In Memoriam

Richard Lee Harris ’76, Washington, D.C., Oct. 2, 2024, at age 70. A distinguished journalist who won 14 News & Documentary Emmys and a duPont-Columbia Award, Harris served as a broadcast producer for NPR’s All Things Considered and a news editor at NBC News and spent almost two decades as a senior producer for ABC News’ Nightline. He produced an interview with Nelson Mandela directly following Mandela’s release from prison and organized a first-of-its-kind televised town hall between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in 1988. Harris also coordinated the Nightline interview series that inspired Mitch Albom to write his bestselling memoir Tuesdays With Morrie.  Harris studied broadcast journalism at what is now the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Achievement. While at Northwestern, Harris hosted a late-night Motown show on WNUR, capturing the attention of fellow classmate — and future wife — Mary “Kit” O’Connell Harris ’76. In recent years, Harris served as a consultant for a civic education nonprofit, and he spent some of the happiest moments of his life as “Papa” to his three grandchildren — filling the bird feeder, reading together and indoctrinating them as Red Sox fans. Harris is survived by his wife; daughters Emily, Susannah Harris ’08 and Lily; grandchildren Miles, Cecelia and Norah; and sister, Debbie.

Mark Damisch ’78, ’86 JD, MBA, Northbrook, Ill., Sept. 6, 2024, at age 68. Damisch was a talented pianist and dedicated public servant. After graduating from Northwestern he worked as a personal injury lawyer and prosecutor and embarked on a career in local government. He served as village president of Northbrook for 12 years, during which time he led initiatives in the arts, human relations and public beautification. Under his tenure, Northbrook earned its first AAA bond rating (the highest measure of creditworthiness granted to cities) and welcomed Crate & Barrel’s corporate headquarters. Damisch also toured frequently, playing free classical music concerts. He performed in more than 60 countries, sometimes alongside his daughters, up until the month before his death. A former Northwestern Trustee, Damisch was also well known for his elaborate, themed football tailgates at Northwestern’s Ryan Field. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Koulogeorge Damisch ’78, ’80 MBA, whom he met on a blind date at Northwestern; daughters Kristina, Katherine Damisch ’17 MA and Alexandra; three grandchildren; father, John; and brother, Peter Damisch ’82 MBA.

Tom Myers ’65, Raleigh, N.C., Sept. 3, 2024, at age 81. One of the greatest quarterbacks in Northwestern football history, Myers held or shared 15 Wildcats passing records by the time he graduated. In his very first game at Northwestern in 1962, he completed 15 consecutive passes against South Carolina, setting an NCAA record at the time. He led the Wildcats to a 7-2 record that season, including a 6-0 start and a midseason No. 1 national ranking. Myers earned All-American honors following the season. After graduating he was drafted in the fourth round by the Detroit Lions, where he played for two seasons. Following his NFL career, Myers spent 30 years as a commercial pilot with Sears, Roebuck and Co., where he was chief pilot and president of the Corporate Pilots National Association. He was inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991. Myers is survived by his wife, Letitia; son, Robb; brother, Michael; and grandchildren Riley, Lily and Brady. 

Photo Credit: University Archives 

Ruth Johnson Colvin ’39, Syracuse, N.Y., Aug. 18, 2024, at age 107. Colvin founded Literacy Volunteers of America, now an international organization. After the 1960 census, Colvin discovered that more than 11,000 of her neighbors in the Syracuse area could not read or write. Despite having no prior teaching experience, she took action. After consulting with reading specialists and service agencies, she opened an office in her basement, where she and other volunteer tutors taught English. The group became a nonprofit in 1967 with 77 tutors and 100 students. Over the following decades, Literacy Volunteers of America expanded across the U.S. and garnered national recognition. In 2002 the nonprofit merged with Laubach Literacy International to become ProLiteracy, an organization that now boasts 100,000 tutors in 42 states and 60 countries. Colvin remained a teacher and administrator for 60 years, wrote several books and received many accolades for her work, including the President’s Volunteer Action Award in 1987 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993. Colvin is survived by her children, Terrence and Linda; six grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.  

Photo Credit: WENN Rights Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo 

Mark D. Price ’94, Wellesley, Mass., Aug. 16, 2024, at age 52. An orthopedic surgeon, Price was head team physician and medical director for the New England Patriots and led player care for the team during three Super Bowl championship seasons. He was also part of the medical team for the Boston Red Sox during their 2018 World Series championship season. After graduating from Northwestern, Price worked at a startup that built MRI machines. He completed a doctorate in medical physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his paper on quantum computing was called “one of the five most significant discoveries in 1998” by the American Physical Society. He then earned a medical degree from Harvard Medical School and worked as a surgeon at UMass Memorial Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital. Price was a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves and was awarded a Bronze Star in 2012 for his service in Afghanistan, where he led a nine-person team of doctors and medical professionals. Price spoke at a Northwestern Alumni Association NU Live! event at Homecoming and Reunion Weekend in 2019. He is survived by his wife, Stephanie Larson Price ’94; children Henry, Julia Price ’27 and Sarah; his parents, Charles Price and Michael and Geri Garvey; siblings David, Lisa, Stephen and Scott; 12 nieces and nephews; and many friends, patients and colleagues. 

Andre A. Moenssens ’67 LLM, Richmond, Va., July 28, 2024, at age 94. A trailblazing forensic sciences expert, Moenssens dedicated his life to fingerprint analysis and criminal identification. Born in Belgium during World War II, Moenssens ran a private detective business and wrote his first book on forensic evidence at the age of 19. He spent four years in Los Angeles as a press photographer and fingerprint artist and then became head instructor for fingerprint analysis at the Institute of Applied Science in Chicago. He earned his law degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law and his master of laws from Northwestern. He went on to teach for several universities, including for 22 years at the University of Richmond. A sought-after consultant, Moenssens wrote several books and chapters on scientific evidence in criminal cases and co-edited the Wiley Encyclopedia of Forensic Science. He was named a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in 2005. He is survived by his wife, Ann C. Smith; children Monique, Jacqueline, Michele, Suzanne and Mark; and nine grandchildren. 

James Jerger ’51, ’52 MA, ’54 PhD, Lake Oswego, Ore., July 24, 2024, at age 96. A pioneer of modern audiology, Jerger joined the Northwestern faculty after earning his doctorate in 1954 and became director of the Audiology Research Laboratory while still in his 20s. He left Northwestern in 1961 and spent several years as director of research at the Houston Speech and Hearing Center before becoming a professor of audiology and director of the Division of Audiology and Speech Pathology at the Baylor College of Medicine. He spent 30 years at Baylor, building the audiology program. After retiring from Baylor in 1997, he was a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the University of Texas at Dallas. In 1988 Jerger founded the American Academy of Audiology and created the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, for which he served as editor in chief for more than 25 years. He received the American Audiology Society’s Raymond Carhart Memorial Award, which is named for longtime Northwestern professor and audiology program head Raymond Carhart ’34 MA/MS, ’36 PhD. Jerger also received the American Auditory Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the first Lifetime Career Research Award from the American Academy of Audiology, which was later named the James Jerger Award for Research in Audiology in his honor. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and three sons.