The University Record, March 18, 1998
Daniel Katz
Daniel Katz, professor emeritus of psychology, died Feb. 28 at his home. Born in Trenton, N.J., in 1903, Katz was in his 95th year. Although he had become increasingly frail in recent years, his remarkable intellect and his qualities of character remained unchanged. In these frail years, he created around himself a supportive community that enabled him to live independently until the end. In this, as in many other ways, he set an example for the many people who knew and loved him.
Katz graduated from the University of Buffalo in 1925 and began doctoral work immediately at Syracuse University. His mentor there, and subsequent co-author of an early survey of student opinions, was Floyd H. Allport, one of the pioneers of social psychology. In 1928, Katz joined the faculty of Princeton University, where he remained for 15 years. It was during the Princeton years that he met and married Christine Braley, who died in 1983.
In the early 1940s, Katz joined a group of social scientists in Washington who were responding to the needs of government agencies for continuing data on the impact of federal policies during World War II. At the end of the war, members of this group, led by Rensis Likert, formed the core of the Institute for Social Research at the U-M. Katz, who had moved to Brooklyn College as chair of the Department of Psychology, came to Ann Arbor with his family in 1947.
At Michigan, with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Social Research, Katz directed a program of ground-breaking organizational studies and, with Theodore Newcomb, was a major architect of the Michigan doctoral program in social psychology. Since 1970, the University has honored them together with an annual event, the Katz-Newcomb Lecture.
Katz’s scientific and professional contributions have been recognized with many other honors, among them the Gold Medal of the American Psychological Association, the Lewin Award of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, the Award of the American Association for Public Opinion Research and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Katz is survived by his daughters, Joanna, an artist who lives in Berkeley, and Jean Carwadine, a teacher of English-as-a-second-language; and his sister, Svea Sommer, her husband, John, and their daughter, Catherine. He leaves also his many friends, former students and research colleagues, all of whom shared the pleasure of his company, the stimulation of his intellect and the inspiration of his example.
Submitted by the Institute for Social Research
Abramo Fimo Kenneth Organski
Abramo Fimo Kenneth Organski, professor of political science and senior research scientist, Center for Political Studies, Institute for Social Research (ISR), died March 6 in Denver of a heart attack. He was 74.
A scholar of international repute, Organski’s work on the impact of economic growth on international conflict led to pioneering research on the causes of major wars and on the relationship between the organizations of governments and their ability to mobilize resources to achieve policy objectives.
Organski was born in Rome in 1923 and emigrated to the United States with his parents and brother in 1939, fleeing the anti-Jewish laws of the Mussolini regime. He became an American citizen in 1944 and served with the U.S. Armed Forces in 1943-45.
He held a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from New York University and after teaching at Brooklyn College in 1952-64 he joined the U-M faculty. Organski also was a visiting professor at Columbia University; the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; the University of Pennsylvania; the universities of Turin, Catania and Florence; and at the Agnelli Foundation in Italy.
Organski was “a major figure in the department and ISR, a marvelous teacher,” said John E. Jackson, chair of the Department of Political Science. “Students continually come up to me and comment on his courses. He motivated a significant number of people, both undergraduates and graduate students, and his scholarly work has been a major factor in the way we think about international relations. I will also remember him as a delightful, humorous, playful individual.”
Organski’s books included World Politics; Population and World Power, co-authored with his first wife, Katherine Davis Fox; Birth, Death and Taxes, written with several of his students; Stages of Political Development; The War Ledger, written with Jacek Kugler; and The Thirty-Six Billion Dollar Bargain.
Organski’s accomplishments were recognized in many ways, including receipt of the University’s Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award and serving as the James Orin Murfin Professor of Political Science in 1985-87. In 1992 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Conflict Processes Section of the American Political Science Association for his contributions to the study of international conflicts. He also was a Social Science Research Council Fellow and a Fulbright Fellow.
Organski was an honored guest at the University of Bologna when it celebrated its 900th anniversary and was awarded the Cavalieri dela Republica by the government of Italy.
In 1981, Organski, Jacek Kugler and Bruce Bueno de Mesquita founded Policon Corp., now known as Decision Insights Inc. and based in New York, to help the federal government and private corporations deal with complex negotiations and disputes. At the time of his death he was chairman of the board of the organization.
He will be remembered not only for his intellectual depth and originality, but also for his ebullience, love of language, human warmth and gift for friendship. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, and will be deeply mourned by his wife Patricia Joan Bard; his daughter, Elizabeth Anna Organski-Horn and her husband, Steven of Whitmore Lake; his son, Eric Fox Organski of Savannah, Ga.; his grandson, Steven Horn Jr.; his brother, Guido Organschi of Litchfield, Conn.; and generations of devoted students.
A memorial service will be held in mid-April. Call Muehlig Funeral Chapel for details. Memorial contributions may be made to the A.F.K. Organski Fund, Center for Political Studies.
From the family and U-M sources
Beverly C. Payne Jr.
Beverly C. Payne Jr., research scientist emeritus at the Institute for Social Research, died March 1 of a malignant brain tumor and Alzheimer’s disease. He was 77.
Payne was nationally recognized for his research in the evaluation and improvement of physicians’ performance in providing health care. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the U-M Hospitals in 1945. He became a member of the clinical faculty of the Medical School in 1953 and of the research faculty of the Institute for Social Research in 1984, serving in both roles until his retirement in 1992.
Payne received his bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Texas in 1939 and 1942, respectively. During World War II, his residency in internal medicine at the U-M was interrupted by two years of service in the U.S. Navy. He was a clinical instructor in internal medicine in 1953-1963, clinical assistant professor in 1963-76 and assistant dean in the Medical School in 1966-76. In 1976-79 he served as director of the Health Services Research Center and associate professor in the Department of Postgraduate Medicine and Health Professions Education and Internal Medicine. He was appointed associate professor in 1979 and professor in 1992 in the Department of Postgraduate Medicine and Health Professions Education. He became research scientist in the Institute for Social Research in 1984.
Payne was among the first to develop quantitative methods for measuring physicians’ performance. His subsequent investigations into measuring care quality and using data-based feedback to improve care provided models that are now commonly used to assess and improve the delivery of health care.
Among his research studies and more than 30 publications, several are particularly noteworthy. His work in this area began with a study in the late 1950s that evaluated and compared the quality of care provided across a large number of hospitals, for which he developed explicit criteria for care and data collection procedures to measure care quality. His work was published in 1962 as Hospital and Medical Economics.
He led the development of the Hospital Utilization Review Manual (published by the Medical School in 1968), a widely used model for hospitals to establish their own internal quality review processes. He led a statewide study that evaluated inpatient and outpatient care in Hawaii (“The Quality of Medical Care: Evaluation and Improvement,” 1976), which provided a model for the federal government as it was establishing a national system to evaluate care provided through Medicare.
Payne had a strong commitment to his profession and in particular to the American College of Physicians, which he served as governor for the Michigan Chapter in 1974-78, chair of the Board of Governors in 1977-78 and Regent in 1979-84. He also served on the editorial board of the Annals of Internal Medicine in 1976-79. The American College of Physicians recognized his accomplishments by awarding him the Hinda and Richard Rosenthal Award (1986) for his work in health services research and a Mastership Award (1987) for his contributions to the profession.
He also served as a consultant to a variety of government agencies and professional organizations including the Medical Care Division of the U.S. Public Health Service, the U.S. National Center for Health Services Research and Development, the Social Security Administration, the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation, and the American Hospital Association.
Throughout most of his career he maintained a half-time private practice as a general internist. Within the local community he was widely recognized for his clinical expertise and the care and compassion with which he treated his patients. He was active in several local organizations, including medical staff roles at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and community groups such as the Ann Arbor Rotary Club.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Elizabeth Mason Payne, six children and 18 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Child-reach, 155 Plan Way, Warwick, RI 02886-1099, or Individualized Home Nursing/Hospice, c/o Key Bank, 100 S. Main St., Ann Arbor MI 48103.
Submitted by the Institute for Social Research and the Department of Continuing Medical Education.
Walter Samuel Wilde
Walter Samuel Wilde, professor emeritus of physiology, died March 3 in Naples, Fla. He was 89.
Wilde held an B.S. from Miami University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.
He joined the U-M as professor of physiology in 1956 and retired in 1975. In granting him emeritus status in 1975, the Regents said: “Prof. Wilde contributed his knowledge to both instructional and research programs of the Department of Physiology and the Medical School during his 19 years at the University.”
Prior to joining the U-M, Wilde was assistant professor at Louisiana State University and held senior research appointments with the Carnegie Institution of Washington and the National Institutes of Health. In 1931-45 he held teaching posts at the University of Minnesota, Miami University, University of Rochester, University of Wyoming and Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He was an associate professor (1947) and then professor (1956) at Tulane University.
Wilde was an alumnus member of Phi Beta Kappa and a member of both the American Physiology Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science, the latter for 50 years. He published more than 30 papers and refereed articles for the Atoms for Peace Conference.
Wilde served in Civil Defense in World War II and taught meteorology in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. He also was a member of the Vanderbilt Property Owners Association.
Wilde was born Feb. 12, 1909, in Toronto, Canada. He was married to Mary Koehler and was preceded in death by his wife and a son, Peter.
He is survived by his son, Alan, of Ann Arbor; daughter Susan P. Warner of Traverse City; and grandsons, Michael of Cleveland and Stephen J. Warner of Ann Arbor.
Memorial service plans are incomplete.
From the family and U-M sources
