Class Notes

Robert W. Duffy, LA67, wrote and edited at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for some 40 years and at the St. Louis Beacon, an online publication he helped found. For 30 years, he has served as an adjunct at WashU, teaching in the Sam Fox School’s fine arts division, the College of Architecture, University College and the College of Arts & Sciences. Duffy lives in the city’s Central West End with his husband, Martin Kaplan, GA88

Anna Katherine “Kay” Behrensmeyer, LA67, a senior research geologist and curator of vertebrate paleontology in the Department of Paleobiology of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, was elected to the American Philosophical Society (APS) in April. Founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge,” the APS is the oldest learned society in the United States.

Vicki Sharp, LA62, professor emeritus at California State University, Northridge, wrote more than 55 books on statistics, medicine and the use of computers in schools as a computer consultant and trainer for publishers such as Little Brown and McGraw-Hill and for school districts. As a creative departure, Sharp wrote “When Retirement Equals Eviction,” for Academe, the magazine of the American Association of University Professors.

Warren Morgens, BU62, LW64, retired in 2004 after 40 years in the practice of law, during which he specialized in banking and securities regulation and in corporate law. Following law school, he served on active duty as an officer with the U.S. Navy’s JAG Corps (1964–68) and then worked in the general counsel’s office at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., until returning to St. Louis in mid-1969 as assistant attorney general in charge of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

Wade R. Watts, DE61, was honored this year by Marquis Who’s Who with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. Watts, who served on the faculties of WashU’s School of Dental Medicine and School of Medicine, practiced in Clayton and Frontenac, Mo., for 52 years. He and Dorothy Skelton, GR55, have been married for 66 years.

Edward P. Ortleb, GR59, GR63, who for 30 years was the science supervisor for the St. Louis Public Schools, was tapped by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) for its highest honor, the Robert H. Carleton Award. The award recognizes teachers who have made outstanding contributions to and provided leadership in science and education at the national level and to NSTA. Ortleb worked with Marlin Perkins and Charlie Hoessle to establish the St. Louis Zoo Education Department and with WashU’s Owen Sexton on several research projects in the rainforests of Panama.

Steve Fredman, LA58, MD62, in May self-published Understanding Modern Health Care: The Wonders We Created and the Potholes We Dug. The book discusses mankind’s remarkable accomplishments, the forces shaping our future and the challenges we face.

Richard W. Furlong, SI57, and his wife, Helen Prince Furlong, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary Sept. 7, 2021. Richard, who began his teaching career at WashU, is a retired emeritus professor from the University of Texas at Austin. The couple lives in Plano, Texas.

Arthur Auer, MD56, and his wife, Marian, NU55, remain semiquarantined in their home in Clayton, Mo., although they’ve been vaccinated. They hope all their classmates escape COVID-19 and look forward to their next WashU reunion.

Micah Dunlap, GM21, is a senior research scientist for Pfizer, working at the company’s vaccine research and development center in Pearl River, N.Y.