Obituaries

Emerson Chairman Emeritus Charles F. Knight, a major benefactor of Washington University in St. Louis and longtime member of its Board of Trustees, died Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. He was 81. Knight, who was chief executive officer at Emerson for 27 years, helped shape the present-day Washington University, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.

Nancy Kay Galofré, who retired from Washington University in St. Louis in 2015, died Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, in St. Louis, after a battle with cancer. She was 74. Galofré worked at the university for 26 years, including most recently as special events coordinator for the chancellor’s office.

Stanley Arthur Sawyer, professor emeritus of mathematics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017. He was 77.

Denise Thomas, a medical assistant for 28 years in the Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and a student at University College, died July 4, 2017, in St. Louis. Thomas, 52, died several days after suffering a stroke at her home in St. Louis.

Richard F. “Dick” Ford, emeritus trustee of Washington University in St. Louis, died Saturday, July 8, 2017, at his home in St. Louis after a long battle with cancer. He was 81.

Robert C. Drews, MD, a professor emeritus of clinical ophthalmology at the School of Medicine, died May 9 at his home in St. Louis, following a stroke. He was 86. Drews was also an alumnus and a former member of the Board of Trustees.

Jean Holowach Thurston, MD, a pioneering pediatric neurologist at the School of Medicine, died April 29. She was 99. Thurston’s influential research served as a guide for colleagues in treating childhood seizure disorders.

John M. Fredrickson, MD, former head of the Department of Otolaryngology and a professor emeritus of otolaryngology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died April 5, 2017, in Vancouver, Canada. He was 86.

Travis Conrad Mazer, a doctoral candidate studying molecular genetics and genomics, died unexpectedly Monday, April 24, 2017, in St. Louis. Mazer was 25. A Kalamazoo, Mich., native who was fascinated by science and politics, Mazer began working toward a PhD in August at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Brian Schlitt, a first-year student at the School of Law, died Wednesday, April 12, 2017, following a brief illness. He was 38.