Obituaries

Brian A. Van Tine, MD, PhD, a nationally recognized leader in sarcoma research at WashU Medicine, died Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital following an acute illness. He was 53.

Kenneth (Ken) Franklin Kelton, the Arthur Holly Compton Professor Emeritus of Physics at Washington University in St. Louis, has died following complications from lymphoma treatments. He was 71.

J. Claude Evans, a professor emeritus of philosophy in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died in St. Louis July 26. He was 79.

James “Jim” Clark Ballard, a former senior lecturer and director of the Engineering Communication Center in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, died Sept. 29 in St. Louis following a sudden cardiac arrest. He was 79.

Stuart A. Kornfeld, MD, the David C. and Betty Farrell Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, in St. Louis from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 88.

William H. Webster, an honorary emeritus trustee at Washington University in St. Louis, died Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, in Warrenton, Va. He was 101. 

Gary Wihl, the Hortense and Tobias Lewin Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Humanities, died July 17 in Clayton, Mo., after battling Parkinson’s disease. He was 72. Wihl served as dean of Arts & Sciences from 2009 to 2012.

Sandra Geary, a teacher of applied music and collaborative pianist in the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, died June 23 following a short illness. She was 59.

Arthur L. Prensky, MD, a professor emeritus of neurology at WashU Medicine, died June 16 after a short illness. He was 94. Prensky was a world authority in metabolic disorders, headache and neurodevelopment.

Frank A. Podosek, a professor emeritus of earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died June 8 in Florida. He was 83 years old.