DEATHS
Dr.
Chambers, Anatomy
Dr. William W. Chambers, emeritus professor of anatomy in the School of Medicine, died on September 19, at the age of 85 after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease.
In 1947, Dr. Chambers joined the Penn faculty and became a noted teacher and researcher of the central nervous system. He was instrumental in the reorganization of the course in neuroanatomy for first-year medical students combining structure and function. He also was one of the founders (with Professor Louis B. Flexner) of the Institute of Neurological Sciences in 1953, one of the first such groups in the U.S. organized to stimulate multidisciplinary research. He remained at Penn until he took early retirement in 1979.
Dr. Chambers received his bachelor's degree and Ph.D. at Vanderbilt, after which he spent a postdoctoral year in the Neurological Institute of Northwestern University Medical. At Penn he worked with Dr. Chan-Nao Liu, also in anatomy, to publish Dr. Chambers' best known research which provided clear evidence that spinal injury stimulated significant growth in neurons in areas adjacent to the injured site.
Dr. Chambers is survived by his wife, Alma; a daughter, Anne; and a son, William.
John Flowers, Wharton
John E. Flowers, former director of admissions at the Wharton School, died on October 2 at the age of 53.
Mr. Flowers joined Penn in 1971 as a teaching fellow. He became the assistant director of undergraduate admissions at Wharton in 1973, associate director in 1974 and became director of Wharton admissions in 1984. In 1988 he left Penn to work in the private sector.
He is survived by his wife, Deette Chirgwin Flowers; a daughter, Katherine; his mother, Margaret F. Flowers; and two sisters.
Esther Stassen, President's Wife
Esther Glewwe Stassen, wife of a former president of Penn, died on October 7, at the age of 94. Her husband, Harold served as president of the University from 1948-1953.
While at Penn, Mrs. Stassen was a member of the Faculty Tea Club. She was listed in the Philadelphia Social Register and was in Who's Who Among American Women, 4th Edition. The Stassen's were married for 70 years
Mrs. Stassen is survived by her husband Harold; a daughter, Kathleen Esther; and a son, Glen Harold.
Almanac, Vol. 47, No. 8, October 17, 2000