In Memoriam

Louis A. Povinelli ’59 PhD, Westlake, Ohio, May 17, 2026, at age 94. An authority on jet engine and rocket propulsion systems, Povinelli enjoyed a 60-year career at the NASA Lewis Research Center (now Glenn Research Center) in Cleveland. His early work on rocket propellants contributed to the success of the Apollo 11 lunar landing in 1969. At Lewis, Povinelli led a team of 125 scientists in research on air-breathing propulsion programs. The work advanced rocket propulsion and helped develop aircraft engines powerful enough to enable travel at hypersonic and supersonic speeds. Povinelli’s research yielded more than 140 publications and presentations and two U.S. pat- ents. During the Kennedy administration Povinelli served in the Office of Science and Technology and helped establish U.S. nuclear energy policy. Povinelli received the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal and was recognized with the 2008 Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Senior Professional, a top honor for civilian federal employees. A marathoner, Povinelli raced for over 50 years, winning his age group into his late 80s. He is survived by his wife, Jean Meredith Povinelli ’60 PhD; children Michael, Kathleen, Maureen, Karen and Michelle; and grandchildren Sarah, Andrew, Ellie, Mia, Bridget, Erie and July. He was pre- ceded in death by two of his children, Maryanne and Laura. 

Donald Staples ’55, ’67 PhD, Denton, Texas, Jan. 19, 2026, at age 91. One of the first people in the U.S. to earn a doctorate in film, Staples helped transform film studies into an academic discipline. A member of the U.S. Navy ROTC as an undergraduate, Staples landed his first film job while serving as a Navy lieutenant in the Caribbean. He helped with the production of John Huston’s 1957 film Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison by lending his Navy ship and crew to film shoots. After finishing his doctorate, Staples taught at six universities over 45 years, including New York University, where he created the doctoral program in cinema studies. He also chaired the radio, TV and film department at the University of North Texas from 1979 until his retirement in 2004. Staples was a film, TV and radio actor and director, an Oscar predictor for CBS and PBS, and a critic for the country’s oldest film publication, Films in Review. He served as president of both the Society for Cinema and Media Studies and the University Film and Video Association. He is survived by his wife, Kristen; a sister, Peggy; children Doug, Dan, Julie and Susan; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. 

Robert Heide ’57, New York City, Dec. 17, 2025, at age 91. A playwright and actor, Heide was a prominent figure in Manhattan’s bohemian community in the ’50s and ’60s. Best known for his 1965 one-act play The Bed, a cult classic that was among the first staged depictions of a gay relationship, Heide studied theater at Northwestern and took classes with renowned acting coach Stella Adler. He moved to New York City in 1962 and began working in local theater. Andy Warhol restaged and filmed The Bed and intercut scenes of it into his 1966 film Chelsea Girls. Heide then wrote the script for Warhol’s film Lupe and acted in the Warhol films Batman Dracula and Camp. Heide went on to become a noted collector of American pop culture memorabilia, including Disney ephemera. He also wrote several books with his spouse, John Gilman, including Dime-Store Dream Parade: Popular Culture, 1925–1955; Cowboy Collectibles; Cartoon Collectibles; and Starstruck. He is survived by Gilman. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images 

Helen Frank Widen ’54, Evanston, March 1, 2025, at age 91. An educator and a lifelong learner, Widen pursued a career as a psychotherapist. She returned to Northwestern to work at the University’s Student Health Service, where for many years she provided mental health services and taught students skills to improve their well-being. Widen was also deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement, joining early efforts to integrate Evanston schools and participating in the Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama. She also marched against the Vietnam War and served on the board of the Peace and World Affairs Center of Evanston. Widen retired in 2000 and later took courses at Northwestern’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). She also co-taught 16 OLLI courses on topics that ranged from composer and songwriter Irving Berlin to the Silk Road, and Widen led a yearlong study of Islam and the Quran. She is survived by her children, Claire, Mark, Brent and Jeanne; and several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, step children, step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren. 

John L. Perry ’50, ’51 MS, Knoxville, Tenn., Feb. 27, 2025, at age 96. An award-winning editor and political writer, Perry was among the first American journalists permit- ted to enter the Soviet Union after Joseph Stalin’s death. Perry inter- viewed Nikita Khrushchev, former first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, for four hours in the Kremlin. Perry worked for several daily newspapers in Florida and New York, and the Associated Press Managing Editors Association named him one of the 12 best newsroom managers among AP publications. He ran counterintelligence missions for several U.S. presidential administrations and wrote two novels based on those experiences: The Unforeseen President and The Abbey Enigma. Perry held various roles in the Johnson and Carter administrations, including as a White House speechwriter. Perry also was director of public relations for the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville. His proudest achievement was an investigative report that saved an innocent Black man from the electric chair in Florida. Perry is survived by his children, Leslie, David and Emily; and several stepchildren. 

Charles Richard “Dick” Kramlich ’57, Oakville, Calif., Feb. 1, 2025, at age 89. A venture capital pioneer, Kramlich became a general partner at Arthur Rock & Co. in 1969. He then co-founded New Enterprise Associates (NEA) in 1977 and helped grow the firm into a Silicon Valley powerhouse, serving as NEA’s managing partner for its first seven funds. Among the earliest investors in Apple, Kramlich and NEA invested in networking and communications equipment manufacturers and software development companies in the 1990s. Kramlich retired from NEA in 2012 but continued to invest in technology and communications, manufacturing, logistics and real estate as CEO of Kramlich Investment Group and co-founder of Green Bay Ventures. A prolific art patron and collector, he and his wife, Pamela, built a media art collection that includes more than 150 video, film and media installation works. In addition to his wife, Kramlich is survived by children Christina, Richard and Mary Donna and many grandchildren. 

Howard Geltzer ’58, ’59 MS, Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2025, at age 88. Geltzer was the mastermind behind the successful marketing campaign for the Sony Walkman, which launched in 1979 and sold far  better than Sony had expected. After that campaign, Sony moved all its publicity business to Geltzer & Co., the New York City–based public relations firm launched by Geltzer and his wife, Sheila. Their other clients included Black+Decker, Dow Chemical, Samsung and Toshiba. After Geltzer & Co. was acquired by Publicis Groupe in 2000, Geltzer pursued a second career as an adjunct instructor of management communication at New York University Stern School of Business and the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. A longtime member of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications Board of Advisers, Geltzer was inducted into the Medill Hall of Achievement in 2014. He is survived by his sons, Jeremy and Gabriel; and a grandson, Jackson.