Obituaries
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FACULTY AND STAFF
Robert Osserman, of Berkeley, November 30,
at 84. He served in the Air Corps at the end of
World War II and earned his PhD from Harvard.
A professor emeritus of mathematics, he joined
the Stanford faculty in 1955 and served as chair
of the department of mathematics from 1973
until 1979; from 1987 until 1990 he was the
Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Interdisciplinary
Studies. He also served as deputy director of
the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in
Berkeley and was the recipient of Fulbright and
Guggenheim fellowships. He authored or coauthored more than 70 research papers and
received a Dean’s Award for teaching. He was
predeceased by his wife, Janet Adelman. Survivors: his first wife, Maria; their son, Paul, ’78,
MA ’79; his two sons with Janet, Brian and Stephen; and one grandchild.
1930s
Delmer Meyers Brown, ’ 32 (political science),
MA ’ 40, PhD ’ 46 (history), of Walnut Creek,
Calif., November 9, at 101, after a stroke. He was
a member of Delta Chi. He served in the Navy
during World War II. After completing his
degrees at Stanford, he joined the faculty at
UC-Berkeley, where he taught in the departments of history and Asian studies for more
than 30 years. He was the author of many publications and received numerous awards. He
was predeceased by his wives, Mary, Margaret
and Louise, and his daughter, Charlotte. Survivors: his son, D. Ren; three stepchildren; two
granddaughters; six great-grandchildren; and
his companion, Pauline Howland.
Robert Lawrence Balzer, ’ 35 (English), of Santa
Ana, Calif., December 1, at 99. He was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma. He served in the Army
Air Forces during World War II. A pioneer in the
field of wine writing, he was a columnist for the
Los Angeles Times and authored a dozen
books, including Wines of California. He led
wine tours in California and Europe and taught
wine-appreciation classes until the age of 96.
He had also been an actor, a restaurateur and
a Buddhist monk.
Hiomi Nakamura, ’ 35 (basic medical sciences),
of La Jolla, Calif., December 3, at 98. He served
at the School of Aviation Medicine during
World War II and earned his master’s degree
from UC-Berkeley. He ran his own clinical laboratory and later worked as a bio-analyst for the
San Diego County Coroner’s office. He was
active in the San Diego Japanese-American
Citizens League and loved to camp, square
dance, fish, read and travel. Survivors: his wife,
Marie; his children, William, Marianne and
David; and four grandchildren.
Marjorie Esther Melczer Ray, ’ 36 (history), of Los
Angeles, September 14, at 96. She introduced her
daughter to Stanford Sierra Camp at Fallen Leaf
Lake in 1954 and later her grandchildren in the
62 May/june 2012
1970s. An avid Stanford football fan, she frequently attended home games. She enjoyed
travel and achieved one of her life goals when
she attended her 50th class reunion. She was
predeceased by her husband, Joseph. Survivors:
her daughter, Marilouise; and two grandchildren.
Samuel Lloyd Scarlett, ’ 37 (biological sciences),
MD ’ 41, of San Francisco, November 2, at 96. He
was chief assistant surgeon and clinical professor at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital and Medical
School and later served in World War II. He
practiced internal medicine, allergy and immunology at 490 Post for 41 years. He was predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Florence
(McCormack, ’ 38).
Ora Belle Bomberger Wood, ’ 37 (biological
sciences), of San Francisco, September 27,
2010, at 99. She enjoyed travel, the arts and
fishing, and she became a Giants fan in her 90s.
She was an outstanding cook and seamstress
and embraced technology, becoming computer
proficient. She was predeceased by her husband,
David, ’ 26, MD ’ 30. Survivors: her children, Kate
Lord, David Jr., John, ’ 64, William, ’ 66, and Charles;
16 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
James Raymond “Bud” Malott Jr., ’ 38 (
undergraduate law), JD ’ 41, of Globe, Ariz., September 8, at 94, of pneumonia. He was a member
of Phi Gamma Delta. He served in the Army
Air Corps during World War II and later practiced law at Morris and Malott in Globe, Ariz.,
until 2002. Passionate about flying, he flew his
private plane on business and for fun. He was
a 65-year member of the Globe Lions Club
and a life member of his local Elks Lodge. He
was predeceased by his wife, Carol (Hover, ’ 39,
MA ’ 50). Survivors: his children, James, ’62,
and Lucinda, ’ 64; five grandchildren; and
three great-grandchildren.
1940s
David MacKenzie, ’ 40 (economics), of Los
Altos Hills, July 31, at 93, after a long illness.
Born in Japan, he was a graduate of Palo Alto
High. He started the Los Altos Town Crier in
1947 and later created other local papers and
opened his own printing plant in Cupertino. An
avid outdoorsman, he helped organize a boys’
camp before entering Stanford and loved
spending time at his cabin in the High Sierra.
He was also an inventor of humorous items,
including cans containing fresh Northern Cali-
fornia air that he sent to friends and family in
smoggy Southern California.
Frank L. Mallory, ’ 41 (political science), JD ’ 47, of
Dana Point, Calif., December 24, at 91. He was a
member of Theta Xi and LSJUMB. He served in
the Navy during World War II. After law school,
he joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he
became a partner and worked until retiring in
1988. He was a past board president of the
Braille Institute of Los Angeles, and he received
a 10-year service pin from Stanford Associates.
He enjoyed sailing and served as commodore
of the TransPac race of 1991. Survivors: his wife
of 67 years, Jean; his children, Bruce, Susan
Remund, ’ 70, and Ann Stearns, ’71; five grand-
children; and five great-grandchildren.
Richard Francis Cahill, ’ 42 (general engineer-
ing), of San Francisco, December 12, at 91. He
was a member of Phi Kappa Psi. He served in
the Naval Reserve during World War II. He
began his career with his family’s firm, Cahill
Construction Co., and was part of numerous
construction projects, including St. Mary’s Cathe-
dral. Later he worked with the family’s real
estate investments. He loved the outdoors and
enjoyed golfing, hiking, skiing and playing ten-
nis. He was predeceased by his wife of 56 years,
Shirley. Survivors: his children, Sarah and Patrick;
four grandchildren; and a brother, Peter, ’ 46.
Charles L. Geraci, ’ 44 (biological sciences), MD
’ 47, of San Carlos, Calif., January 16, at 88, of
Alzheimer’s disease. He served in the Air Force
and later practiced general surgery at Sequoia
Hospital for 55 years. He became medical direc-
tor of the hospital in 1991 and continued to work
there in various capacities until retiring at age
