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PostHeaderIcon JUDITH ANN HASKELL of AMHERST, April 18, 1935 – September 6, 2023

Judith Ann Parsons Haskell

April 18, 1935 – September 6, 2023

 

Judith Ann Parsons Haskell, 88, of Hadley, passed away on September 6, 2023, three days after undergoing emergency abdominal surgery.

 

Judy was born on April 18, 1935, in Barberton, Ohio, the only child of Marion Ernest Parsons and Dorothy Alene Hostetter Parsons.  She spent her childhood writing stories, drawing pictures, and making dolls as well as learning about insects, especially butterflies, in the fields near her home. Her maternal grandmother, an antique dealer, introduced Judy to the world of heirlooms, a collecting passion she pursued with enthusiasm the rest of her life.

 

The first in her family to graduate from college, Judy was a fearless trail blazer for women of her generation, and subsequent generations of women who pursue what is now referred to as STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, from Ohio State University and her Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in the biological sciences from Purdue University.  It was at Purdue that she met her future husband, David Haskell, who was also pursuing his Ph.D.  David enjoyed telling the story of seeing Judy through the window as she was busily working in the lab, and becoming instantly smitten.  They were engaged in two weeks, married soon after, and within several years had started a family, with a daughter, Heather Rebecca and a son, Jordan Mark and a dalmatian named Birch. As a family they traveled every summer across country, camping out, visiting landmarks and national parks, and collecting souvenirs of their journeys. David and Judy were married for 63 years before David’s passing in 2022.

 

In 1961, Judy completed her Ph.D. and joined David, working as a botany professor in the biology department at Smith College, in Massachusetts. A scientist with the looks of a supermodel, Judy accepted a position as a biochemical researcher and co-principal investigator for the United States Public Health Service at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She studied the active transport of potassium and sodium on metabolism in silkworms, a project that had implications in the treatment of muscular dystrophy. After seven years, and publishing and collaborating on eleven articles about her research findings, she left the lab for teaching, becoming a biology teacher at Northampton High School. She excelled in the classroom and soon was named Head of the Science Department for grades K -12, a position she held for over twenty years.   She won the Outstanding High School Science Teacher by the Williams College Sigma Xi Club, an academic honor society that recognizes scientific research and confirmed the impact she had on her students.  In addition to her success integrating research into the high school science curriculum, she and her students organized an annual blood drive for the American Red Cross, with Judy always first in line to donate blood.  Her former students, many of whom went on to become researchers and doctors, still remark that her “Origin of Life” lecture was the best they had ever heard.

 

Throughout her life and after retiring in 1990, Judy pursued her passions of helping others, collecting antiques, and learning about the galaxy. During her lifetime she nursed dozens of abandoned or injured birds to health, often brought to her by friends, neighbors and her students, and tended to a menagerie of animals including baby chicks, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, finches, squirrels, dogs, cats, bats, and a 6-foot iguana named Iggy. Called “a healer” by friends, people sought her out for her willing ear and sound advice. Judy could be found searching for treasures at tag sales, auctions and flea markets every weekend with her daughter, Heather, and son-in-law, Fred, and was thrilled every time a new image from the Hubble and Webb Telescopes was released.  Watching Nova with her son, Jordan, was one of her favorite pastimes.  She was among the first volunteers at the Hospice Shop for the Fisher Home, where she worked for over a decade.  And, her chili was legendary!

 

Judy is survived by her daughter, Heather and her husband, Frederick Burns, her son, Jordan, with whom she lived, her grandson, Kirk Edward, her former daughter-in-law, Molly Hoyle, and two devoted dogs, Danny and Joey.  Her husband, David, passed away in 2022.

 

At Judy’s request, no public service is planned. The family gives special thanks to her devoted caregivers, Devika Pandit and Jesenia Sanchez, who attended to her every need and filled her days with fun and adventure.  In lieu of flowers, Judy would appreciate donations to the T.J. O’Connor Adoption Center https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/ForHMZsVNbwJOxllwfx0nw or Dakin Humane Society https://www.dakinhumane.org/tribute-donation as her wonderful canine companions were adopted from the two organizations.  Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst has been entrusted with Judy’s arrangements.

PostHeaderIcon GEORGE S. PELIS of LEVERETT, MA, November 2, 1944 – August 21, 2023

LEVERETT, MA: George S. Pelis, 78 passed away peacefully at Baystate Medical on August 21, 2023.  He was the son of the late Stanley and Sophie Pelis.

George lived in the Amherst area throughout his life.  He graduated from Amherst Regional High School in 1962.  After graduation he worked for the town of Amherst, then on construction and finished his working career as a technician repairing office equipment.

He married his high school sweetheart, Anita Major Pelis in 1965 and they shared 58 wonderful years of marriage together.

George enjoyed fishing and hunting when he was younger.  He loved the water, spending time with his family at Lake Wyola, Cape Cod and Florida beaches.  George and Anita enjoyed many years of travel, golfing in the warmer climate.  He also enjoyed watching the New England sports teams and attending UMASS sporting events.  He spent many hours watching a vast variety of birds at his feeders with his cat Shadow.  George’s favorite pastime, outside of his home and family, was golfing and spending time with his golfing buddies at Amherst Golf Club.

George is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Anita (Major) Pelis, daughter Laurie Pelis of Leverett and sister Carol Xinidakis of Louisiana.  He is also survived by many nieces and nephews and good friend Kevin Richey.

Anita would like to thank family and friends for all their concern and support.  She would also like to thank the kind and compassionate doctors and nurses from Baystate Medical.

Calling hours will be held on Thursday, August 31st from 6-7 PM at the Douglass Funeral Home at 87 No. Pleasant Street in Amherst with a short service to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Dakin Humane Society, P.O. Box 6307, Springfield, MA  01101

PostHeaderIcon KENNETH EUGENE ISABELLE of AMHERST, MA, January 1, 1952 – August 4, 2023

AMHERST, MA. Kenneth (Ken) Isabelle, 71, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on August 4, 2023. Ken was born January 1, 1952 to the late Evelyn (Smith) and Eugene Isabelle.

He graduated from Granby High School in 1970 and worked for many years for the Town of Amherst Public Works Division before retiring as a supervisor in 2013.

Ken leaves his wife of 50 years Karen (Jenks) Isabelle their three children, Laura Isabelle Skowronek and her husband Steve, Mindy Isabelle and her husband Lamar Newsome and his

son Mike Isabelle. Ken also leaves seven grandchildren, Brittini Benton, Jill, Stephanie, and Nicholas Skowronek, Courtney-Shea Newsome, Alexis and Travis Isabelle. Two Great Grandchildren; Kylee Benton and A.J. Bell; Siblings, Dianne Isabelle, Kathy Isabelle and husband Tony Rebaudo, Judy Rohan and husband Dave, Jeff Isabelle and wife Beth,

Mother-in-Law Barbara Jenks.  Beloved Brother-in-Law Ron Gnatek, Cousin, best friend and partner in crime Maurice (Moe) Maheu and his wife Lynne. Cousin, Chris Maheu and her husband Bill Brinegar, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Ken enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating, woodworking and just tinkering with little projects. He and his son Mike restored a 31 Ford Coupe and built a Ford Cobra. Ken also restored a 1943 Chriscraft boat and handcrafted three wooden canoes, the first with his granddaughter Shea. There was always something to keep him busy in the garage.

He would be working on his grandson Travis’ mini bike or on a gun or two with his other grandson Nick. He and his Great granddaughter, Kylee built a dollhouse and he worked on projects or repairs for his daughters Laura and Mindy or any friends Like Carole and Steve that needed his expertise. His granddaughters Brittini, Jill, Stephanie, and Alexis would always turn to him to assist in various projects or problems that only “Grampy” could help with.

While Ken enjoyed projects in his garage or backyard, he always considered the time he spent with his family was priceless and the greatest joy in his life!

He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Ken was predecessed by his sister Donna Isabelle Gnatek in 2002.

Calling hours will be at Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst on Saturday August 12, 2023 from 1-4 pm.

In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to:

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute @ www.whoi.edu or The Hospice at Fisher Home.

http://www.fisherhome.org

Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

 

PostHeaderIcon AMY L WASSERMAN of AMHERST, MA, August 27, 1959 – August 2, 2023

AMHERST- Amy L. Wasserman, 63, of North Amherst, Ma, formerly of Pelham, left us early the morning of August 2 as the full moon set. Amy was the daughter of Hannah and Seymour Wasserman. She grew up in Natick, and graduated from Clark and Pratt Universities.

Amy was an artist and designer who made magical, whimsical and colorful things from yarn, polymer clay and any surface that could be painted. She was a master knitter, quilter and collage illustrator. She never left anyone in the dark about her opinion. She loved her daughter fiercely, and loved walking in nature with her dog, seeing rainbows, the weekly Amherst Farmer’s Market, knitting circles, connecting with and keeping tabs on extended family and her circle of friends. She taught all of us the meaning of resilience. She supported and was supported by Cancer Connection for almost 25 years. She was brave beyond measure and lived each day with an “attitude of gratitude.”  

She is survived by her daughter, Lily Plotkin and her partner Carlos Ayala Sibrian; Lily’s Dad, Scott Plotkin; her sisters and their families, Nancy and Katherine Arnup of Ottawa, Canada and Cathy and Victor Colman of Olympia, Washington and their children Rosa and Eli; her dear cousins Jane Neubardt and Ellen Wasserman of White Plains, New York and their families; Jonathan and Barbara Plotkin of Ithaca, NY, Martha Plotkin and Darren Gersh of Washington, DC and their families; her dog Ellie; and a large circle of friends.

Please join her family in a celebration of Amy’s life on Saturday, October 21 at 11 am at the Mt. Toby Friends Meetinghouse, 194 Long Plain Rd. (Route 63) in Leverett, MA.  Please wear bright colors and/or things made by Amy.  Feel free to bring your knitting, photos and stories.

Memorial contributions may be made to Cancer Connection, 41 Locust St., Northampton, Ma 01060 or www.cancer-connection.org

Memorial Guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

 

 

PostHeaderIcon Jane Theresa Sienkiewicz of Mass, June 10, 1929 – July 22, 2023

Springfield- Jane T. Sienkiewicz passed away peacefully at home on July 22, 2023.  She was born Jane Hayes on June 10, 1929, to Albina H. (Chagnon) and Edward F. Hayes of Mt. Tom Junction, MA.  She worked in a defense plant during WWII before meeting her husband, Ronald P. Sienkiewicz of New York, NY and Hadley, MA.  They were wed on August 27, 1949 at Immaculate Conception in Easthampton, MA.

Jane was a homemaker and mother until her youngest child started school; she then went to work in the Registrar’s Office at UMass Amherst, where she worked for 23 years.  She retired in 1995 and spent her remaining years travelling, gardening, and visiting friends and family.

She was predeceased by her husband, Ronald P. Sienkiewicz (1983) and daughter, Veronica, (2017).  She is survived by her son, Steven & his wife, Susan of Orlando, FL, “The Girls”: Susan Blagburn & husband Ken of Lake View PLT, ME, Maryanne Sienkiewicz & husband Edward Hobbs of West Hatfield, MA, Jane Patenaude & husband Michael of Holyoke, MA and Terry Sienkiewicz & partner Gary Brogan of Brownville, ME many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great, great- grandchildren, nieces & nephews.

She is also survived by her sister, Kathleen Hayes of Ballston Spa, NY, sisters-in-law Roberta Reardon of Whately, Kay Sienkiewicz of Buckhannon, WV. and dear friends and adopted children Lynn Nolan & husband Higgy of Springfield, John & David Wolfe of Wyncote, PA and Abbi Gold of Tucson, AZ.

Visitation will be Saturday, July 29, 2023 at Douglass Funeral Home, 87 N Pleasant Street, Amherst from 8:30-9:30 A.M., with a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Brigid’s Catholic Church, 122 N. Pleasant St, Amherst at 10:00 A.M. with burial following at St. Brigid’s Cemetery at the corner of N. Maple St. & Rocky Hill Rd. in Hadley. Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

PostHeaderIcon CHARLES FREDERICK SMYSER JR. of AMHERST, May 25, 1925 – July 20, 2023

Charlies Frederick Smyser, Jr., age 98 of Amherst, Massachusetts, passed away on July 20, 2023 after a long and fruitful life.  Charles was born on May 25, 1925 to Charles, Sr., and Gladys (Thomson) Smyser in Baltimore, Maryland.  Charles attended high school at the private Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, followed by a BS at the University of Maryland and an MS in Bacteriology from the University of Connecticut in 1952.  After graduation he came to the University of Massachusetts as an associate professor of microbiology in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.  There he was principally responsible for the State testing program for avian diseases.  After retirement in 1987 he continued part-time in the same role for another fifteen years.

In 1955 he married Jean Elizabeth Pruyne, originally of Pittsfield.  They went on have four children, David (1955 to 1998), Jonathan, Robert (Bridget) and Cheryl Roberts.  He will be missed by his four grandchildren, Kacey (Austin) Snape, Jordyn Roberts, Tristan and Kieran Smyser, and two great-grandchildren, Sydney and Charles Snape.  

Over the years, Charlie had many interests, including making furniture, maple sugaring, and long walks to town and around the neighborhood.  He was active in Boy Scouts and volunteered for the North Congregational Church in Amherst.  He drove for a time with his son’s business, Dave’s Taxi Service. He was a loyal fan of Baltimore sports teams, and a reliable presence in his yellow “game day” socks at his granddaughters field hockey and basketball games.  

Calling Hours on Thursday, July 27 from 5 to 7 pm.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday July 28 at 11 am at Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst. 

MEMORIAL GUESTBOOK AT www.douglassfuneral.com 

PostHeaderIcon JOYCE B. PAIGE of LEVERETT, August 25, 1952 – July 9, 2023

Joyce died Sunday morning living life to the fullest and never letting cancer take the lead.  To know Joyce made you a better person.

An amazing woman, wife, mom, grandma, great grandma, sister, auntie, cousin, “sista” and friend.  Lover of all 2 legged, 4 legged and everything in between.  She is, and will be missed forever. 

In her memory, Joyce wanted all of us to live life to the fullest, love unconditionally and laugh often and as much as you can.  She wanted everyone to dance like no one is watching and to know that she loved you more!

There are no services, instead Joyce had a celebration of life last month that filled the room with love, light, joy and happiness which is how she wanted to be remembered. 

Memorial guest book is at www.douglassfuneral.com

PostHeaderIcon WALTER (BUD) J. MAHONEY JR. of SHUTESBURY, MA, August 9, 1943 – June 13, 2023

Bud Mahoney (Walter J. Jr.) died peacefully on June 13,2023 in Northampton, Massachusetts surrounded by family and friends. Bud was born in Buffalo, N.Y., and is survived by his sister Rev. Eileen Mahoney, his daughter Julia Faruq (Umar), granddaughter Jasmine Davidson (Collin) and his great granddaughter Hayden Jane Davidson.

Bud attended Canisius High School in Buffalo, N.Y. and Georgetown University. He received law and public policy degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo. His most prized initiatives were the historic restoration of the NYS Capitol and  a program to preserve indigenous peoples culture in New Zealand.

Bud never lost the core principles of his childhood faith. He delved deeply into diverse spiritual traditions, believing that we are all interconnected, part of the Greater Whole. He often visited the Peace Pagoda in Leverett, Ma. and regularly enjoyed Hindu chanting with groups of friends.

He was a natural philosopher and political analyst who relentlessly engaged his friends in exploring how we could create a more just and compassionate world. Among his very last words were, “Wonders never cease, for holy is the darkness and all shall be released.”

His friends and family will remember him for his constant search for meaning and especially for his generous, open heart.

All services are private

Memorial Guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

 

PostHeaderIcon VOZKEN ADRIAN PARSEGIAN of AMHERST, MA, May 28, 1939 – July 5, 2023

Adrian Parsegian

May 28, 1939-July 5, 2023

AMHERST, MA. Vozken Adrian Parsegian was born in Boston. His mother, an Armenian immigrant, traveled all the way from Brooklyn so that her son could have “Boston” on his birth certificate. Adrian grew up in Brooklyn, attended Stuyvesant high school, then graduated magna cum laude in physics from Dartmouth College. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1965 after doing his thesis research at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel under Aharon Khatchalsky Katzir. There’s a famous story that when Adrian arrived, he was told that Aharon was lecturing. “I will just go listen to his lecture,” said Adrian. “But it’s in Hebrew!” replied the secretary of the Polymer Department. “That doesn’t matter,” said Adrian, who knew as yet not a word of Hebrew. (He did speak Armenian and eventually was even able to lecture in Hebrew.) He returned to the secretary, who asked, “well, did you understand anything”? “Oh yes,” said Adrian. “There were only three words I did not understand.” He produced a napkin with three words written: KEN, LO, OO-LIE (yes, no, maybe).  All the other words, like “entropia” or “polymerim,” were comprehensible to a physicist.

    Later, another anecdote started to make the rounds. When Adrian began his novel explanations of x-ray diffraction (the physics of forces,) he presented his findings at a seminar. “You can’t do that,” growled an eminent physicist. “But I just did!”

    Adrian did his post doc with Irwin Oppenheim of MIT, mostly at the University of Amsterdam. Then he went to work at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, where he eventually became head of the Laboratory of Structural Biology. It was an intense, dedicated group of scientists from around the world, working together during those happy days. Adrian also wrote a successful book on van der Waals Forces (Cambridge University Press), typically titled “A Handbook for Biologists, Chemists, Engineers, and Physicists,” designed for use at three levels of expertise, all cross referenced. It was a publishing success, not least because Adrian insisted that the paperback edition (for students) be sold for $40. He would forgo his royalties to keep the book available to those who could use it. Those who remember how wildly expensive textbooks were (and are) will appreciate the “yes, I can” quality of Adrian’s publishing experience. Later on, teaching an advanced physics course at the University of Massachusetts, he gave copies of his book to his students.

Adrian was founding editor of the Biophysical Discussions.  That was actually a successful experiment enforcing interdisciplinary exchanges, modeled on the Faraday Society meetings (no talks, only discussion of submitted papers, with the edited questions and answers published with the research papers in the Biophysical Journal). Here, too, Adrian ran into “you can’t do that,” and prevailed. As editor of the Biophysical Journal, he wanted to see how the actual product was published (by the Rockefeller University Press), and journeyed to Philadelphia to watch the presses running. (This was in 1978).  He saw the final text being put into a computer for typesetting, and observed, “but those papers were already generated on computers. Why are they being retyped? Can’t we just use the digital material already typed in by the scientists? That meant collecting everyone’s floppy discs (then) and then figuring out how to utilize the various sources – KayPro, IBM, even Osbornes, UNIX, CPM, and DOS, and a little square device called a Macintosh. But Adrian worked in the Computer Division at the NIH and with their expert help he figured out how to make direct use of the already-created document files. Figures and photos still had to be done the old-fashioned way, by plates, but the main texts no longer needed to be painstakingly retyped, and copyeditors no longer had to spot a host of new errors introduced by the retyping. “You can’t do that” became “wow, you saved us a ton of money and time.” The Biophysical Discussions came out as a journal issue only a few months after the meeting itself. Adrian was elected President of the Biophysical Association.

 The University of Massachusetts at Amherst had been wooing Adrian for some time, offering the position of a new Gluckstern Professor of Physics. Adrian had enjoyed his year of teaching physics at Princeton, and thought he might like to try his hand at teaching again. As he said when he came to UMass, “the work at his NIH lab measuring forces between and within large molecules can also be expanded into many student projects.” When he received an honorary doctorate in Spain (2008), in his acceptance speech he observed that he always got his best scientific ideas hiking with friends and colleagues. Mostly, he was to be seen pedaling along on his non-fancy bicycle. He celebrated his Dartmouth 50th reunion by biking with three classmates all the way from Amherst to Hanover.

 Adrian and Val celebrated their 60th anniversary in March of this year. They have three sons, Andrew, Homer, and Aram, and three grandchildren, Seth, Benjamin, and Lauren. In later years Adrian developed non-Alzheimer’s dementia and slowly declined, ending eventually in the care of the Fisher Home (Hospice) in Amherst, where he passed away on July 5, 2023. He donated his brain to the Massachusetts General Dementia unit.

 Hiking will be his last adventure.  He showed his sons exactly where, on Mount Washington, he wants his ashes to continue their journey.

MEMORIAL GUESTBOOK AT: http://www.douglass funeral.com

 

 

 

PostHeaderIcon VOZKEN ADRIAN PARSEGIAN of AMHERST, MA, May 28, 1928 – July 5, 2023

Adrian Parsegian

May 28, 1939-July 5, 2023

AMHERST, MA. Vozken Adrian Parsegian was born in Boston. His mother, an Armenian immigrant, traveled all the way from Brooklyn so that her son could have “Boston” on his birth certificate. Adrian grew up in Brooklyn, attended Stuyvesant high school, then graduated magna cum laude in physics from Dartmouth College. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1965 after doing his thesis research at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel under Aharon Khatchalsky Katzir. There’s a famous story that when Adrian arrived, he was told that Aharon was lecturing. “I will just go listen to his lecture,” said Adrian. “But it’s in Hebrew!” replied the secretary of the Polymer Department. “That doesn’t matter,” said Adrian, who knew as yet not a word of Hebrew. (He did speak Armenian and eventually was even able to lecture in Hebrew.) He returned to the secretary, who asked, “well, did you understand anything”? “Oh yes,” said Adrian. “There were only three words I did not understand.” He produced a napkin with three words written: KEN, LO, OO-LIE (yes, no, maybe).  All the other words, like “entropia” or “polymerim,” were comprehensible to a physicist.

    Later, another anecdote started to make the rounds. When Adrian began his novel explanations of x-ray diffraction (the physics of forces,) he presented his findings at a seminar. “You can’t do that,” growled an eminent physicist. “But I just did!”

    Adrian did his post doc with Irwin Oppenheim of MIT, mostly at the University of Amsterdam. Then he went to work at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, where he eventually became head of the Laboratory of Structural Biology. It was an intense, dedicated group of scientists from around the world, working together during those happy days. Adrian also wrote a successful book on van der Waals Forces (Cambridge University Press), typically titled “A Handbook for Biologists, Chemists, Engineers, and Physicists,” designed for use at three levels of expertise, all cross referenced. It was a publishing success, not least because Adrian insisted that the paperback edition (for students) be sold for $40. He would forgo his royalties to keep the book available to those who could use it. Those who remember how wildly expensive textbooks were (and are) will appreciate the “yes, I can” quality of Adrian’s publishing experience. Later on, teaching an advanced physics course at the University of Massachusetts, he gave copies of his book to his students.

Adrian was founding editor of the Biophysical Discussions.  That was actually a successful experiment enforcing interdisciplinary exchanges, modeled on the Faraday Society meetings (no talks, only discussion of submitted papers, with the edited questions and answers published with the research papers in the Biophysical Journal). Here, too, Adrian ran into “you can’t do that,” and prevailed. As editor of the Biophysical Journal, he wanted to see how the actual product was published (by the Rockefeller University Press), and journeyed to Philadelphia to watch the presses running. (This was in 1978).  He saw the final text being put into a computer for typesetting, and observed, “but those papers were already generated on computers. Why are they being retyped? Can’t we just use the digital material already typed in by the scientists? That meant collecting everyone’s floppy discs (then) and then figuring out how to utilize the various sources – KayPro, IBM, even Osbornes, UNIX, CPM, and DOS, and a little square device called a Macintosh. But Adrian worked in the Computer Division at the NIH and with their expert help he figured out how to make direct use of the already-created document files. Figures and photos still had to be done the old-fashioned way, by plates, but the main texts no longer needed to be painstakingly retyped, and copyeditors no longer had to spot a host of new errors introduced by the retyping. “You can’t do that” became “wow, you saved us a ton of money and time.” The Biophysical Discussions came out as a journal issue only a few months after the meeting itself. Adrian was elected President of the Biophysical Association.

 The University of Massachusetts at Amherst had been wooing Adrian for some time, offering the position of a new Gluckstern Professor of Physics. Adrian had enjoyed his year of teaching physics at Princeton, and thought he might like to try his hand at teaching again. As he said when he came to UMass, “the work at his NIH lab measuring forces between and within large molecules can also be expanded into many student projects.” When he received an honorary doctorate in Spain (2008), in his acceptance speech he observed that he always got his best scientific ideas hiking with friends and colleagues. Mostly, he was to be seen pedaling along on his non-fancy bicycle. He celebrated his Dartmouth 50th reunion by biking with three classmates all the way from Amherst to Hanover.

 Adrian and Val celebrated their 60th anniversary in March of this year. They have three sons, Andrew, Homer, and Aram, and three grandchildren, Seth, Benjamin, and Lauren. In later years Adrian developed non-Alzheimer’s dementia and slowly declined, ending eventually in the care of the Fisher Home (Hospice) in Amherst, where he passed away on July 5, 2023. He donated his brain to the Massachusetts General Dementia unit.

 Hiking will be his last adventure.  He showed his sons exactly where, on Mount Washington, he wants his ashes to continue their journey.

MEMORIAL GUESTBOOK AT: http://www.douglass funeral.com

 

 

 

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