The Memorial Wall

Late in the evening of July 1, 2021, the field of neurology unexpectedly lost a renowned practitioner, researcher, and teacher: Dr. Richard Alan Shubin, beloved husband of Judy Shubin and father of Matthew Shubin. Dr. Shubin, aged 65, was known for his protean knowledge of neurology, focusing on multiple sclerosis, sleep disorders, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's diseases. Throughout his more than 30 years of practicing medicine, Dr. Shubin was known to the medical community as the neurologist of last resort for patients with the most intractable and complex neurological conditions.

Born in Hollywood in 1956, Dr. Shubin was the eldest son of Hilde Shubin and Dr. Herbert Shubin. Motivated to enter medicine by the passing of his physician-father in 1975, he graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Chemistry. He received both his medical degree and master's degree in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Shubin completed his residency in neurology and completed a fellowship in neuroimmunology at Los Angeles County-University of Southern California School of Medicine, where he worked on developing disease models for coronaviruses. Along with maintaining a fully private practice in Arcadia, CA, Dr. Shubin was actively engaged in clinical research throughout his career, co-directing the Sleep Disorders Center at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena.

He also served as the site investigator for more than 100 clinical trials, authored more than 15 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, and served as a clinical faculty member at LAC-USC School of Medicine. Dr. Shubin was dedicated to excellence in the practice of medicine and devoted to providing state-of-the-art care to his many patients. Dr. Felice Laverso, CEO and President of Casa Colina Rehabilitation Hospital, where Dr. Shubin served as Director of multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease clinics, described Dr. Shubin as "one of the most talented neurologists I had ever known. His knowledge and caring about individuals with movement disorders were unprecedented.

I admired him and felt fortunate to have known him. I will miss him greatly as will every patient in his orbit." Ever the polymath, Dr. Shubin derived ceaseless joy from his lifelong study of history, natural philosophy, and geology, to the day of his untimely passing. Dr. Shubin is survived by his wife Judy Shubin, son Matthew Shubin, mother Hilde Shubin Rosenbluth, stepfather Irving Rosenbluth, sisters Carol Shubin and Dorothy Shubin, as well as by aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He will be dearly missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the medical community.

David John Wilson, a 34 year resident of Malibu, passed away peacefully on June 28th, 2021. He was born in Lincoln, NB on April 4th, 1937, and moved with his family to Boulder, CO when he was fourteen.  Later he attended UC Boulder and then in 1961 entered the US Air Force to train as a fighter pilot.  He flew the F86 Sabre, often in formation and he left the Air Force as a Commissioned Officer.

In 1964 he joined Pan American World Airways and began his 36-year career as an airline pilot flying to all corners of the globe and becoming a Boeing 747 Captain in 1981. In 1986 he transferred to United Airlines and finished his career as Captain of the Boeing 747-400, a plane he had flown consecutively for 25 years.

Dave was an avid skier, tennis player and enjoyed traveling extensively with his wife,  entertaining and hosting guests.  However, fishing with his sons in the mountains was especially high on his list of favorite things to do. Dave is survived by his wife of 40 years, Angela, sister Lorna, sons David and Darren, daughters-in-law Amy and Kelly, and grandchildren Kai, Bodi, and Zanna. Known for his humor and intelligence, Dave will be missed by asking who knew and loved him.

Funeral services will be private.  In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations online to parkinsonsresource.org  or by check to 74785 Highway 111 Suite 208, Indian Wells, CA 92210.  1-877-775-4111.

Visionary leader oversaw the building of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after the Northridge earthquake

Dr. Gerald Saul Levey, a nationally recognized leader who transformed UCLA’s hospitals and medical school into a world-class academic health system, died at home on June 25 of Parkinson’s disease. He was 84.

Levey served the university as Vice-Chancellor of Medical Sciences and Dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA from 1994 to 2010. During his 16-year tenure, Levey amassed an extraordinarily long list of achievements crowned by the building of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and a $200 million endowment to the UCLA School of Medicine by entertainment executive David Geffen.

“It’s not possible to say in a short time what Jerry Levey means to UCLA,” said Chancellor Gene Block. “He left us with a state-of-the-art hospital, an endowed medical school, five new research buildings, and 100 endowed chairs. Many generations will reap the benefit of his vision, leadership, and dedication.”

Levey was born on Jan. 9, 1937, in Jersey City, N.J, to Jacob and Gertrude Levey. His father, who had emigrated from Odessa, completed night school to become an attorney, and his mother was the daughter of Polish immigrants.

Growing up during the Depression, Levey’s earliest memory was of wanting to be a physician like his pediatrician.

“He made house calls, set my broken nose, stitched a nearly severed finger, and fixed a fractured collarbone at our kitchen table,” he recalled. “I was absolutely in awe of him.”

When Levey turned 18, his father died of a heart attack, forcing his mother to join the workforce. On a secretary’s income, his mother paid for Levey’s college and medical school education; he graduated debt-free.

His senior year at Cornell University, Levey met Barbara Cohen, a quick-witted blonde who sat next to him in folk music class. It was, Levey, quipped, “a case of assigned seating — and love at first sight.”

Cohen, who graduated cum laude from Cornell, had already been accepted to medical school at the State University of New York in Syracuse. She graduated as the only woman in her 120-student class.

After Levey earned his medical degree from Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry, the couple married in 1961, launching a partnership in family and career that spanned 58years.

Levey interned at Jersey City Medical Center and pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in biological chemistry at Harvard. After a residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, he trained for four years at the National Institutes of Health. In 1970, Levey was hired as an associate professor at the University of Miami School of Medicine, where he was funded as a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator.

In 1979, the University of Pittsburgh recruited him to chair its academic medicine department and serve as Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Presbyterian-University Hospital. During his 13-year tenure, Levey confided his desire to lead a major medical school to the university vice-chancellor, who encouraged him to hone his business and management skills at a larger organization.

In 1991, Levey surprised his academic colleagues by accepting a position at the pharmaceutical company, Merck & Co, as Senior Vice President of Medical and Scientific Affairs.

The strategic move paid off. Three years later, UCLA chose Levey for the newly merged roles of medical school Dean and Provost of the Health Sciences and hired Barbara Levey as Assistant Vice Chancellor of Biomedical affairs.

The enterprise Levey inherited was massive: a medical school with more than 2,000 faculty and 725 students, and a health system of more than 75 community clinics and four hospitals on two medical campuses treating 80,000 hospital patients and 1.5 million clinic patients per year. Levey was tapped as the single executive to supervise the entire UCLA health sciences and integrate its factions into a cohesive, well-run organization.

When Levey joined UCLA in September 1994, he couldn’t have picked a less auspicious time. Mired by budget woes, a weak census, and discord between hospital and school leadership, UCLA struggled to finance its research and teaching programs while delivering care in a marketplace rocked by a recession, managed care, and dwindling government revenue.

Eight months earlier, the Northridge earthquake had damaged UCLA’s circa-1955 hospital. Following Levey’s appointment, engineers indicated the building would be unable to function in the event of another major quake. Levey was thrust into the unexpected role of overseeing the creation, financing, and construction of a new medical center. Famed architectural firms I.M. Pei & Associates and Perkins & Will designed the facility to anticipate the future demands of medicine and meet California’s rigid seismic standards.

Levey embraced the challenge with boundless enthusiasm, raising a record $300 million in private funds for the hospital by cultivating personal relationships with Los Angeles’ luminaries in business and philanthropy. He persuaded the Federal Emergency Management Agency to allocate $432 million to the new facility, noting its indispensable role in a future disaster.

On June 29, 2008, the unpretentious leader arrived before 4 a.m. in sneakers and a Bruins baseball cap to rally thousands of staff and volunteers. He oversaw the seven-hour transfer by ambulance and gurney of more than 340 psychiatric and clinical patients–including premature infants from the neonatal ICU and critically ill adults in comas.

Moving one patient every two minutes, the monumental task ran like clockwork and finished three hours ahead of schedule. By the afternoon, doctors had opened the emergency room for business and begun performing organ transplants and delivering the hospital’s first babies.

Encased in white Italian travertine and filled with natural light, the 1-million square-foot facility took 14 years to complete. It houses Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, and UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.

Levey never lost sight of the reason behind the hospital. “Thinking about all of the people whose lives will be better because of the care they receive here is a very humbling and rewarding prospect,” he commented in UCLA Medicine.

Levey also oversaw the design and construction of a striking new campus for UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, and the addition of five state-of-the-art research buildings.

“Jerry didn’t focus exclusively on buildings; he knew that a successful enterprise is built on talented, dedicated people,” said Dr. John Mazziotta, UCLA Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences and CEO of UCLA Health. “He invested in recruiting and mentoring excellent people. Everyone at UCLA benefitted from his vision and ability to lead.”

During his tenure, Levey catapulted the hospital and medical school into U.S. News & World Report’s top rankings; recruited 20 academic chairs; revamped the educational curriculum; awarded medical degrees to more than 2,500 students; and oversaw the creation of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center and five new departments, including human genetics.

His leadership extended far beyond UCLA. Levey was a founding board member for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. When the county’s troubled Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center closed in South Los Angeles in 2007, Levey advised the County Board of Supervisors and the UC Board of Regents to enter a partnership, leading to the reopening of the hospital in 2012.

Fond of saying, ‘Never be afraid to do the right thing,’ Levey emphasized that a decision’s outcome mattered less than whether it was the ethical thing to do. That motto inspired the title of his business memoir in 2011.

His second book, “A Gift for the Asking,” described his personalized approach to fundraising. As Dean, Levey raised an unprecedented $2.52 billion in private donations.

To honor his exceptional service, Levey received numerous prestigious awards. Chief among them were the UCLA Medal, the university’s highest honor; the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science Board Medal of Honor; and the American Jewish Committee’s award for distinguished leadership

“I feel blessed to have the life I have had,” Levey told the Daily Bruin. “I consider my experience at UCLA the pinnacle of my career.”

Levey is survived by his sister Paula Westerman; son John (and Michele) Levey; his daughter Robin Levey Burkhardt; and three grandchildren. His beloved Barbara died in 2019.

Jordan was born on 02/25/30 and although 91, died unexpectedly on June 21, 2021. Jordan graduated from UCLA and then MIT with a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. He loved teaching and working in the chemistry lab, but also loved reading, photography, and woodworking. He and his wife Dot enjoyed many wonderful trips exploring the world.

He leaves behind three daughters, Dot's three children, their families, his sister, and other family members. To quote his oldest daughter, "my Dad was short in stature but magnanimous in life!" He spoke his mind which sometimes got him in trouble, but he also had a quick sense of humor, right until the end.

Because Jordan was a Chemistry teacher and active with science issues, at his request, the family donated Jordan’s brain to science, through a brain specialist in Portland, OR, at OHSU, hoping to help others learn more about Parkinson’s and Epilepsy.

Jordan's wife Dot was in a car collision after making a left turn and since then, Jordan's regular parting words to her were to "watch those left turns!". He said that with a smile on his face whenever she left his room, even the last time she saw him.

Sadly, Jordan's final years were challenging dealing with Parkinson's and Epilepsy, but he handled both without complaints. 

Ricardo Nakauchi passed in Stanton, Ca., on June 19, 2021. Born in Lima, Peru on January 28, 1942 to Luis T. Nakauchi and Daria Huerta.

An honors graduate from national engineering University in Lima, he attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, subsequently graduating honors in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1968.
Upon graduating, Ricardo was employed at California's Transrex before opening his own business, Power Engineering in Carson. Ricardo's warm and supportive manner as "boss" won respect, dedication and loyalty from employees.
A competitive tennis player on local courts, Ricardo won several trophies. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's and was forced to suspend physical activities and business endeavors.

Ricardo became a resident of Rowntree Gardens where he actively participated in all activities in spite of Parkinson's. In fact, even though his physical activities became restricted, his mind and sense of humor remained vibrant to the very end.
Ricardo was preceded in death by his older sister, Elizabeth Landsberg. He is survived by his younger sister Elba Nakauchi-Kiely, and his brother-in-law, Brian Kiely of Long Beach and a cousin, Norma Sanchez, of Santa Clarita.

Ronald J. Ostrow, 89, a storied newspaper reporter in the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times for more than three decades, passed away in Chevy Chase, MD, on Monday, June 14. His wife, Alyce Kelly Ostrow, was at his side.

Ron was renowned among colleagues and competitors as one of the best-sourced reporters covering the Department of Justice. He was intimately involved in covering Watergate, helping break news that dramatically changed the trajectory of that story, including the first on-record account linking President Nixon’s reelection committee to illegal wiretapping and a scoop that a grand jury had named Nixon as an unindicted co-conspirator. He also wrote about the Iran-Contra scandal, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Supreme Court and scores of other topics. "He was always knowledgeable, always prepared, always fair," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement after Ron's passing. "He was tough as a journalist, kind as a person. You could always pick him out in a crowd – he was the one wearing the bowtie."

Born in San Francisco, Ron graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1953, where he served as homecoming chairman his senior year, was a cheerleader and president of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. After a tour in the Army, he worked at the Wall Street Journal and Business Week before joining the Los Angeles Times in 1962 as a business writer. He was awarded a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard in 1964-65 and was recruited to the Times's Washington bureau in 1966. Ron co-authored two books, "The FBI and the Berrigans - The Making of a Conspiracy" (1972) with colleague Jack Nelson and "Taking Care of the Law," with former Attorney General Griffin Bell (1982), and was a longtime member of the Gridiron Club in Washington.

One of Ron's early assignments – covering Senator Edward Kennedy’s accident on Chappaquiddick Island in 1969 – led to a life-long love of Martha’s Vineyard, where he and family vacationed for decades, including with his beloved daughter, Kathryn Jeanne Ostrow, who died from cystic fibrosis in 1977. Ron was an avid runner, cook, reader and fisherman.
In addition to his wife Alyce, with whom he celebrated 40 years of marriage this past Valentine’s Day, he is survived by stepdaughters Kalin Hyman (John Hyman) and Alison Auerbach (Marc Schindler); stepbrother, Lou Lovell; four grandchildren, Tucker Hyman (Kaeley Secan), Montana Hyman, Maya Schindler, and Jacob Schindler; and cousins Alan Levin, Betsy Levin, John Levin, Sarah Levin, and their spouses. His marriage to the former Patricia Curran ended in divorce.

William Arthur Sullins, Jr. died Monday, June 14, 2021. He is survived by his wife of 54 years Ann (nee McFarland) Sullins and three children and their families: Steve (Amanda) and children Wesley and Greyson of Los Gatos, CA; Drew (Katie) and children Olivia and Mackenzie of San Anselmo, CA; and Catherine (Baer) DeMaio and children Mason, Ryder and Xan of Denver, CO; sister-in-law Kitty McFarland, brother-in-law James McFarland, and extended family of 17 nieces and nephews and numerous cousins. Bill was preceded in death by his parents William Arthur and Lila Jane (nee Gibbons) Sullins and his sister Patricia Jane Sullins.

A life-long St. Louisan, Bill graduated from Washington University with a degree in business and completed post-graduate studies through Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University.

A well-known banker, Bill was highly respected by both his customers as well as his fellow bankers. His career spanned 43 years beginning at Boatmen’s Bank where he rose to Vice President for the Midwest Commercial Region before moving to Commerce Bank in 1975. He was instrumental in building Commerce Bancshares into the strong banking system it is today, and retired in 2003 as Vice Chairman.

Throughout his life Bill was committed to community service beginning at Ritenour High School where he was Student Body President and continuing through many years of volunteerism - as a young man with the Junior Chamber of Commerce and United Way and with board roles on Junior Achievement, Christian Hospital, BJC, St. Louis Art Museum and others. Growing up an Episcopalian his service included terms on the Vestry and as Senior Warden at the Church of St. Michael and St. George. After his retirement from banking he taught elementary level Junior Achievement classes where he was known as Banker Bill. For his many achievements he was recognized as an honoree of the Hall of Fame at Ritenour High School. An avid reader, Bill embodied an intellectual curiosity that enriched his entire life. A lover of all things sports related and a strong competitor, Bill took up tennis in his 40’s and enjoyed several foursome groups on a weekly basis for many years.

The treasure of Bill’s life, however, was his family. He and his beloved Ann cherished time with their three children and their growing families. Whether it was fishing, canoeing, camping, flying, diving, cruising, skiing or driving on the countless road trips, Bill assured that fun vacation experiences came true. He will be remembered dearly by his family, his grandchildren who adored their Grappa, and by his many friends as a generous, thoughtful and fun-loving man.

With great sadness, we announce the passing of Mary Rouzie Adams on June 10th. Mary always found fun and happiness in her life. Born to Evelyn and Reverend Irwin C. Johnson in Detroit, Michigan in 1932, Mary was raised with faith and love. Her passing is preceded by her parents, her brother, David Johnson and her first, second and third husbands, W. Murray Fowler, George M. Holstein, III and John S. Rouzie.

Mary graduated from University Liggett School in Indian Village, MI in 1949. Prior to attending college, she loved teaching ballroom dance to children in Grosse Pointe, MI. In her young adult life, Mary successfully modeled, often being featured in the newspaper and was even a finalist as Mrs. Michigan in the Mrs. America Pageant. Mary pursued her degree in early childhood education from Stephens College in Columbia, MO and commenced in 1951 after which time she returned to Michigan to teach at her alma mater. It was after graduation that she married Murray Fowler and had three children together: David, Jeff, and Missy.

The family of five briefly moved to New Jersey and ultimately landed in Southern California in the late 60's. Mary often volunteered at the local hospitals where she lived and worked as a Membership Director for the Newport Beach Tennis Club. One of Mary's favorite passions was travel and she enjoyed many years of her life between homes in Newport Beach, Rancho Mirage, and Big Fork, Montana. Mary explored over 90 countries, often including her children and grandchildren, which awakened them to travel and the building of wonderful memories together as a family.

During one of these trips, Mary met and married her husband of nearly 20 years, Ray Adams. They cruised extensively together for many of their years of marriage. Mary was past President of the Palm Springs Pathfinders (Boys and Girls Club) and was active for many years at the Thunderbird Country Club, including the Birdettes. Mary played tennis and golf but found most of her enjoyment in entertaining her many friends and family members.

She is survived by her husband Ray, sister Elenore Tuttle, sons David Fowler and Jeff Fowler (Bib) and daughter Missy Alward. She also leaves behind five grandchildren, Alex Alward, Lane Timian (Travis), Blaine Alward, Ian Fowler (Hillary) and Alden Burton Fowler, a great granddaughter, Blake Mary Timian, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mary gave her last and most personal donation to the Neuropathy Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in the hope to aid in the understanding and development of a cure for Corticobasal Degeneration – the disease she bravely fought for the past six years. Mary's passing asks us to remember the extraordinary life that she generously shared with love and happiness to all those around and to always find the joy and love around us.

He was "never known to complain about a thing,” said his son. “He took ‘the bad’ in stride and pressed on. Any ‘good’ was a blessing and not to be squandered.”

John Woodcock Jr., 86, an accountant and devoted family man, died Wednesday, June 9, of Parkinson’s disease at White Horse Village, a retirement community in Newtown Square.

Mr. Woodcock and his brothers Jim, Bill, and Ron were the children of immigrants — John Woodcock Sr. was from Ireland and Isabella Kerr Woodcock was from Scotland — who, like their own siblings, came to the United States to pursue a better life. They settled in Ardmore and Mr. Woodcock grew up surrounded by dozens of cousins, with lessons about the importance of family and hard work that stayed with him all his life.

“In this environment, he learned how family takes care of each other,” said his son, Steve Woodcock. “Nobody ever had a want because this extended family took care of each other during good times and bad.”

During the Korean War, Mr. Woodcock served in the U.S. Navy as an electronics technician, and was one of the first sailors to earn the distinction, his family said. He later served as a Navy reservist.

After leaving the Navy, Mr. Woodcock was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Evening Program of Accounts and Finance, graduating with honors, and he received his license as a certified public accountant.

He went on to spend his entire professional career with the Philadelphia accounting firm Tait, Weller and Baker, rising to managing partner.

Mr. Woodcock also enjoyed community service. He served as chairman of the Tredyffrin Township Municipal Authority. He was a member of the Paoli Presbyterian Church for 51 years, serving as a Trustee, an Elder, and chairman of the church’s Mission Committee. He built deep friendships within his church community.

He loved to golf and was an avid sailor, spending many weekends on the Chesapeake with his family. A devotee of the outdoors, he taught his children how to sail, fish, build fires, and pitch a tent. He knew his way around a grill; his cheese-stuffed burgers and London broil were the stuff of family legend. And his grandchildren couldn’t get enough of what the Woodcock clan called his “7-Up pancakes.” (One can guess the secret ingredient.)

Family and friends were his life’s passions, true to the lessons of his upbringing, according to his loved ones. He built relationships in all the places he lived — Ardmore in his youth; Paoli and Devon as an adult; and, in the last five years, Newtown Square.

Caring and providing for his wife, Barbara, and three children was his priority, and he cherished time with his grandchildren, Steve Woodcock said. He was still friends with chums he had known since grade school.

“Friendships were a treasure to him, and if you were called his friend, he truly loved you,” his son said.

From high school to his final years, he said, the feature of Mr. Woodcock’s that people always seemed to recall was his smile.

“[My father] was never known to complain about a thing,” Steve Woodcock said. “He took ‘the bad’ in stride and pressed on. Any ‘good’ was a blessing and not to be squandered.”

In addition to his son, Mr. Woodcock is survived by his wife, son John F. Woodcock, daughter Pam Bennett, his brothers, six grandchildren, and other relatives.

Charles Elkind, 98, passed away June 2, 2021, after a ten-year struggle with Parkinson’s. A lover of family time, jazz, word puzzles, and theater, Chuck was born and raised on McAllister Street in San Francisco, CA. He graduated from Lowell High School in the early 1940s, San Francisco State in 1948, and Stanford University with a Master's Degree in Journalism in 1950. Chuck served his country playing trombone in the Army Air Corps Band. Chuck had an impressive career working at The Wall Street Journal, SRI, IBM, and AEA in Public Relations.

In November of 1947, Chuck met the love of his life, Rokama (nee Kramer) of Chicago, IL at a dance in San Francisco and it was love at first sight. A social activist at heart, Chuck helped to establish a Free Clinic in the later 1960s in Manhattan Beach. He loved his time as a thespian with the Manhattan Beach Community Church as well as playing music with a number of local bands after his retirement in the 1980s. His later years were spent in Manhattan Beach where he could stroll to the beach, sit on a bench, and watch the passing parade. Chuck is survived by his wife of 73 years, Rokama, daughters Sheila (Tim) Hostetler, Nanette (Jeff) Dorr, and Julie (Greg) Sevilla, grandchildren, Marissa, Vince, Rachel, Becky, Eli, Jeff, and great-grandchildren Aiden, Amelia & Nora.