.

Duane W. Krohnke