Maxwell School News and Commentary
Filtered by: In Memoriam
In Memoriam: John Marshall Townsend
Townsend joined the faculty in 1973, and through the decades served as a professor, mentor, writer and researcher in the Anthropology Department. He faced long-term health conditions but, so devoted to his craft and his students, he continued to teach through the spring of 2024. He passed away on Jan. 22, 2025, at the age of 83.
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In Memoriam: B. Ben Baldanza
Baldanza, a longtime Maxwell supporter and innovative business leader who helped transform the airline industry, passed away on Nov. 5, 2024. He was 62.
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In Memoriam: Sharon Murphy Kissel
Kissel—a devoted supporter of Maxwell—passed away on July 21, 2024, at her home in Washington, D.C. She was 76.
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In Memoriam: Doris ‘Dottie’ Payson, Advisory Board Member, Philanthropist
Doris “Dottie” Payson ’57 passed away on Feb. 12, 2024, at the age of 87. She served on the Maxwell Advisory Board from 1998 to 2013 and was a life member of the University’s Board of Trustees, which she joined in 2000.
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In Memoriam: Ralph Hockley, Defender of Democracy
Ralph Hockley ’49 B.A. (RusSt) passed away on Nov. 8, 2023. He was 98. He fought valiantly to defend the U.S. and other allied countries against Nazis and threats to democracy through two wars and beyond.
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In Memoriam: Roland Droitsch, Devoted Public Servant, Champion of Education
Roland Droitsch ’65 M.A. (PSc), who served as the deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Labor, passed away in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Jan. 26, 2024. He was 82.
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In Memoriam: Susan M. Walter, Advisor and Advocate
Susan M. Walter ’69 B.A. (Hist)/’71 M.A. (PSc) passed away on April, 23, 2023, at the age of 75. She had a distinguished career in government and private industry and authored two books.
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In Memoriam: Chris Snow, NHL Manager and Advocate
Chris Snow ’03 B.A. (PSt) passed away on Sept. 30, 2023, at the age of 42. He had a successful career in professional hockey and publicly lobbied, fundraised and raised awareness to help find a cure for ALS.
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In Memoriam: Thomas P. Lauth, Higher Education Leader
Thomas P. Lauth ’76 Ph.D. (PSc) passed away on May 13, 2023, at the age of 85. He was a highly regarded professor and administrator.
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In Memoriam: Life Trustee Allan D. Sutton ’55 BA (PSc)
Through his generosity to Syracuse University, he had a profound impact on the reputation of the Department of Philosophy and advanced the careers of some of the nation’s brightest philosophy scholars. Sutton passed away on May 31, 2023, in his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California, at the age of 90.
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