obituary

When Katie Nelson turned around to introduce herself to Cara Murthy during dental school orientation in fall 2017, her smile immediately turned Murthy’s first-day nerves to excitement. Nelson’s grin quickly became known across the School of Dental Medicine as one that brightened a room—fitting for s...

Throughout her 15-year career at Case Western Reserve University, Darlene Barnes was known for her humor, dedication and thoughtfulness—qualities that impacted not just her colleagues but youth from across Cleveland, as she worked as the department assistant for the university’s FOCUS Group’s TRIO U...

This week, the university community will remember Phillip Ranney, a 1961 School of Law alumnus and a longtime member of the President's Visiting Committee. Ranney passed away Dec. 25, 2019, at the age of 83. A memorial service for Ranney will be held Friday, Jan. 24, at 2:30 p.m. in Amasa Stone Cha...

Jonathan Arms had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. When he was 9, he asked his mom to purchase Minecraft—not so he could play it, like other kids his age, but so he could use it to teach himself programming. He taught himself Russian in high school—a language he continued studying as a Case Weste...

Jeffery L. Blumer, a former professor of pediatrics and pharmacology, passed away Oct. 21. Blumer, who came to Case Western Reserve University in the 1970s, originally worked in the pharmacology realm, but as he worked toward a better understanding of kinetics and dynamics as unique in children and...

Students and staff in the northside residential areas often got to know Gregory Manuszak when something in a building went wrong. But the plumbing expert, who worked at Case Western Reserve University in the housing maintenance department for four years, was someone everyone counted on to make thing...

James Zull, a former professor of biology at Case Western Reserve University, passed away Oct. 27. Zull, a professor of biology and biochemistry, began his teaching career in Cleveland in 1966 as an assistant professor of chemistry at the Case Institute of Technology. A few years later, he joined ...

When Jim Chapman became Case Western Reserve’s head football coach in 1982, the Spartans had not only suffered losing seasons in 10 of the previous 11 years—they also hadn’t managed a single win in the last 22 games. But as the coach of an area high school team that won five conference championship...

Inspired by their mother’s generosity of spirit, Mort Mandel (CWR ’13) and his brothers created the foundation that bears their name in 1953—even though their fledgling auto parts business was just beginning to find its way. Its mission, later codified in writing: “to invest in people with the val...

Elaine “Lainie” Hadden was one of those rare souls who lifted spirits simply by entering a room. Part of the effect was the joy she brought to nearly every occasion, a palpable sense of excitement shown in her signature wide smile. More than contagious, it was irresistible—so much so that people fl...