Seventeen faculty members were granted emeritus status by the Board of Regents at its May meeting. They are:
Keith W. Bryan, professor of music (flute)
Bryan joined the School of Music in 1964 as a guest lecturer. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1965, associate professor in 1968 and professor in 1972.
Prior to joining the U-M, Bryan was with the National Symphony Orchestra and performed as a partner in the “Bryan and Keys Duo” with his wife, pianist Karen Keys.
“Throughout his tenure at the Univer-sity, Prof. Bryan remained active as a performer,” the Regents noted. “His recording of ‘Twentieth Century Sonatas for Flute and Piano’ was an especially conspicuous highlight of such activities, as was the Bryan and Keys five-week tour and residency in China in 1985 and Bryan’s premiere performance of a new flute concerto by John La Montaine at the National Gallery of Art in 1981.”
O. Lynn Deniston, associate professor of public health policy and administration
Deniston joined the University in 1964 as a research associate in the School of Public Health. He was appointed lecturer in 1966 and associate professor in the Department of Health Planning and Administration in 1976.
His research and teaching focused on program evaluation, emphasizing the measurement of health status and quality of life. In the 1970s and 1980s he was responsible for coordinating the core course for the School’s M.P.H. program.
“Over a quarter of a century’s worth of Public Health students found Prof. Deniston to be an unusually accessible and helpful academic adviser and mentor,” the Regents noted. “He was revered for an ‘open-door policy’ that found him eager to devote long hours to working with individual students. He also made significant efforts to keep in touch with alumni, efforts eased by the fact that alumni often sought him out, whether it be for career counseling or simply to sustain highly-valued friendships.”
Thomas M. Donahue, the Edward H. White II Distinguished University Professor of Planetary Science and professor of physics
Prior to joining the U-M in 1974 as professor and chair of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Donahue held positions at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pittsburgh. He served as chair until 1980 and was appointed professor of physics in 1989.
Donahue has participated in the Orbiting Geophysical Observatory, Voyager, Pioneer Venus, Galileo and Cassini spacecraft missions and is the author of more than 150 publications. He has received numerous honors including appointment as the Henry Russel Lecturer in 1986 and the Stephen S. Atwood Award for Excellence in Engineering in 1994.
“Prof. Donahue knows as much about planets, especially Venus, as anyone in the world today,” the Regents said. “His brilliance is legendary, both as an experimentalist and as a theoretician. He has served on numerous national advisory boards and has held visiting titles at major institutions. Prof. Donahue has also served on countless University committees and programs, including the Project for the Integrated Study of Global Change.”
Peter W. Ferran, associate professor of theatre
Ferran holds an M.A. and Ph.D. from the U-M and joined the faculty as a lecturer in the Residential College in 1970. He was named assistant professor of English in 1973 and associate professor of theatre and drama in 1985.
He is the author of several published articles and reviews and has been a long-time lecturer at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival and Modern Languages Association meetings.
“Prof. Ferran’s teaching,” the Regents noted, “has included fundamentals of drama, dramatic theory and criticism, play writing, arts and ideas, and intensive German, in addition to the practically ever-present emphasis on [Bertold] Brecht. He was a founding member of the Residential College Brecht Company, in which he involved himself as actor, director, and—as an avocational musician of considerable prowess—performer and composer.”
Bernard A. Galler, professor of electrical engineering and computer science
Galler joined the U-M in 1955 as an instructor in the Department of Mathematics. He was appointed to assistant professor in 1959, associate professor in 1962 and professor in 1966.
“A pioneer in the field of computer science, Prof. Galler helped shape this discipline at the University,” the Regents said. “In the early 1960s, he was active in the development of the new Communication Sciences Program and in 1966 was named associate director of the Computing Center. He became a charter member of the new Department of Computer and Communications Sciences in 1966 and was instrumental in 1984 in negotiating the merger of that department and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
“The Department of Computer and Communication Sciences was one of the first of its kind in the country,” the Regents noted, “so it is not surprising that Prof. Galler was influential in the development of software and mathematics curriculum for computer science. Prof. Galler has also provided vital service to the wider University community, serving as associate dean for long-range planning in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and on many Universitywide committees and task forces over the years. Despite all of his administrative responsibilities, he has served as an undergraduate counselor for the computer science program for many years.”
Armando A. Ghitalla, professor of music (trumpet)
Prior to joining the U-M in 1979 as professor of music, Ghitalla was principal trumpet in the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 28 years and also taught at the Tanglewood Music Center and the New England Conservatory of Music.
“At the U-M,” the Regents noted, “Prof. Ghitalla gave a decade and a half of dedicated, expert, gentle, yet demanding instruction to aspiring young performers. In 1991, he was given the Harold Haugh Award for excellence in studio instruction, in recognition of his outstanding effectiveness in teaching. A noteworthy characteristic of his relationship with students,” the Regents added, “is that it did not begin and end at his office door—an enthusiastic and dashing cook, Prof. Ghitalla furnished many an impecunious student with gourmet cuisine otherwise unavailable to them, regaling them with music ‘war stories’ and arming them with valuable practical information about American orchestral life.”
The Regents also noted that Ghitalla “capped his career on the Michigan faculty by donating 23 valuable trumpets to the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments, and his life-long collection of materials and music associated with trumpet performance to the music library. Principally, though, he gave of himself, his talent, his wide experience, and his deep love of his art. Generations of students are in his debt.”
Elmer G. Gilbert, professor of aerospace engineering and of electrical engineering and computer science
Gilbert joined the U-M as an instructor in 1953 in the Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and was promoted to assistant professor in 1957, associate professor in 1959 and professor in 1963. In 1987 he was also named professor of electrical engineering and computer science.
“Prof. Gilbert was instrumental in establishing strong graduate-level programs in information and control engineering; computer, information and control engineering; and aerospace engineering,” the Regents said. “His high standards of scholarship have had a major influence on the control curriculum, with his emphasis on depth of understanding and mastery, rather than superficial understanding of isolated topics.
“A productive researcher,” the Regents added, “Prof. Gilbert has made numerous contributions in the areas of dynamic-system simulation, linear systems and control theory, optimal control of aerospace and robotics systems, and numerical optimization techniques. He also was one of the founders, in 1957, of Applied Dynamics International, an Ann Arbor company that is a leading supplier of high-speed digital computers for simulation. He holds nine patents in simulation and control technology.”
L.A. Peter Gosling, professor of Southeast Asian studies
Gosling, who holds three degrees from the U-M, joined the Department of Geography in 1956 as an instructor. He was appointed assistant professor in 1959, associate professor in 1964 and professor in 1970. He served as department chair for two years and in 1982 transferred to the Department of Anthropology.
“Prof. Gosling,” the Regents said, “was a founder of the Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies and served three times as its director. In 1983, he started the Southeast Asia Business Program, the only program of its kind in the country, and served as its director until 1993. He also served for 13 years as the chief administrative officer of the Association for Asian Studies, the world’s largest learned society for Asia specialists, which is based at the U-M.
“Although he has conducted field research and consulted throughout Asia, Prof. Gosling has specialized in Southeast Asia, where he has conducted extensive field research on rural development, population movement and ethnic relations.”
Donald T. Greenwood, professor of aerospace engineering
Greenwood joined the U-M as assistant professor in aerospace engineering in 1956, following work at Lockheed Aircraft and the University of California in the area of analog computing. He was promoted to associate professor in 1957 and professor in 1963.
“Prof. Greenwood,” the Regents said, “is best known for his exceptional books on dynamics; they focus on the practice of solving difficult dynamics problems. This focus was reinforced by Prof. Greenwood in the courses he taught, which earned a reputation for posing challenging problems that tested the limits of his students’ understanding and abilities. Students have benefited greatly from his thoughtful explanations and his emphasis on exploiting physical insight in solving problems. In recognition of his considerable teaching skills, Prof. Greenwood was awarded the Good Teaching Award by the College in 1986.”
John A. Larson, professor of management, U-M-Flint
Larson joined the U-M-Flint in 1976 as professor of management and the first dean of the newly-established School of Management,” the Regents noted. “He served as dean until 1980 and was instrumental in leading and developing the department by expanding the faculty and degree programs.
“Prof. Larson has been the recipient of several honors during his career, including the Faculty Achievement Award for Distinguished Service and a nomination for Educator of the Year by the Sales and Marketing Executives of Flint.”
Prior to joining U-M-Flint, Larson taught at several institutions, and worked for the Business Executive’s Research Council of Chicago, the North Central Association-Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, and the Brookings Institution.
In 1977, he received the annual alumni award from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
John D. Mohler, professor of music (clarinet)
Mohler, who holds three degrees from the U-M, taught at Drake University prior to joining the faculty as assistant professor of music in 1962. He was promoted to associate professor in 1965 and professor in 1970. He also taught at the Brevard Music Center, Cumberland Forest Music Camp and the National Music Camp at Interlochen.
“During the course of his career,” the Regents noted, “Prof. Mohler gave many performances as a recitalist and chamber musician at sister institutions. His long teaching career has yielded a large and devoted cadre of admirers, and he received the Harold Haugh Award for excellence in studio instruction in 1979.
“At the University of Michigan,” the Regents added, “Prof. Mohler gave dozens, if not hundreds of performances as a member of the University Woodwind Quintet, which presented concerts not only in Ann Arbor but also in outlying regions of the state. He also took a leadership role in School of Music affairs as chair of his department and member of the executive committee and of the scholarship committee.”
Arch W. Naylor, professor of electrical engineering and computer science
Following an appointment as a Fulbright scholar at the Technical Univer-sity, Delft, Netherlands, and completion of his Ph.D. at the U-M, Naylor joined the faculty in 1960 as assistant professor of electrical engineering. He was promoted to associate professor in 1963 and professor in 1974.
“Naylor’s research in control systems,” the Regents noted, “has been internationally recognized, as shown by prestigious visiting appointments” at such institutions as the Technical University in Delft, the Universite de Grenoble, the University of Chile and the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique en Automatique.
“Prof. Naylor helped introduce the developing field of information and control engineering at the University, directing numerous research programs, introducing important graduate courses, and publishing extensively in technical journals,” the Regents noted. “The governor’s High Technology Task Force recognized these accomplishments by appointing him acting director of the Michigan Industrial Institute during its formative period in 1982–83.”
Richard H. Sands, research scientist and professor of physics
Sands joined the U-M in 1957 as assistant professor of physics and together with Peter Franken established a pioneering program in atomic physics. He was promoted to associate professor in 1960 and professor in 1965, and has been associated with the Biophysics Research Division since its inception in 1964.
“Prof. Sands is a renowned spectro-scopist who has pioneered the applications of spectroscopy to studies of proteins,” the Regents said. “In 1959, with Helmut Beinert, he made the first electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements in a protein involved in oxidation-reduction reactions. During the course of his career, he has developed or initiated a number of techniques, including high-power electron-nuclear double resonance, wide-band electron-electron double resonance and multi-frequency EPR spectroscopy.
“One of Prof. Sands’ outstanding achievements was the elucidation of the structure of the active center of the two-iron ferredoxins by spectroscopic analysis—an effort that combined information” from a number of areas. “Prof. Sands has also made crucial contributions to the knowledge of molecular structure and function in several other subclasses and redox proteins, including the cytochromes and flavo-proteins.”
Scott K. Simonds, professor of health behavior and health education and of public health policy and administration
Prior to joining the U-M in 1966 as associate professor of health education, Simonds worked for the U.S. Public Health Service. He was appointed professor in 1971 and professor of public health policy and administration in 1991.
“While at the School of Public Health,” the Regents stated, “Prof. Simonds served as the director of the Program in Health Education, assistant dean for curriculum, and director of the Non-Residential Program in Public Health Policy and Administration. His teaching has been central to the training of students in health behavior and health education.
“Prof. Simonds has long been a national leader and international leader in health education,” the Regents noted. “But it is as a teacher that Prof.
Simonds will be most remembered for he brought to the classroom a deep understanding of health education practice and policy. His classes were real-world oriented and generated a high level of interest and enthusiasm among all involved. He used innovative teaching techniques and spearheaded the establishment of competency-based curricula in his department and the school. He has been an honored and distinguished colleague whose work has enriched the professional preparation of countless numbers of public health students.”
William B. Stapp, professor of resource planning and conservation
The root causes of environmental problems and educating people to find solutions to those problems have been the focus of Prof. Stapp’s career at the University, which began in 1964 and “he and his students are largely responsible for the spread of environmental education into the curricula of schools around the globe,” the Regents noted.
“In the 1960s and 1970s,” the Regents said, “Prof. Stapp expanded his efforts in environmental education from the local level to the national and international levels as an adviser to U.S. government agencies, and served as the first director of the Environmental Education Program for the United Nations (UNESCO) in Paris. In 1989, Prof. Stapp founded the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN), which grew out of a 1986–87 science project at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Today, GREEN is an independent organization linking teachers, students, administrators and professionals in river education programs in all 50 states and 125 countries.
“A researcher of international renown, Prof. Stapp has participated in workshops, conferences, industrial programs and sponsored research activities throughout the world. At the same time,” the Regents added, “he has remained a strong force at the School of Natural Resources and Environment, preparing hundred of students from all over the world to be researchers and educators in the environmental education field. He is indeed an exemplary model of both an educator and a world citizen.”
George B. Wilson, professor of music (composition)
Wilson, who holds three degrees from the U-M, also studied at the Conservatoire Royale de Musique, Bruxelles; the Ecole d’Artes Americaines, Fountaine-
bleau; and the Tanglewood Music Center. He joined the U-M faculty in 1961 as a lecturer, rising to professor in 1971. He is a founding member of the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, and helped found the Contemporary Directions Ensemble, which is dedicated to the performance of new music—primarily that of students.
“Prof. Wilson served as director of the Electronic Music Studios from 1964 until his retirement,” the Regents noted, “taking principal responsibility for the construction and ongoing development of that facility, aided by four successive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts in the early 1980s.
“Throughout his career, Prof. Wilson has always been a powerful advocate for students—utterly devoted to their well-being and to the development of their talents. His impact on their thinking has been enormous.”
Raymond A. Yagle, professor of naval architecture and marine engineering
Yagle initially was appointed lecturer in the Engineering Research Institute in 1950. He was named assistant professor in the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in 1955, associate professor in 1961 and professor in 1965. He received the department’s Outstanding Service Award in 1993.
“During his career,” the Regents said, “ Prof. Yagle taught an exceptionally wide range of courses and introduced a number of new courses in computer applications and ocean engineering. He served as undergraduate program adviser for several decades, taking an important role in the revision of the program and in developing concepts and procedures.
“Prof. Yagle chaired and served on many important national and international technical committees and on a number of departmental, College and University committees. His many technical papers, reports and chapters in books have made valuable contributions to marine technology. Recognized as a leading authority on undergraduate education for the marine industry, Prof. Yagle has also written many papers on this subject,” the Regents added.
