The Memorial Wall

Award-Winning Research Chemist at Exxon & National Authority on Polymers, Loving Family Man & Civic Leader in Watchung, Edward "Ed" N. Kresge of Solebury, PA, passed away in the afternoon of October 30, 2023, in Lawrenceville, NJ, after a long struggle with Parkinson's. 

Ed was visited and comforted by his family and the staff of The Meadows at Lawrence until his passing. He was 88 years old. The youngest son of Ira and Hilda (Dendler) Kresge, Ed was born in Noxen, PA, on August 14, 1935.

Ed had a fun and exciting childhood on a small farm where he enjoyed the outdoors and picked up the remarkable mechanical abilities that would be evident throughout his future scientific career as well as his hobbies. Ed's parents were loving and intelligent and encouraged him to do well in school. The family moved to Florida in 1952, where Ed finished high school and then graduated from the University of Tampa in 1957. Upon receiving his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Florida in 1961, he began an illustrious 32-year career at Exxon. He met his wife of 61 years, Dolores DeYoung, at an Exxon get-acquainted party.

Ed loved scientific research and specialized in polymer chemistry. A pioneer in the development of a variety of elastomers, his work led to several major innovations in the rubber industry, including viscosity modifiers for motor oil. Major improvements in tires and automotive equipment also resulted from the work of Ed and his research team. Ed's accomplishments were acknowledged through numerous awards, including the American Chemical Society (ACS) Charles Goodyear Medal and the ACS Detroit Division Midgeley Award. Holder of more than 50 patents and author of many papers and book chapters, his work is still frequently cited.
Active in science education, Ed served on advisory boards at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Florida. Ed bridged his industrial and academic interests by serving 12 years with the ACS Committee on Professional Training. He lectured extensively at scientific meetings and led courses on elastomer technology and the fundamentals of polymer science in the US, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America.

After retiring from Exxon in 1993, he continued as a consultant for Exxon and an interesting variety of other companies and governments for 22 more years.

Ed and Dolores built a house in Watchung, NJ, and lived there for 39 years. Ed loved to spend time with his wife, children, and extended family. Ed was happiest building and fixing things, whether at work, at home or at the family vacation house in Herrick Center, PA. Ed traveled extensively in the US and visited every inhabited continent.

While in Watchung, Ed served on the Board of Education and community committees. A long-term member of Wilson Memorial Church in Watchung, Ed was on the Church Board and served as President. He joined his wife in a variety of projects for the Girl Scouts and the United Way. In 2006, the couple renovated a Greek Revival farmhouse in Neshanic Station, NJ, and appreciated country living and gardening before their move to Solebury.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Mary, and his brother, Ira.
Ed is survived by his wife, Dolores, and his children, John E. Kresge and Susan E. Kresge.
The family would like to thank the loving staff of The Meadows at Lawrence for their care of Ed over the last 18 months.

In 1967 when Ray Foley went to work as a bartender and manager at The Manor in West Orange, NJ, little did he know that cocktails would continue to shape and define the next 56 years of his life. “Uncle Ray,” a beloved legend in the hospitality industry, passed away peacefully in Basking Ridge, NJ, on October 27, 2023, from complications of Parkinson’s disease, which he sustained in the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune in the 1960’s. He recently celebrated his 80th birthday.

The Manor didn’t only shape Ray’s career, it’s also the place where in 1977 he met the love of his life, Jaclyn Wilson, who he married in 1982 in Bernardsville, NJ. The following year, Ray left The Manor to devote his full efforts to BARTENDER Magazine, which he began publishing a few years prior. Today, BARTENDER Magazine, Bartender.com, and Mixologist.com are still the only trade publications/websites of their kind targeted to bartenders and bartending, read and enjoyed by more than 250,000 people across the country. Ray was also the author of over a dozen cocktail books, including the popular “Bartending for Dummies,” now in its 6th edition, and one of the all-time best sellers in the “For Dummies” series. Additionally, Ray has developed and named thousands of cocktail recipes, including the world-famous “Fuzzy Navel,” which he created in 1985. Ray’s collection of cocktail recipe books (some dating back to the 1800’s) is one of the largest collections in the world and is now on display at the Galleria Campari Museum in Milan, Italy.

A longtime champion for bartenders and hospitality professionals, Ray was the founder of the BARTENDER “Hall of Fame” which recognizes and honors the best bartenders throughout the U.S. for their skill and service to their communities. He was also the founder of “The Bartenders’ Foundation,” a non-profit organization that raises and awards much-needed scholarship funds to bartenders to further their own or their children’s education.

Ray was generous and kind, and larger than life. With his quick wit, big heart, and Irish humor, he loved to entertain people and tell stories (as any good bartender should!) But his greatest joy in life was his family. He is survived by his wife and partner of 42 years Jaclyn, their son Ryan, daughter-in-law Cait Fallon, and granddaughter Nora. He also leaves behind Ray and his partner Kim, Billy and his wife Perry and their son Lachlan Foley, Amy and her husband Greg and children, Caitlin, Robert, and John.

In 1977 at the age of 39, Dr. Jeanne Hoff, a psychiatrist, welcomed a TV crew into her home in Manhattan. Their purpose was to document her journey towards her gender confirmation surgery scheduled the following day.

Lynn Redgrave and Frank Field hosted the documentary titled “Becoming Jeanne: A Search for Sexual Identity,” built around her journey, which was broadcast on NBC in the subsequent spring.

“The path we take regarding our bodies and our lives often unsettles those around us,” Dr. Hoff, a petite woman with brown hair down to her shoulders, explained during the broadcast. She continued, “I can see the fear and confusion in their eyes, even those who have known me for an extended period.”

She had been considering undergoing surgery for many years. Yet, making the decision to go public with her journey, which could have endangered her career and overall well-being, came more naturally to her.

Dr. Hoff aimed to highlight her struggles in acquiring treatment and dealing with doctors who lacked adequate knowledge about transgender individuals. She hoped that her experience would enlighten those in the medical field.

Coverage of transgender personalities during that era was sparse but significant. “Conundrum,” a memoir by travel writer Jan Morris on her own transition, was well received upon its release in 1974. In 1977, Renée Richards, an ophthalmology practitioner and tennis player, obtained a court order to participate in the women’s division at the U.S. Open.

However, Dr. Hoff’s appearance on television was primarily to serve as a model for many of her clients, which included many who identified as transgender or gay. She believed it was crucial for her to live her life openly, confidently, and with no shame, as she encouraged her patients to do the same.

On October 26, Dr. Hoff, believed to be the first transgender psychiatrist to disclose her identity, passed away in her San Francisco home at the age of 85. Carol Lucas, her friend, revealed that the cause of her death was Parkinson’s disease. Gay City News announced her passing this month.

Running a private practice in Manhattan at the time of her transition, Dr. Hoff had also taken over the practice of Dr. Harry Benjamin, a German-born endocrinologist often regarded as the pioneer for transgender care in America. However, in the timeline of that care, Dr. Hoff remains obscure, if recognized at all.

Jules Gill-Peterson, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University specializing in sexuality and transgender history, discovered Dr. Hoff’s archives during her research for her 2018 book, “Histories of the Transgender Child.” It came as a surprise to her that a transgender woman was already practicing as a psychiatrist open about her identity during the 1970s.

Dr. Hoff had championed the release of a Black transgender woman who was institutionalized from age 15 until 30 due to her assertion of her gender identity being falsely diagnosed as “mental retardation,” “delusion,” and “sexual perversion.”

In the documentary “Becoming Jeanne,” Dr. Hoff addressed the lesser but prevalent sexism within her medical team. An example she pointed out was her surgeon’s insistence that her breast implants should be larger, leading him to be surprised when she did not want to appear overly conspicuous.

When questioned about marriage in the documentary, Dr. Hoff revealed her relationship with a man, but she was uncertain if the relationship would survive her transition (which it did not).

“The marriage market for middle-aged spinsters is not thriving,” she commented, emphasizing that she was not dependent on that market for happiness. She said she took fulfillment from her profession and her network of supportive and caring friends, a stark contrast to her life prior.

Dr. Hoff was an only child born on October 16, 1938, in St. Louis to James and Mary (Salih) Hoff. Her father worked as a bottler in a brewery during the 1950s. According to Ms. Lucas, a friend from the 1980s, Dr. Hoff’s memories of her upbringing were scarce but she alluded to it having been a difficult period marked by alcoholism from her father and scarcity.

After earning her B.A. from Washington University in 1960, half of which was funded by a scholarship, Dr. Hoff pursued a Master’s of Science at Yale. In 1963, she earned an M.D. in surgery from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. She served as an instructor in pathology and later as a resident in psychiatry at her alma mater, Washington University, between 1971-1976.

In the 1980s, she sold her practice and relocated to Hudson, New York. In nearby Kingston, she worked at a state-run outpatient clinic providing care to long-term psychiatric patients with severe disabilities, including schizophrenia. She later moved to a group practice in Pittsburgh before finally returning to Oakland, California, where she worked with previously incarcerated individuals via a program with the California Department of Corrections. Dr. Hoff’s eventual retirement in 1999 followed an attack by a prisoner.

“She did not recover well from that trauma,” Ms. Lucas acknowledged, “She said she couldn’t get mad, which would allow her to heal because he was a patient. Her compassion was tremendous.”

Dr. Hoff did not leave behind any immediate family members.

In “Becoming Jeanne,” Mr. Field inquired about how Dr. Hoff wished to be acknowledged and treated by others. To which she promptly responded, “It might not be necessary to exert oneself to grasp the idea of embracing transsexuals if one could simply adhere to the principle of minding one’s own business.”

Dinah Powell Layton went to be with the Lord on October 11, 2023. She was a devoted wife, loving mother and grandmother ("Mimi"), sister, friend, and respected member of her community. Dinah was a firm believer in Christ.

She was born on July 28, 1947, in Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, to Allison and Marsene Powell.

She attended Denver City High School in West Texas and graduated from Texas Tech University. Dinah taught art and was an amazing interior designer.

Dinah is survived by her loving husband Brian Layton; brother Raymond Powell and his wife Elizabeth; daughter Amy Filler, son-in-law Chris Filler, and granddaughters Alexia, Peyton and Daphne; daughter Alison Tate, son-in-law Pablo Undurraga, and grandsons Joaquin, Lucas, Diego and Matias; son Steven Tate, daughter-in-law Brittney and granddaughter Meredith; daughter-in-law Maria Burton Tate; stepson Ryan Layton, his wife Erica Layton, and grandsons Blake, Kael and Jake.

Dinah was preceded in death by her parents, Allison and Marsene Powell, her sisters Gracie and Nelda, and her son Scott.

Dinah leaves behind many friends and family who were immensely impacted by her. We will truly miss her wit, fun-loving personality, and zest for life... "up to the sky and the sky never ends..."

James "Jim" Dalgarno McCredie Died peacefully in his sleep on 19 October 2023. Dearly loved son of Harold and Marjorie, beloved brother of Andrew and Janet, lifelong companion of wife Margaret, and a very much-loved father of Gina and her husband Peter, Bill and his wife Kate, David and his wife Simone, and youngest son Robert. Cherished grandfather to Tom, Ally, Harry and Jack. Loving uncle of Nick, Steve, Caroline and her husband Andrew, Great Uncle to Lachie and Alex. Brother-in-law to Cate, Eric, Diana and Libby. An avid enthusiast of planes, boats and trains, Jim studied aeronautical engineering at
Sydney University. His career included contributing to the design of planes while working with the Government Aircraft Factory, and undersea testing of defense
equipment with the Navy Research Laboratory. In the early 1980’s Jim was posted to the USA with his family, to take up a position with the Australian Department of
Defense in Washington DC.

After his professional career, Jim was an active contributor to numerous local community organizations including as President of the Chatswood West Ward Progress Association for many years. For his service he was named the 2004 Willoughby Citizen of the Year. He was also a key contributor to the establishment of the local Community Fire Unit.
Living with Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years, Jim became an avid supporter and advocate of Parkinson’s Research.

Dr. Frank R. Barta, Jr., 83, of Los Angeles, CA passed away peacefully October 15, 2023 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. He had been a patient at Garden Crest Rehabilitation Center and more recently CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, where he had been on staff as a board-certified orthopedic surgeon for many years before his retirement. He was past president of the Hollywood Academy of Medicine.
Frank was born the eldest child of Mildred (Ware) and Dr. Frank R. Barta, Sr. in Detroit, Michigan in 1940. He was raised in the Dundee neighborhoods of Omaha, Nebraska where he attended St. Margaret Mary's grade school, Creighton Prep where he was a National Merit Finalist, and Creighton University from which he graduated in 1962 with a BA in philosophy, on scholarship.
Afterwards, Frank followed in his father's footsteps, going from Creighton University to Johns Hopkins Medical School, with internship at New York Cornell Hospital and subsequent residencies in general surgery in New York, as well as orthopedics in Norfolk, Virginia and New York, respectively after military service. While practicing medicine in Los Angeles, Frank earned a law degree from Loyola Law School of Loyola Marymount University.
Frank entered military service as a general surgeon in the Army medical corps at the rank of Captain in New York, NY, August 10, 1969. He served in Vietnam where he earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Soldiers Medal for volunteering for a rescue mission while on field deployment in Plei Djereng, the Combat Medical Badge, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, 2 O/S Bars, and the Bronze Star. He resigned from the Army at the rank of Major at Fort Dix, New Jersey, August 9, 1971. He belonged to American Legion Post 43 in Los Angeles for many years, where he enjoyed lively conversation at social gatherings with other veterans of military service.
Frank was the eldest of six siblings. Like his father, Frank had an eclectic and inquisitive mind, a prodigious memory, and strong opinions. He was a stellar student, with little apparent effort, and grew up in a house with a library and abundant reference works, literary classics, tomes in philosophy and psychology, as well as myriad medical and nutrition journals, and favored magazines like Popular Mechanics, and Electronics Illustrated to feed his curiosity.
From an early age Frank mastered whatever struck his interest, whether Lionel train layouts, chemistry sets, cameras, photography and photo development, amateur radio, telescopes and astronomy, or, later on, learning how to fly and maintain his precious second-hand Mooney, which he bought for $11,000 in 1971 after receiving training and earning a pilot's license while stationed near McQuire Air Force base in New Jersey. He loved taking things apart, then putting them back together, in order to know how they worked. After law school, Frank became interested in economics and was doing research for a book on the subject.
Frank is survived by a far-flung family of five siblings (twin sisters and three younger brothers): Carol Barta Schutz and her husband Pierre of Strasbourg, France; Dr. Nancy Barta-Smith of Grove City Pennsylvania; Richard Barta of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia; Matthew Barta and his wife Monna of Brandon, Florida; and Michael Barta and his wife Nancy Hill Barta of Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, along with numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. Frank was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Thomas Gregory who passed shortly after birth, and his grandparents Anna and Rudolph J. Barta and Nancy Boice and Richard Samuel Ware.
The Barta family wishes to acknowledge its deep gratitude to the management and staff at The Hollywood Ardmore Apartments where Frank lived for many years, to members of American Legion Post 43, to the management and staff at Garden Crest Rehabilitation Center, and especially to Frank's friend Luis Muralles for their efforts on Frank's behalf, particularly during the Covid pandemic and in the final months of his illness.

Dr. Melvyn Schaff, a longtime Northern Westchester pediatrician who also served as the medical director for the Lakeland, Hendrick Hudson and Peekskill school districts, died Oct. 3 from complications of Parkinson’s Disease. He was 74.

After graduating from New York University, Dr. Schaff attended Medical School at the University of Bologna, Italy, attaining his Doctorate in Medicine and Surgery in 1977. There he met, fell in love with and married the love of his life, Adriana. He returned to New York to complete residency through New York Medical College at Westchester Medical Center and Lenox Hill Hospital. He retained this affiliation with the Medical College and was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics. Following tenure as the Chief Pediatric Resident at Westchester Medical Center, Dr. Schaff began his practice in the Peekskill-Cortlandt Manor area in 1981. He served countless children and their families. His calm demeanor and gentle sense of humor were characteristics particularly suited to the healthcare of children. Dr. Schaff was caring and compassionate and many of his patients continued to see him even as they entered young adulthood.

As his involvement in the community grew, Dr. Schaff became the District Physician for Lakeland, Peekskill and Hendrick Hudson school districts. His dedication to the students and staff led him to establish a popular “Dine-Around” that allowed school nurses, medical residents and attending pediatric specialists to gather for lively and useful discussions over meals. He skillfully guided them to explore practical and creative solutions to real problems in children’s health.

Additionally, mentorship of young people who were interested in medical or nursing careers was a commitment he frequently made. As a Boy Scout co-leader and Committee Chairman of Troop 165, he influenced so many others. In retirement he volunteered to teach English as a second language. All who knew him felt the touch of his kindness. His wisdom knew no bounds.

Dr. Schaff is survived by his wife of 43 years, Adriana, his son Peter of Peekskill, New York, and his brother Craig of Montrose, Colorado.

Chris Wilcox founded the Scotia Festival of Music in 1980 to bring classical musicians, directors and orchestras to the people of Halifax.

The festival this year will serve as an in memoriam for Wilcox who died in October 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015.

Current artistic director Simon Docking told CityNews in an interview that he chose the program with Wilcox in mind.

“Either outwardly or just almost subconsciously, the way I’ve programmed this festival, there’s a tribute to Chris, a little Easter egg in most concerts in one way or another,” Docking said.

He said the festival will host a free concert on the afternoon of June 2 as a tribute to Wilcox.

“Chris died last October and we immediately decided to make this whole festival in Chris’s memory, with this particular concert being a celebration of his life and legacy,” he said.

Beverly Willis, FAIA, an American architect renowned for her commitment to elevating female design professionals, has died at the age of 95 in Branford, Conn., following complications from Parkinson’s disease. Throughout a career spanning 65 years, Willis's achievements included several notable projects and leadership positions, but her labor went beyond shaping America's built environment. Disturbed by female invisibility in architectural history, Willis also helped mold professional architecture practice in the United States by highlighting accomplishments of, and advocating for, women in the building industry.

When asked why we should talk about the role of women in the architecture profession, Willis told ARCHITECT that "cutting-edge form and large projects have a place in architecture, but I believe most women are more concerned about society as a whole. Thousands of small interventions can make our cities a better place to live, while an occasional iconic, monumental structure does not. And then on the business level, there are more women executives today than ever before. These women are in the position to commission large projects, [and] I don't believe a single-sex team will make the grade."

Born on Feb. 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Okla., Willis was one of 200 women attending the University of Southern California in 1945. Shortly after, Willis studied aeronautical engineering at Oregon State University and, in 1955, she earned a B.A. in art from the University of Hawaii. After working as an independent artist for a decade, Willis founded her own San Francisco–based architectural firm in 1966 highlighting the potential of adaptive reuse throughout her practice and completing one of her best-known designs—the San Francisco Ballet Building—in 1983. In 1971, Willis also pioneered computer programming in firms with Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, aka CARLA, a software developed in-house. Today, 13 of Willis's architectural designs are in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and her full archive of drawings resides in the Virginia Tech libraries.

In 2002, after 36 years of leading her eponymous firm, Willis noticed that architectural historians and textbooks often overlooked trailblazing female practitioners. "I looked back and realized that the arbiters of architecture culture had systemically overlooked some of the great women architects of my mid–20th century era," Willis told ARCHITECT in 2007. Aiming to correct this glaring omission, Willis founded the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, initially a database aimed at honoring the contributions of female design professionals.

"Recovering the stories of women architects is a greater gift to future generations than the singular preservation of my own legacy," Willis explained to ARCHITECT. "It's a living legacy, if you will."

Willis hoped that the foundation would emphasize why the building industry needed a multitude of perspectives to build "a better environment for everyone," she said. "If we incorporate the ideas of the many over the visions of the few, we will create, in my opinion, a much more equitable and humanistic environment for everyone. And, really, shouldn't that be the profession's larger ethical goal?"

In the years since its founding, BWAF has expanded its reach, advocating for and fostering female contributions to the built environment.

Willis also advocated for the rights of women in the building industry, penning an opinion piece with Julia Donoho, AIA, for ARCHITECT in 2018 after multiple women accused the Pritzker Prize laureate Richard Meier, FAIA member emeritus, of sexual harassment.

"I became interested in the topic of sexual misconduct when I was trying to understand why many women were dropping out of the design field within their first 10 years of practice," Willis wrote with Donoho. "These were young and talented women who had excelled in architecture school. They were also vulnerable. Recent headlines have made it clear how prevalent sexual misconduct can be when powerful men hold the keys to a person’s career and advancement. There have been too few consequences and too much looking away."

In addition to many professional accolades—Willis was elected the first female president of the California Chapter of The American Institute of Architects in 1979 and received the chapter's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017—Willis also co-founded the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., in 1980.

Willis is survived by her spouse, Wanda Bubrisk. Willis's work is also highlighted in Emerging Ecologies: Architecture and the Rise of Environmentalism, an exhibition on view at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Marshall B. Grossman, an attorney for 55 years who had a highly successful practice, has died.

Burt Pines, a former partner of his, said that Grossman died Saturday night from Parkinson’s disease. He remarked:

“He was a towering figure in the field of civil litigation. A force of nature.

“He possessed a rare combination of intellect, verbal skills, tenacity, knowledge of the law, and ability to think outside the box to seek creative solutions to complex problems. 

“If you were on the other side of a lawsuit with Marshall, you were at a distinct disadvantage.

“I have known Marshall since the 10th grade and had the pleasure of working as his law partner for over 17 years, 1981-1999. 

“I could not have asked for a better partner or firm. Marshall set a standard of professionalism, excellence, integrity, and service to clients that was emulated throughout the firm. He was a wonderful mentor to younger lawyers. He cared about the people who worked with him. He was generous, thoughtful, and always available for assistance. 

“He’s also admired and respected for his work and service outside the practice, including his public service on the Coastal Commission and Commission on Judicial performance, and his service to many organizations in the Jewish community.”

Grossman has been honored by the Century City Bar Association and the Beverly Hills Bar Association for his contributions to the community and the legal profession.

He was a member of the California Coastal Commission in 1985, at a time when the Jonathan Club discriminated by race and religion in granting membership and it wanted to expand its Santa Monica beach facility by renting state-owned land. Grossman is quoted in the book, “Lawyers of Los Angeles, 1950 to 2020,” as declaring:

“What we’re saying is that if you’re going to take (58,000 square feet of) public-trust land, you’re going to have to use the facility in such a way that a Tom Bradley can be a member, that a Diane Feinstein can be a member, or that my kid can be a member.”

The Jonathan Club sued over the decision, losing.

Grossman assumed inactive bar status on Feb. 3, 2020.

He is survived by his wife, Marlene; his children, Leslie and Rodger; and three grandchildren, Sofia, Goldie, and Max.