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Robert R. Miller
Robert R. Miller, emeritus professor of zoology (later biology), married Hubbs' daughter, Frances, in 1940. She was an important contributor to his research program until her death in 1987. The Miller children, Gifford, Francis, Roger, Ben and Lawrence also were important contributors to his work, along with many graduate students who were welcomed into the ichthyological family over the years. All were made to feel part of a tradition of lasting importance to natural history.
Miller was a curator in the Museum of Zoology from 1948 until his retirement in 1987. He published more than 300 contributions to ichthyology and conservation, beginning with systematic and experimental studies of the pupfishes, Cyprinodon, in Death Valley, and continuing with studies of fishes of western United States and Mexico. He actively worked on trout, minnows, suckers, live-bearers and sculpins, and pioneered work in karyology, hybridization, fossil fishes and experimental studies. His call for conservation in 1961: "Man and the changing fish fauna of the American Southwest," and his list of "Extinct, rare, and endangered American freshwater fishes," were the beginnings of the American fish conservation movement.
Miller received his doctoral degree from U-M in 1944. He served as ichthyological editor of Copeia from 1950-55; chairman of the Endangered Species Committee of the American Fisheries Society, 1969-71; chairman of the Desert Fishes Council, 1974-76; chairman of the Freshwater Fish Group, IUCN, 1965-79; and president of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in 1965. He received the Award of Excellence in 1975 and the Golden Membership Award in 1992 from the American Fisheries Society. In 1989, he was elected an honorary member of La Sociedad Mexicana de Zoologia, and in 1990 was elected Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. He was given the Robert H. Gibbs Memorial Award from the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in 1994.
A small family service was held in Ann Arbor. A memorial gathering also is scheduled for April. Information on the memorial can be found by going to: http://ummz1.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/staff/pages/miller.html
The family has endowed a memorial fund to support graduate student research. Contributions may be mailed to: Robert R. Miller Memorial Fund, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor, 48109-1079.
Dr. Kenneth Pine Mathews
April 21, 1921 Dec. 28, 2002
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King Jr.
The true measure of a man is not seen in the life he lives before others, but rather it is demonstrated by his hidden actions, how he navigates through life's trials and tribulations and how he treats his fellow man. Dr. Kenneth Pine Mathews was truly a man above many. His life was filled with a quiet integrity that left a lasting example for others to follow.
Dr. Mathews began his long and illustrious professional career at U-M, where he was a professor of internal medicine from 1948-86 and division chief of Allergy and Clinical Immunology from 1967-83, before joining the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla, Calif., in 1986. From 1968-72, Dr. Mathews served as editor of the National Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. He co-authored "A Manual of Clinical Allergy" in 1967 and contributed numerous articles to professional journals. In addition, he served as president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) in 1968 and received the academy's prestigious Distinguished Service Award in 1976.
Dr. Mathews was a highly regarded physician, scholar and leader in the field of allergy and immunology, and a true inspiration to the more than 100 fellows who trained under him in the Allergy Training Program. His impressive legacy of excellence at the U-M Medical School continues to live on as an incentive to those who have followed in his footsteps.
Dr. Ian Slepian (graduate, Allergy Training Program, Class of 1982) remembers Dr. Mathews as "a very modest man." Slepian notes, "He didn't strike me as a guy who was very interested in putting on airs or (in) power; he was only interested in his science. He had an energetic gait; he walked down the hall full of energy." Slepian recalls the depth of scientific knowledge Dr. Mathews possessed. "He was always a scientist, trying to relate things to his intellectual pursuits. He thought creatively and in a scientific way. He had a lot of integrity and a good heart."
While completing his internship at U-M, Slepian developed a medical condition that required frequent hospitalizations. During the second year of his allergy fellowship, it was Dr. Mathews who also confidentially treated him. "There was a good heart behind the scientist," Slepian says. "He was a kind-hearted (but very) private person with a lot of integrity."
Dr. James McLean, former division chief of Allergy and Immunology, remembers Dr. Mathews as a full-time administrator, researcher and teacher who "did it all on his own; researcher, ran the training program, (even) made all the teaching schedules."
"Back then, we all had rotations for several months at a time in Health Services, Wayne County General Hospital and two days a week at the V.A. Ken took his rotation like everyone else," McLean says.
Slepian and McLean remember Dr. Mathews as a man of quiet integrity."To those who knew him well-a side many fellows didn't see-the was kind, sympathetic, and would listen and counsel," McLean says. "The fellows always saw him running from consult to clinic and running from clinic to lab. He was really a unique individual."
Fellows who trained under him learned research and analysis in addition to clinical skills. "He was a busy man with very little help," McLean says. "He had a clinic secretary but not a personal secretary. He was highly confidential and did not broadcast his (personal) accomplishments."
Dr. Mathews will be remembered as the silent guy behind the scenes.
Prof. Emeritus A. Benjamin Handler
Prof. Emeritus A. Benjamin Handler, who taught urban planning in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning from 1950-80, Born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, he attended Queens University in Kingston and the London School of Economics.
He had been living in Hilton Head Island, S.C., since 1987. He is survived by a sister, Mary Rosenblatt; two daughters, Susan Auth of Monroe Twp., N.J., and Sarah Handler of Oakland, Calif.; and a granddaughter, Rachel Auth.
A private service was held in Ann Arbor March 1. Memorial contributions may be made to Alterra Clare Bridge Cottage, 48 Main St., Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29926.
Norman Everett Kemp
Norman Everett Kemp, a former faculty member in the Department of Zoology, born June 20, 1916, in Otisfield, Maine, to John and Marian Foster Kemp. He graduated from Deering High School in Portland, Maine, in 1933 and from Bates College in 1937. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1941.
In 1942 he died Dec. 28, 2002 in LaJolla, Calif., after a long struggle with Parkinson's Disease. He was 81.
He was a professor until 1986 and was head of the division of allergy 1967-83. In 1967, he co-authored "A Manual of Clinical Allergy" 2nd Ed.
He is survived by his wife, Winona; his brother, Robert; his children, Ronald, Robert and Susan and their spouses; his step-children and grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name may be made to the Division of Allergy Endowed Fellowship Fund, Division of Allergy, U-M Medical School, Taubman Center, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
Judith Allen Tarapchak
Judith Allen Tarapchak, 63, born March 7, 1940, in Toronto. She is survived by her parents, Nellie Allen (nee Rubin) and Joseph Allen (Bea); her sister and brother-in law, Dianne and Tony Houghton; her niece, Stephanie Earp; and her stepbrother, Lester Grossman.
She will be missed by her extended family and by her many dear friends, who rallied around her as she struggled with her illness. Ms. Tarapchak recently had retired from her position as manager of U-M's Interior Design Service, a post she held for 17 years.
She was a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia and Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Judy took pleasure in her garden and traveling, and was a long-time practitioner of Tai Chi.
The family wishes to thank the extraordinary staff of Arbor Hospice for their kindness and care. Burial was in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. A memorial service celebrating Tarapchak's life will be at 10 a.m. June 11 in the Kuenzel Room of the Michigan Union. Memorial contributions can be made to Arbor Hospice.
