Obituaries

Esther Eagan, a UB alumna and senior associate director for contracts in UB Technology Transfer, a unit within Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships, died Sept. 16. She was 50.

Harvey Breverman, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus and internationally renowned artist and educator, died on Sept. 3. He was 90.

Stephanie Phillips, professor emerita of law and a pioneer in the field of critical race theory, died Aug. 15 at her home in suburban Rochester. She was 72.

Adam J. Pawlowski, network engineer with UBIT, died unexpectedly on July 11. He was 37.

Arthur Efron, a faculty member in the Department of English for more than 40 years, died May 16. He was 92.

Michael W. Kibby, professor emeritus in the Graduate School of Education and an internationally recognized authority on reading education, died May 16 at his Williamsville home. He was 81.

Chandra R. Murphy, assistant to the dean of the Graduate School of Education, died April 16. She was 54. A UB staff member for 28 years, she profoundly impacted the institution and leaves an indelible mark on her colleagues.

Scott R. Santos, Empire Innovation Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, died April 9. He was 52.

A service will be held April 13 for James Edward Ponzo II, assistant professor in the Department of Africana and American Studies who died April 4. He was 46.

Lawrence “Larry” Southwick Jr., associate professor emeritus and University Research Scholar in the School of Management’s Finance Department, passed away March 15 in Venice, Florida. He was 85.

Tyrone Williams, professor and David Gray Chair of Poetry and Letters in the Department of English, died March 11 shortly after a cancer diagnosis. He was 70.

Dale M. “Mike” Landi, a former vice president for research at UB, died May 25 in East Amherst after a brief illness. He was 84.

Robert L. Palmer Jr., a longtime UB administrator who served as vice president for student affairs for six years, died Jan. 29. He was 80.

E. Brooke Lerner, professor and vice chair of research in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, died Oct. 4 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 52.

Kathryn A. Sawner, whose 33-year career at UB included serving as an assistant to two of its presidents, died Aug. 17, in Sisters Hospital following a lengthy illness. She was 81.

A service celebrating the life of longtime UB staff member Steven L. Shaw will take place at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 21 in the Student Union Theatre, North Campus. A reception will follow in the Student Union Social Hall.

Kristina Young, a retired clinical faculty member in the School of Public Health and Health Professions who was instrumental in helping the school develop its master’s degree program in public health, died May 6 in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital after a brief illness. She was 72.

Anthony “Tony” J. Rozak Jr., professor emeritus of computer art and communication design in the Department of Art, died May 5. He was 83.

Steven L. Shaw, associate vice provost and director of the Office of International Admissions, died May 2 at his Amherst home. He was 63.

Jay Leavitt, a computer scientist who helped to lead UB into the computer age during the 1980s, died Feb. 25 in Caldwell UNC Health Care in Lenoir, N.C. He was 85.