In Memoriam, Winter 2026

Carolyn Whitehill Baxter(NURS '61), May 2024, age 86, of Girard, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Knox, Pennsylvania, graduating from Keystone High School and the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. It was during her college years that she met her future husband, James Baxter (DEN '61G), at a Christian fellowship meeting. Together, they moved to Girard, where she worked for many years as the business manager of her husband's dental practice. She was an active member of the Girard Presbyterian Church and participated in Kairos Prison Ministry International. She also created the Tri-Boro Twirling group and coached high school majorettes. She was a past president of the Girard School District board and helped to establish the Girard School District Foundation. She loved birding, camping and canoeing and counted an African safari and a visit to the Galápagos Islands among her favorite vacations. She is survived by her husband, four daughters, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Rinaldo Bellomo, May 2025, age 68, of Melbourne, Australia. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy, but later emigrated to Australia, where he received a medical degree from Monash University School of Medicine in 1982. He was the director of intensive care research and a staff specialist in intensive care at Austin Health in Melbourne, a post he had held since 1997. Across his practice, he earned several fellowships and built a distinguished career in intensive care and pulmonary research, working across noted medical facilities. From 1992 to 1994, he was a medical fellow in the Multidisciplinary Critical Care Training Program at Pitt. During this time, he published seven peer-reviewed papers related to cellular aspects of circulatory shock, acid-base balance and lactate metabolism. His work in nephrology and intensive care led to his being named one of the world's most influential scientific minds of our time by Clarivate. In 2015, he became the first Australian biomedical researcher to have more than 1,000 papers in Scopus, and he was one of the most published and most cited medical researchers in the history of Australian medicine. He served as the editor of the journal Critical Care and Resuscitation. In addition to receiving national awards for medical excellence and leadership, in Australia he was a National Health and Medical Research Council practitioner fellow and was foundation chair of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Clinical Trials Group. He mentored scores of trainees and researchers and is survived by his wife, Debbie, and one daughter.

Edward L. "Ed" James(A&S '68), May 2024, age 79, of Phoenix, Arizona. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia, but spent his early years in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He graduated from New Castle Senior High School, where he earned nine varsity letters in multiple sports. In recognition of that achievement, he was inducted into the Lawrence County Historical Society Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. He earned a football scholarship to Pitt, where he played quarterback and studied economics. After Pitt, he served with the U.S. Army Reserve for five years. In the late 1960s, he moved to Phoenix and worked as a stockbroker, investment advisor and financial and marketing consultant to numerous start-up companies. He enjoyed golf and traveling to Europe, in particular Blanes, Spain. He is survived by his wife, Dianne; a daughter; two grandchildren; a stepson; and a brother.

Anne Elizabeth Baker Javsicas(A&S '68), October 2025, 79, of Gwynedd, Pennsylvania. She was a native of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and a longtime resident of the Mount Airy community in Philadelphia. At Pitt, she majored in psychology and anthropology, and after graduating, she became an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Kentucky, where she worked on public health projects. Eventually, she moved to New York, New York; became a social worker at the New York Association for the Blind (also known as the Lighthouse); and enrolled at the Bank Street College of Education, where she received a master's degree in education. She met Peter Javsicas on a train returning to New York from a peace march in Washington, D.C. They moved to a farm in rural northeastern Pennsylvania, not far from Bloomsburg, and married there in 1971 with a plan to start an intentional community. In 1976, she, Peter and friends founded a Quaker school, Greenwood Friends School, in Millville, Pennsylvania. She became head of the school and remained there for several years. In 1989, she accepted a job as head of Plymouth Meeting Friends School near Philadelphia and remained there for 22 years. In 2007, she moved to the Mount Airy neighborhood Philadelphia, where she and her husband joined with neighbors to establish the Northwest Village Network, a community organization serving seniors in Northwest Philadelphia. She is survived by her son, Aaron, and daughter, Laura, as well as four grandsons and other relatives.

Mitchell "Mitch" Kozikowski(ENGR '57), July 2024, age 89, of Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania. Despite having earned a degree in chemical engineering at Pitt, he immediately built a career in strategic communications, beginning at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in the public relations department, and eventually went on to executive roles at Creamer Dickson Basford, The Rowland Company (Saatchi & Saatchi) and Earle Palmer Brown. In 1993, he founded his consultancy, Kozikowski & Co., advising Fortune 500 companies across various sectors, including health care, technology, consumer products and finance. He was a three-time recipient of the Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America. His civic leadership included his tenure with the Jaycees at the local, state and national level. In the late 1960s, he played a pivotal role in building community support for the development of Three Rivers Stadium. Later in his career, he returned to his roots in higher education, serving in senior communications roles at Pitt and California University of Pennsylvania (now PennWest California). He mentored a generation of communicators and remained an advocate for thoughtful, transparent and values-driven engagement.

Clinton J. Logan(DEN '66G), September 2024, age 87, of Meadville, Pennsylvania. A native of Conneautville, Pennsylvania, he earned a degree in secondary education from Edinboro University (now PennWest Edinboro) and then graduated from the Pitt School of Dental Medicine. He taught at Townville High School and in 1968 opened his private dental practice in Meadville. A member of St. Brigid Church, he was an avid golfer and historian. He is survived by Joyce, his wife of 65 years; three daughters; and others.

Michael Rhodes Lovell(ENGR '89, '91G, '94G), June 2024, age 57, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was born in Philadelphia and lived in Pittsburgh. After graduating from Meadville Area Senior High School, he attended Pitt, where he met his wife, Amy (PHARM '92). His professional life began as a development engineer for ANSYS, Inc., but he soon realized his heart was in the teaching, learning and research of higher education. In 1996, he took a faculty position at the University of Kentucky, where he became one of the youngest professors to receive a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award. Three years later, he returned to his alma mater to serve as codirector of the Swanson Institute for Technical Excellence and executive director of the Swanson Center for Product Innovation. In 2003, he became associate dean for research at the Swanson School of Engineering. After several years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he served as chancellor, he became president of Marquette University in 2014. He loved being in the classroom; working out in the Al McGuire Center with student-athletes; and attending as many sporting events, plays and campus activities as his schedule would allow. He possessed a sly sense of humor and loved spicy food, gummy candies and animal videos, which he sent to his four kids to brighten their days.

Patricia A. Maryland(SPH '82G), October 2025, age 72, of Detroit, Michigan. A nationally respected health care executive and advocate for equity in health care, she broke barriers for African American women in leadership and inspired professionals of all backgrounds to lead with courage, integrity and vision. She started her career as a strategic planner at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh before holding numerous strategic planning and operations positions over a 15-year career at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She previously was president and CEO of Ascension; market leader of Michigan Ministry of Ascension Health; president of St. John Providence Health System; president of Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana; and president of DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit. She also served on numerous boards, including those of Henry Ford Health, Encompass Health Corporation and Privia Health, and was a longtime member of the Pitt School of Public Health Board of Visitors. She earned a doctorate in public health at Pitt; a master's degree in biostatistics at the University of California, Berkeley; and a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics at Alabama State University. She was recognized as one of Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Women Leaders in Healthcare and Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare. Beyond her professional accomplishments, she devoted herself to mentoring young women of color and serving communities too often overlooked. She is survived by her husband, Samuel Tekyi-Mensah (SPH '81G), and their two adult children.

Mark Vincent Matera(LAW '79), January 2023, age 68, of Franklin Park, Pennsylvania. A graduate of Washington & Jefferson College and the Pitt School of Law, he was a lawyer for U.S. Steel and H.J. Heinz. After his retirement, he followed his passion for good food and serving others and opened the Passport Café in Wexford, Pennsylvania. Outside work, he was deeply involved in repairing homes in Preston County, West Virginia, through St. John Neumann Church. He also served as an active board member of Holy Family Institute and the McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority. His family says that he loved to help others, usually while cracking jokes and cooking delicious food to share. He is survived by his wife, Barbara (A&S '76, LAW '79); three sons; and three grandsons.

Donald Rhys McCamant(A&S '69, DEN '72G), September 2025, age 78, of Sharon, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Sharon High School and continued his studies at Pitt, graduating from the School of Dental Medicine in 1972. He practiced dentistry for 46 years in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, working his first 16 years alongside his father and uncle. He was a member of the Mercer County, Pennsylvania, and National Dental associations and was honored as the Boss of the Year by the Greenville Women's Club. He enjoyed basketball and was an accomplished golfer, winning championships as a junior player and at the Avalon Country Club, where he was one of the club's most elder members and served on its board of directors. A member of Pitt's University Club and Golden Panthers, he supported the University's football and basketball games. He also enjoyed the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a member of the Sharon Fishing Club and the Junior Chamber of Commerce. He enjoyed trips to Hilton Head Island, skiing, biking, reading and music. He was married to his high school sweetheart, Antoinette "Toni" Perfett, for 56 years. He is survived by his two daughters; six grandchildren, including Emmett, a Pitt student; and other relatives and loved ones.

John Allen "Jack" Mihaloew(ENGR '54, EDUC '63G), January 2024, age 91, of Economy Borough, Pennsylvania. After earning an undergraduate degree in engineering from Pitt, he became a nuclear weapons officer in the U.S. Air Force and worked for NASA, developing the first noise reduction devices for aircraft. He then returned to Pitt to earn a master's degree in secondary science education. From 1982 to 2014, he worked at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, where he taught physics, chemistry, math and computer science and was affectionately known to students as "Mr. M." In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he developed new courses in computer science and chemistry; designed the school's physics, chemistry and computer labs; chaired the science and computer science departments; and developed the WCHR television studio. He also served as a soccer coach and sponsor of several group activities, including fencing and archery. He stayed in touch with many of his students well into his retirement. He is survived by his twin brother, James Mihaloew (ENGR '54).

Don P. Miller(BUS '60), September 2024, age 86, of Kissimmee, Florida. Formerly of Upper St. Clair, a community near Pittsburgh, he was a native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he graduated from Westmont High School and then went on to study business at Pitt, graduating in 1960. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and played trumpet in the Pitt Varsity Marching Band. After he was stationed at Fort Knox and was a driver in the tank division of the U.S. Army, he began a 40-plus-year career with Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel, where he served in executive positions in sales and operations, including, for almost three years, helping to open a division in São Paulo, Brazil in the early 1970s. He was married for 56 years to Barbara Emerick Miller, who predeceased him in 2018. He loved the Pitt Panthers; Pittsburgh Penguins, Pirates and Steelers; Orlando Magic; and New Orleans Saints, where his son is a front office executive. He also loved planning family vacations to Walt Disney World; Hilton Head Island; Naples, Florida; and other spots. He loved long walks on beaches, the music of Neil Diamond and his dogs. He enjoyed golf and supporting his daughter's wedding industry business. He was a member of congregations in his birth city of Johnstown; Westminster Presbyterian Church in Upper St. Clair; and Community Presbyterian Church in Celebration, Florida. Late in life, he became involved in Alcoholics Anonymous and helped many people battling addiction. He is survived by family and friends.

Bert W. O'Malley(A&S '59, MED '63), November 2025, age 88, of Houston, Texas. A native of the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, he was president of the Pitt Student Government Board and was named "Mr. Pitt" before he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1959. He then went on to earn his medical degree from the University's School of Medicine. When he finished, he completed his clinical internship and medical residency training at Duke University Medical Center followed by four years at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he was head of the Molecular Biology Section of the Endocrine Branch within the National Cancer Institute. After completing his U.S. Navy scientific tour of duty at NIH, he joined Vanderbilt University as the Lucius Birch Professor and director of the Center for Reproductive Biology. In 1973, he was recruited to the Baylor College of Medicine as chair of its Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Over the next 45 years, he built the department into one of the most highly recognized and successful scientific departments and research centers in the world. Throughout his career, he published more than 700 scientific manuscripts and transformed the fields of molecular biology and endocrinology into engines for the development of novel gene and molecular therapies. Pitt would bestow upon him some of it highest honors, including the Dickson Prize in Medicine, Philip S. Hench Distinguished Alumnus Award and Bicentennial Medallion of Distinction. He also earned other distinctions. Among them, he was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, Association of American Physicians and National Academy of Inventors. He won the National Medal of Science in 2007 and was awarded more than 65 national and international honors and major science prizes over the course of his career. In addition, he founded five companies stemming from his 33 patents in the fields of gene regulation, molecular endocrinology, steroid receptor coactivation and cell proteomics and metabolism. In 2018, he became the fourth chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine. When not working, he loved to fish and hunt with his friends and family. He loved the beach and started a family tradition of annual trips to Cancun, Mexico, that lasted for 51 years. His St. Patrick's Day parties became legendary, and he loved all holidays and dressing up in costumes for each occasion. He loved telling jokes, giving toasts and telling stories, which were often original tales or centered on his childhood experiences as well as original tales - all of which ended with a moral or lesson learned. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Sally; four children; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

John Garwood Robb(A&S '50), March 2025, age 100, of Meadville, Pennsylvania. He was born in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, and after graduating from high school, he joined the U.S. Army during WWII and served in a mortar platoon in the 106th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge and was held as a prisoner of war for nearly four months in Stalag 1X-B in Bad Orb, Germany. His camp was liberated shortly before the war's end. Afterward, he enrolled at Pitt and after graduation headed off to Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry. In 1955, he established his dental practice in Meadville. He served with the Pennsylvania Dental Association for six years as trustee. After retiring, he served as secretary treasurer of the Crawford County Dental Society for 26 years. In the 1970s he was active with the 106th Infantry Division Association's annual reunions and served in several leadership roles for more than 33 reunions. He was awarded the Order of the Golden Lion for service to the association. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church following a more than 40-year membership in the Emmanuel United Church of Christ, where he served on the Penn West Conference board. After 38 years as a dentist, he retired and was active in vegetable and rose gardening, completing the Penn State Extension Master Gardener Program and volunteering at the Crawford County Fair fruit and vegetable department. He volunteered for various organizations, including the Crawford County Historical Society and Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum, and as water monitor of French Creek from old Mead Avenue Bridge. He participated in exercise programs and the planning of Veterans Day celebrations each year at Active Aging Meadville. For many years, he served with the Northwest Region of Council on Aging and attended a White House conference on aging in Washington, D.C. He enjoyed being an active member of both the Meadville Roundtable and Taylor Hose, where he was the oldest and longest member. He loved traveling domestically and abroad. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Marilyn, and other relatives, special friends and neighbors.

Edward J. Scheetz(ENGR '56), September 2024, age 96, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Formerly of Homestead, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Munhall High School in 1946 and then served in the U.S. Army for a year and a half, achieving the rank of staff sergeant. He then graduated from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania in 1952 with his degree in education and earned his engineering degree at Pitt in 1956. In 1959, he began working at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. He transferred in 1969 to the commercial division of Westinghouse Electric Company in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, from which he retired in 1991. He was an avid golfer and longtime Pittsburgh Steelers fan who was present at Three Rivers Stadium for the Immaculate Reception. He is survived by his two daughters, four grandchildren and many nieces and nephews

Christopher B. Shook(LAW '17), July 2024, age 35, of Seoul, South Korea. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and spent his childhood there and in Naperville, Illinois, playing soccer and baseball and being a Boy Scout. He graduated from Plano East Senior High School in Texas and then enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 2010. He began his professional career at Shook & Stone in Las Vegas, Nevada, and then pursued a joint degree in law and business at the Pitt School of Law and Carnegie Mellon University. He finished in 2017 and passed the Pennsylvania bar in 2018. While at Pitt, he completed an internship in Pristina, Kosovo. Afterward, he worked as an analyst at Cision; as a strategy advisor at CVS Health; and as a visiting assistant professor at Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea. He is survived by his wife, JaHyun Kang; his parents; his brother; his niece and other family and loved ones.

Susan Louise Levin Silverman(A&S '59), July 2025, age 87, of Murrysville, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Pitt, she worked as a kindergarten teacher in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. She left to raise her children, then later became an art docent at the Carnegie Museum of Art. In 2000, she became a Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, master gardener and thoroughly enjoyed working on the helpline. She also was a teacher at Yeshiva Schools' Girls High School. She trained two registered and certified therapy dogs, Polo and Pippa, taking them to visit with children, adults in nursing homes, the Bettering All Readers with K9s (BARK) program, UPMC East and Dog Reading Pals at the Murrysville Public Library. She was a member of the Murrysville Garden Club, and her own garden was selected as the site of many garden tours. She won first place in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Great Gardens Contest and subsequently wrote many articles about gardening in the home/life section of the paper. She and her husband, Arnold, who predeceased her, were sports enthusiasts and avid theatergoers. They had season tickets for Pitt football and basketball games for more than 60 years and were donors to both programs. She is survived by her sons, Michael and Lee; a brother; two grandchildren; and other loved ones.

Andrew J. Soffel(A&S '52), August 2025, age 94, of Jamestown, New York. A native of Pittsburgh, he attended Mercersburg Academy, graduated from Pitt, and entered the U.S. Marine Corps. He started his professional career as an accountant with Price Waterhouse in Pittsburgh and then held several financial management positions in the retail field. He retired as president and CEO of the Detroit-based department store chain Crowley Milner and Company. He previously served as a member of the ALS Association's national board of trustees in honor of his late mother, Anna Jane Soffel, who died of ALS in 1987. He started spending summers on Chautauqua Lake at age 5 and enjoyed 90 summer seasons at his family's cottage in Woodlawn. He loved the lake, boating, waterskiing and golf. He was a longtime member of the Chautauqua Golf Club and recorded three holes in one during his golf career, all after the age of 75. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jane Soffel; two sons, Bill and Jack; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Shirley Snyder Toothman(EDUC '50), July 2024, age 96, of the Palm Beach area of Florida. She was born in Dorseyville, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Pitt, she worked as a teacher in Baltimore, Maryland, and Lake Worth, Florida, before starting a family with her husband of 63 years. She was active in the Junior League of the Palm Beaches and the Dental Auxiliary Wives, was a member of the Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach and served as president of the YWCA of Palm Beach County. She is survived by three children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Nancy Huber Worek(A&S '72, SCI '76G), September 2025, age 75, of Pittsburgh. A lifelong Pittsburgh resident, she started her studies in clothing and textile design at Carnegie Mellon University, later transferring to Pitt to earn her bachelor's degree in French. She worked at Hunt Botanical Library before returning to graduate school at Pitt, where she worked at Hillman Library and earned her Master of Library Science degree. After serving as a volunteer librarian at St. Athanasius School and a librarian at the Community College of Allegheny County North Campus, she settled into a long, successful career as a business librarian at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Downtown branch. There, her commitment to the library's patrons and staff left an indelible mark, with coworkers remembering her great knowledge, kindness, "tireless work ethic" and "beautiful soul." She organized the library's tax services every year and devotedly maintained its Pittsburgh business archive. In her free time, she loved sewing, making braided rugs, bargain hunting at flea markets, tending to her flower gardens and attending boxing classes. She is survived by her husband, two daughters and two younger sisters.