WPI Journal - The Magazine for WPI Alumni

WINTER 2015

The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)

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72 Winter 2015 in memory Ted Coghlin '56, WPI Supporter and Renowned Community Leader Edwin B. (Ted) Coghlin Jr., an alumnus dedicated to his alma mater and the Worcester community as a civic, business, and philanthropic leader, died Dec. 10, 2014, at the age of 79. He was one of nine members of his family to attend WPI over the course of four generations. While earning his BS in mechanical engineering, he honed his public service skills as president of the Tech Senate and the Student Christian Organization. He also belonged to Phi Gamma Delta, Pi Delta Epsilon and Skull honor societies. Ted Coghlin devoted his career to the Coghlin Companies, the family enterprise founded in 1885 by his grandfather, John P. Coghlin. At the time of his passing, Ted was treasurer of Coghlin Electrical Contractors and Network Services. Knowing that a quality workforce was vital to the success of Coghlin Companies—and to the regional economy—Coghlin championed the construction and the continued funding of Worcester Technical High School, securing over $4 million in donations, which helped leverage more than $20 million in matching funds. He also worked loyally for numerous civic cause and was honored in 2004 with the Telegram & Gazette Isaiah Thomas Award. In recognition of his lifetime of service to the Boy Scouts, he was inducted into the New England Boy Scouts Hall of Fame in 2008. Coghlin worked tirelessly on behalf of WPI, chairing every one of his reunion committees, and serving the Alumni Association in many capacities, including the Class Board of Directors, Annual Fund Board, Leadership Gifts chairman, and as president of the Worcester County Alumni Club. The Alumni Association honored him with the Herbert F. Taylor Alumni Award for Distinguished Service to WPI in 1981 and in 2008 with the Humanitarian Leadership Award. Ever since his own days on the gridiron, he remained an avid supporter of WPI athletics, attending the WPI Athletics Banquet every May to present the John P. Coghlin Award to an exemplary team manager, in honor of his brother. Ted also established the Edwin B. Coghlin '23 Award for Community Service, presented annually to students in memory of his father. Ted leaves his wife, Maureen, four children, and fve grandchildren. Matt Ward '77, Professor of Computer Science Matthew O. Ward '77, a longtime pro- fessor of computer science at WPI and a pioneer in the feld of data visualiza- tion, died at the age of 59 on Oct. 13, 2014. He was known for helping estab- lish the feld of multivariate visualization and visual analytics, which involves translating complex data sets into visual representations that make it easier to appre- ciate and comprehend the stories behind num- bers. The tools he developed represented some of the earliest contributions to the feld known today as Big Data. Ward graduated from WPI in 1977 with a degree in computer science and held an MS and a PhD in computer science from the University of Connecticut. He joined the WPI faculty as an assistant professor of computer science in 1986 and rose to the rank of full professor in 2000. In recent years, Ward played a pivotal role in the development of WPI's Bioinformatics and Computational Biology program, serving as the program's frst director. He also helped develop the master's program in data science and co-founded the Melbourne Project Center. He leaves his wife, Meredyth, two sons, and two grandsons. Jim Muckerheide, Professor and Nuclear Technology Specialist James B. Muckerheide, 71, of Needham died Nov. 29, 2014, leaving his wife, Linda, three children, and fve grandchildren. After graduating from Lowell Tech with a degree in nuclear engineering went on to a career in the feld, serving Mass Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) as the state's nuclear engineer from 1991 to 2010. In addition to teaching at WPI, he also served as co-director of the Center for Nuclear Technology and Society. An early advocate for improving federal standards for personal radiation exposure, Jim founded a nonproft scientifc advocacy organization, Radia- tion, Science and Health, and served as its president. George Schott '46 Miczyslaw Waclawek '46 Allen Mintz '48 Sherman Brickett '49 Robert Quattrochi '49 Harvey Vigneault '49 James Meiklejohn Jr. '50 Robert Chapman '52 Earl Klaubert '52 Warren Peterson '52 Richard Gilbert '54 Winslow Spofford '56 John Atchison Jr. '57 Frederick Mertens '57 Jessie Erlich '62 (Sigma Phi Epsilon) John O'Malley '62 Michael Littizzio '63 (SIM) John McCarthy '65 (SIM) Edward Regan '65 MS Dennis Beliveau '73 (Alpha Tau Omega) Robert Scott '76 Robert Fritsch '78 MS Robert Horne '80 (Tau Kappa Epsilon) Donald Burlamachi '82 Arnold Fay Jr. '82 (SIM) Andrew Fryc '82 (SIM) Warren Jeannotte '82 (SIM) Andre Lacroix '84 MS David Miles '86 (Sigma Phi Epsilon) Patrick Degenhardt, Class of 2017 We also note the passing of John Wild, physics professor emeritus; and Raphael Njoroge, who taught courses on African and African American culture in the Department of Humanities and Arts—a strong advocate for African studies and African people, Njoroge worked with colleagues in the School of Business to establish an African Fellows Program at WPI. Complete obituaries can usually be found through legacy.com and newspaper websites. WPI will share details on the "completed careers" of friends and classmates. To request further information, contact jkmiller@wpi.edu or call 508-831-5998.

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