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Deaths
September 5, 2006, Volume 53, No. 2

Dr. DeVries, Penn Museum

Keith DeVries

Dr. Keith R. DeVries, associate curator emeritus of the Mediterranean section of the Penn Museum, and associate professor emeritus of Classical Studies, died on July 16, at the age of 69.

After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1958 with a degree in English, he worked in publishing in New York and in Rome for several years. In 1965, he began graduate study in Classical Archaeology at Penn and received his Ph.D. in 1970. He came to work with Rodney Young, the renowned discoverer of King Midas’s Phrygian capital at Gordion in central Turkey. He spent two years at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, establishing a relationship with Greece, and especially with the city of Corinth, that would continue throughout his life. In 1969, he began teaching at Penn as an instructor. In 1971 he became assistant professor and two years later was promoted to associate professor, where he remained his entire career, retiring from teaching in 2004. He continued his research, however, and maintained his office at Penn after official retirement.

An internationally known scholar of Greek and Anatolian archaeology, Dr. DeVries was particularly interested in the interactions of the Greeks with contemporary peoples of Asia Minor and the further Near East. He had a special interest in Greek pottery, and he published several works on Greek Geometric pottery from Corinth. His study of Corinthian Geometric led him to propose a chronological adjustment for the initial Greek colonization in the central Mediterranean. Large quantities of Greek pottery were found at Gordion, and Dr. DeVries published several articles on this important collection of imported pottery.  He also served as co-director of the Penn Museum’s Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum project, and he was a consultant on its new Greek Gallery.

But it was Gordion that became his life’s work. A staff member of the excavation for some 30 years, he also served as its director between 1977 and 1987. His deep knowledge of Gordion and of Greek and Phrygian pottery contributed to the recent re-dating of the Gordion sequence, work done in collaboration with Drs. Mary M. Voigt and G. Kenneth Sams. Previously, the historical King Midas was thought to be buried in the so-called Midas Tumulus; that personage is now thought to be an earlier Phrygian ruler, perhaps Midas’s father Gordias. He was working on the ramifications of the revised Gordion chronology at the time of his death.

“Dr. DeVries taught a broad range of courses in Greek archaeology from the Bronze Age through the Classical period. Generations of students in Classical Archaeology at Penn knew him as a devoted and generous teacher and advisor,” said Dr. Ann Brownlee, senior research scientist of the Mediterranean section at the Penn Museum.

He was a longtime member of the Archaeological Institute of America and the Managing Committee of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens.

Dr. DeVries is survived by two brothers, Roger and David.

The Penn Museum is planning a memorial service to be held some time in the fall. Donations may be made to the Penn Museum, 3620 South St., Philadelphia, PA 19104 or to the Church of Saint Luke and The Epiphany, 330 South 13th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107.


Mr. Dixon, Former Trustee

F. Eugene Dixon

Mr. F. Eugene Dixon, Jr., CCC ’47. HON ’84, former term Trustee, civic leader and sportsman, died on August 2 of cancer at the age of 82.

Mr. Dixon was a term Trustee of the University from 1984-1988, and this past year served as an ex-officio member on the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Board of Overseers. Mr. Dixon’s formal association with Penn began in 1981 when he joined the Advisory Board of the Morris Arboretum. He also served on the Athletic Advisory Board.

After studying at Harvard University, Mr. Dixon became a teacher at Episcopal Academy and later served as its athletic director and admissions director. He has also served as director of PNC Bank, ESB Inc. and Liberty National Bank.

Mr. Dixon was very involved in Philadelphia and the surrounding community. Over the years, he was owner of the Sixers and part-owner of the Phillies, Eagles and Flyers. He served as a trustee for Temple and Widener Universities, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Free Library. Mr. Dixon was also involved with the Fairmont Park Commission, the PA State System of Higher Education, the Philadelphia Art Commission, and the Delaware River Port Authority.

A recipient of many honorary degrees, Mr. Dixon was awarded a doctor of laws honorary degree at the centennial convocation of Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine in 1984 “in recognition of his devotion to horses and his important support for the improvement of their care.”

Mr. Dixon is survived by his wife, Edith; son, George; daughter, Ellin Dixon Miller; three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
A memorial service is planned for September 29 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118. Donations can be made to Abington Memorial Hospital, 1200 Old York Rd., Abington, PA 19001; Main Coast Memorial Hospital, 50 Union St. Ellsworth, ME 04605; or the Society of the Four Arts, 2 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach, FL 33480.


Mr. Fisher, Former Trustee

Richard Fisher

Mr. Richard L. Fisher (C ’63, G ’67), former Trustee and SAS Overseer died from cancer on August 5 at age 65. 

A member of the third generation to manage his family’s real estate business in New York, Mr. Fisher was a longtime senior partner of Fisher Brothers, where he led strategic planning and financial affairs. In addition to his real estate activities, Mr. Fisher  was also active in many civic and philanthropic causes in New York. 

During his undergraduate years at Penn, Mr. Fisher was executive editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian and a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, the John Marshall Society, and the Pre-Law Society. Graduating cum laude from the College, he stayed on to earn his master’s and completed the course work for a doctorate in English literature. While still a student, he worked as a reporter for The Evening and Sunday Bulletin, as a drama critic for a local radio station, and for Philadelphia Magazine. After teaching poetry and prose at Penn for two years, he received a Schubert Playwriting Fellowship, wrote a full-length comedy for the stage, and was made a critic-fellow at the Eugene O’Neill Memorial Foundation in Waterford, Connecticut. He taught briefly at Drexel University before becoming managing editor of the underground paper, The Drummer, and publisher of the Collegiate Guide, which he acquired with a view to improving Philadelphia’s image.

A passionate believer in the importance of undergraduate education and the enduring value of the liberal arts, he became an Overseer of the School of Arts and Sciences in 1989 and served in that capacity for 11 years. In 1991, he began two terms of service as a Trustee, and was a member of both the Budget and Finance, and Student Life Committees.  His tenure as a Trustee was marked by the fulfillment of one of his and the University’s long-held dreams, The Penn Club of New York. As one of The Penn Club’s catalysts, he was the point person in the search for and purchase of the club building. Thereafter he was an active member of the Club’s Board of Governors and served as its Vice President until 1995.

In addition to his substantial support of The Penn Club, Mr. Fisher was a generous contributor to the recent SAS campaign to renovate Bennett Hall.  In recognition of his leadership gift, the building was renamed Fisher-Bennett Hall (Almanac November 9, 2004). At the time, Mr. Fisher remarked that “Bennett Hall was my home at Penn. It was in this building that I learned about myself and the world.” Mr. Fisher also established the Richard L. Fisher Professorship in English, among other gifts to the University.  
Mr. Fisher is survived by his wife, Kristen; children, Hadley, Alexandra, and Winston and Winston’s wife Jessica; his mother, Emily Fisher Landau; two grandchildren; a brother and two sisters.


Mr. Funderburg, Brister Society

George Funderburg

Mr. George N. Funderburg, W ’57, University City and Penn supporter, died of cancer on August 16, at the age of 80.

Mr. Funderburg, founder of the local real estate firm Urban Developers, along with Bye Real Estate (now Urban & Bye Realtor), worked to establish the reputation of the area he designated “University City”. When other real estate agents overlooked West Philadelphia, Mr. Funderburg and his wife encouraged Penn faculty and staff and others to move into what they thought was a “unique and historic Philadelphia neighborhood.”

Mr. Funderburg and his wife, Lois, contributed generously to neighborhood causes and served on many local committees and boards. At Penn, he was a member of the Committee for Minority Permanence, now called the James Brister Society, since 1998. The Society, which was created in 1993, works to promote diversity in higher education.

From 1986-1996, the Funderburg Information Center was established as a central location to introduce visitors to Penn’s campus.  It occupied the space at 3401 Walnut St., where Starbucks is now.

Mr. Funderburg is survived by his wife, Lois CW ’48; daughters, Diane, Margaret and Lise; granddaughter, Phoebe Funderburg Moore; sons in law, Greg Moore and John Howard; and four stepchildren, Randl, Gwendolyn, Alan, and Arthur Bye.


Dr. Herlinger, Radiology

Dr. Hans Herlinger, professor emeritus of radiology, died August 4 of vascular dementia. He was 91.

Before coming to Penn, Dr. Herlinger studied to become a pediatrician and studied tropical medicine. He practiced medicine in England, Guyana, and South America in the 1950s. During the 1960s and early 1970s, he had served as head of radiology at St. James University Hospital in England. He was invited to come to Penn’s department of radiology in 1976 as a visiting scholar at age 63. While at Penn in 1978, Dr. Herlinger “developed a technique called enteroclysis—a method of getting radiological details of the small bowel to detect abnormalities,” according to Dr. Igor Laufer, professor of radiology. Dr. Herlinger was promoted to professor of radiology in 1981 and gained emeritus status in 1985. He retired from Penn in 2003.

Dr. Herlinger is the author of the widely used textbook Clinical Radiology of the Small Intestine. In 1990, he was given an honorary medical degree from the University of Graz in Austria, his birth country. Later in 1996, HUP honored him with the Cannon Medal.

Dr. Herlinger is survived by his sons, John and Charles; and five grandchildren.
Donations may be made to the Quadrangle Residents’ Assistance Fund, 3300 Darby Rd., Haverford, PA 19041.

Dr. Kaye, Pediatrics

Dr. Robert Kaye, professor emeritus of pediatrics, died on July 14, at the age of 88.

Born in New York in 1917, Dr. Kaye received a scholarship to attend Johns Hopkins University, where he earned both a B.A. in 1939 and a M.D. in 1943. After graduation, Dr. Kaye joined the faculty of his alma mater and later the faculty of Harvard University. He began his career at Penn in 1948 as an instructor in pediatrics in the School of Medicine. In 1951, he was appointed assistant professor of pediatrics. Dr. Kaye was promoted to associate professor in 1956 and became professor in 1964. He achieved emeritus status in 1986. Dr. Kaye also held hospital and administrative appointments at CHOP where from 1965-1973, he served as deputy physician-in-chief. After leaving Penn in 1973, Dr. Kaye joined the faculty at Hahnemann University Hospital and later the Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Kaye was part of the first group of faculty members to receive the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching at Penn in 1962. He was also the recipient of The Award of the League of CHOP and was a member of the AOA Medical Honor Society.

Dr. Kaye was involved in numerous professional and scientific societies including the American Institute of Nutrition, the Philadelphia Pediatric Society, the Philadelphia College of Physicians and the Philadelphia chapter of the American Diabetes Association. He coauthored over 40 papers published in professional journals and contributed numerous chapters, reviews, and editorials.

Dr. Kaye is survived by his wife, Ellen; sons, Sanford and Anthony; daughters, Elizabeth, Margaret, and Hillary; and three granddaughters. A memorial service will be held September 16 at 2 p.m. at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel, One Dock St., Philadelphia, PA 19106. E-mail Mrs. Ellen Kaye at ekaye@aol.com if you plan to attend.

Ms. Williams, Student Health

Shirley E. Williams, a receptionist in Student Health Services, died on August 9. She was 57.

Ms. Williams began working at Student Health Services in 1989, where she remained until her retirement due to illness in 2004.
Ms. Williams is survived by her daughter, Lauren; mother, Gladys Mitchell; sisters, Deborah Lediju and Constance Hairston.


To Report A Death

Almanac appreciates being informed of the deaths of current and former faculty and staff members, students, and other members of the University community.

However, notices of alumni deaths should be directed to the Alumni Records Office at Room 545, Franklin Building, (215) 898-8136 or e-mail record@ben.dev.upenn.edu.

Almanac - September 5, 2006, Volume 53, No. 2