Willard E. Nudd '19, '27G

Willard E. Nudd, a 1981 recipient of the UNH Alumni Meritorious Service Award and one of UNH's oldest alumni, died June 6. He was 102.

Nudd received a B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1919 and a master's in engineering in 1927. He then joined Case Institute of Technology, now Case Western Reserve University, as an instructor and later became registrar, head of admissions and associate dean of instruction, retiring in 1960.

Class president from 1959 to 1969 and co-chairman of his 50th reunion, Nudd was active in the Northeastern Ohio alumni chapter. In 1994, as the oldest alumnus attending reunion, he led the Parade of Classes with his grandson, Pierce Nudd, then 5.

He is survived by two children, David and Margaret; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy; two children, Bradley G. Holt '95 and Brenda Holt Mullaney '83; and four grandchildren.

Jean Ashton Hormell '47, '56G

Jean Ashton Hormell, long-time class secretary for the Class of 1947, died April 10.

Hormell earned a B.A. in Latin in 1947 and a master's in elementary education in 1956 from UNH. She taught at Hampton Academy, Winnacunnet High School, Brewster Academy and Kingswood Regional High School, where she was named "Teacher of the Year" and served as chair of the foreign language department until her retirement in 1987.

She is survived by her husband, Robert S. Hormell; a son, Steve Perkins; a stepdaughter, Jane Kiah; three stepsons, Robert, George and Mark Hormell; 10 grandchildren, including Richard Kiah '92 and Catherine Kiah '89; a great-grandchild; a niece and a nephew.

He leaves his wife, Bernice; a daughter, Debra Anne Sandler; and a grandson.

Donald G. O'Brien '49

Donald G. O'Brien, a prominent New Hampshire businessman and active UNH alumnus, died July 15. He was 78.

During World War II, O'Brien served as a B-24 navigator and instructor with the Army Air Corps. He earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from UNH in 1949 and a master's in electrical engineering from MIT in 1951. He then joined Midwestern Instruments in Tulsa, Okla., and founded his first business, American Measurement and Control. In 1962, he founded D.G. O'Brien Inc., an internationally known manufacturer of specialty servo-control and electrical and optical connectors. Products developed by D.G. O'Brien Inc. were used in the Apollo moon landings, and are used in jet fuel controls, underwater oil drills and submarines. The holder of numerous patents, he was awarded the Compass Award in 1989 by the Marine Technology Society, the Outstanding Achievement Award in 1973 by the UNH College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, and the Alumni Meritorious Service Award in 1992.

A founder of the UNH Foundation, O'Brien was volunteer chairman in the Seacoast for the first UNH campaign. He served two terms as president of the Alumni Association and eight years as an elected alumni trustee to the USNH Board of Trustees.

He is survived by a brother, Robert V. O'Brien; a sister, Eleanor Cox; three daughters, Karen J. O'Brien, Barbara Dunfee '75 and Donna Perkins '80; and five grandchildren.

Jane Harrer Ritchie '48

Professional artist Jane Harrer Ritchie '48 died April 11. She was 73.

Ritchie received a B.S. degree in art education from UNH in January 1948. She worked for H.A. Hills & Son before founding the Town Landing kindergarten in 1966 in Dedham, Mass. She taught at Masconomet Regional High School from 1969 to 1976, before turning to painting full time. Her work has been displayed in New York art galleries and is in many corporate and private collections.

She is survived by her husband, H. David Ritchie '49; a brother, John Harrer; two sisters, Ann Darmon and Beth Hannah; three daughters, Martha Beck, Donna Buonopane '73 and Beth Ann Burke; a son, Peter D. Ritchie; and nine grandchildren.

John H. Blewett '60

Col. John H. Blewett '60 died July 3. He was 62.

An outstanding hockey goalie while at UNH, Blewett earned a B.A. degree in history in 1960. He also received a master's degree in political science from Washington State University in 1970. Blewett was the son of the late Edward Y. Blewett '26, '67H, a former UNH dean.

Blewett began his military career as a company executive officer in Germany and went on to serve at more than a dozen posts, including executive officer positions in the military police in Thailand, Vietnam and Fort Meade, Md. Later, he was commander of the Army Training Brigade at Fort McClellan, Ala., and provost marshal and deputy chief of staff for the 8th U.S. Army and Forces in Seoul, Korea. After retiring in 1993, he was director of security for Time Inc. and corporate director of security for Time Warner.

Blewett is survived by his wife, Helen Plasteras Blewett '60; a brother, Edward A. Blewett '55; a sister, Elizabeth Stevens '53; and two daughters, Kimberly '85 and Alyson Blewett.

Robert Connors, UNH Professor

UNH English professor Robert J. Connors died in a motorcycle accident in Durham on June 22. He was 48.

A distinguished scholar in rhetoric and composition, Connors received a B.A. from UMass-Amherst and a master's and Ph.D. from Ohio State in 1977 and 1980, respectively. He first taught at Louisiana State University and then joined UNH in 1984. He was the author or co-author of six books and more than 60 articles in his field, and helped to establish the UNH Writing Center, the Writing Across the Curriculum Program and the Beal Collection, a national archive of composition manuscripts. He was known for his active and eloquent participation in university matters. As vice chair of the Faculty Senate last year, he would have assumed the chairmanship this fall.

He is survived by his wife, Colleen Ahern Connors '89G; a sister, Mary Connors; and a daughter, Aillinn.