In Memoriam

Elbert Kimbrough ’62, Eldridge, Iowa, Jan. 2, 2026, at age 87. Kimbrough and his identical twin, Albert Kimbrough ’62, were high school football stars in Galesburg, Ill., before coming to Northwestern. Elbert earned All–Big Ten and All-American accolades as a standout wide receiver for coach Ara Parseghian’s Wildcats. He then played for seven seasons in the NFL, six of those as a starting safety for the San Francisco 49ers. After his football career, Kimbrough worked as a businessman, insurance agent and entrepreneur. In retirement he took up substitute teaching. He was married to his childhood sweetheart, Sherri Lynn Jackson, and they spent 50 years together before she died in 2009. His twin brother died in 2024. Kimbrough is survived by his children, Brant, Dee Dee, Channing, Whitney and Amber; eight grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; his sister, Patricia; and many nieces and nephews. 

Susan Stoner Jones ’63, Naples, Fla., Oct. 15, 2025, at age 84. Generous gifts from Susan and her husband, University Trustee Dan Jones ’61, over many years have benefited Northwestern Libraries, Athletics and Recreation, and other areas across the University. Susan graduated from Northwestern in 1963 with a degree in art history and was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She then moved to New York to pursue a degree in nursing at Columbia University, where she met Dan. Susan completed her nursing degree in 1966 and worked as a nurse before leaving the field to raise three children and assist with the family’s newspaper archiving business, NewsBank. In the first few months, Susan worked in the couple’s bedroom, creating microfiche masters to preserve newspaper articles, and ultimately transforming the company into a leading provider of digitized newspaper articles that provides online archives of thousands of newspapers, broadcast transcripts and other publications. The Joneses’ two daughters, Kathryn “Katie” Cavanagh ’91 and Meredith “Maggie” Jones, are both NewsBank executives. Their son, Daniel, served as president of NewsBank’s consumer division before his passing in January 2024. The Joneses have been devoted Northwestern Wildcats fans for decades, supporting the University’s student-athletes through the Otto Graham Society. The couple established the Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach endowment in 2006 and gifted more than $32 million in databases to Northwestern’s library system. They also served as co-chairs of the Florida Regional Campaign Committee, Gift Planning Campaign Committee and Libraries Campaign Committee for We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern. Susan was a longtime leader of the NU Club of Greater Naples and a member of the Women’s Board of Northwestern University and served on her 45th, 50th and 55th Reunion Committees. She is survived by her husband, her daughters and eight grandchildren.

Read the full obituary for Susan Stoner Jones.

Harry J. Pearce ’67 JD, ’98 H, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Oct. 14, 2025, at age 83. After serving in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps, Pearce joined his father’s law firm, where he handled product liability cases for large automakers. In the mid-1980s he joined General Motors (GM) as associate general counsel. He won a defamation lawsuit against NBC in 1993, during which he proved that NBC’s Dateline had rigged a crash test of a GM pickup truck, causing its fuel tank to erupt in flames. His demonstration helped catapult him to vice chairman of GM in 1996. He helped launch one of the first modern electric vehicles and led the development of the OnStar Automatic Crash Response system. After a leukemia diagnosis in 1998, he retired from GM in 2001. A stem cell transplant from his brother, William Pearce ’62, ’64 MS, ’67 PhD, ’71 JD, saved Harry’s life. A member of Northwestern’s Board of Trustees since 2000, Harry received an Alumni Merit Award in 1991. His wife died in 2006 and his brother in 2021. He is survived by his longtime companion, Susan Kilbride; children Shannon, Susan and Harry Mark Pearce ’99 MS; eight grandchildren, including George Baker ’16; and a great-granddaughter. 

Thomas Z. Hayward Jr. ’62, ’65 JD, Naples, Fla., July 24, 2025, at age 85. A life trustee, Hayward was president of the Northwestern Alumni Association from 1976 to 1980 and chaired or co-chaired numerous Reunion committees for the class of 1962. He was vice chair of the Northwestern Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2009 and chair of its Alumni Relations and Development Committee from 2000 to 2010. From 1998 to 2003 Hayward co-chaired Campaign Northwestern, which raised over $1.5 billion, and he later served as co-chair of several committees for We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern, the largest fundraising initiative in University history. Hayward was honored with an Alumni Service Award in 1974 and a Northwestern Alumni Medal, the highest distinction awarded to alumni, in 2012. An expert in land-use and general corporate law, Hayward retired from K&L Gates in 2013 after working at numerous Chicago law firms. He is survived by his wife, Sally Madden Hayward ’61; sons Thomas Hayward III ’89, ’93 MBA, MD, Wallace Hayward ’90 and University Trustee Robert Hayward ’94, ’97 JD; 10 grandchildren; and several other relatives. 

Paul Flatley ’63, Richmond, Ind., March 15, 2025, at age 84. A talented wide receiver, Flatley played eight seasons in the NFL, tallying 4,905 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns on 306 catches for the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons. Flatley began playing football at Northwestern in 1960. Shifting from halfback to flanker ahead of his senior campaign in 1962, he racked up 45 catches for a team-leading 626 receiving yards and five touchdowns that season. He went on to represent the Wildcats at the 1962 Hula Bowl. After playing in the 1962 East-West Shrine Game, Flatley was drafted in the fourth round by the Vikings, where he played from 1963 to 1967. Flatley had 51 catches for 867 yards and four touchdowns in his first season, earning NFL Rookie of the Year honors from the Associated Press. He also earned a Pro Bowl nod in 1966. After his football career, Flatley served as a color commentator for the University of Minnesota football broadcast team for many years. Flatley is survived by his brother, Carl; daughters Allison, Brooke and Leslie; and several grandchildren. 

Tony Roberts ’61, New York City, Feb. 7, 2025, at age 85. An actor known for playing the “best friend” role in several Woody Allen movies, Roberts made his Broadway debut in 1962. He earned his first Tony nomination in 1968 for his performance in How Now, Dow Jones. Roberts originated the role of Dick in Woody Allen’s 1969 play Play It Again, Sam on Broadway, earning another Tony nomination. Following the stage production, he reprised the role in Allen’s movie adaptation. Allen also cast him in Annie Hall (1977) and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). Roberts appeared in The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife (2000), a Tony-nominated play written by Charles Busch ’76. Roberts’ final Broadway appearance was in The Royal Family< (2009), and his last screen role was in the 2017 remake of Dirty Dancing. He returned to Northwestern in 2018 for A Starry Night, a celebration of the School of Communication. He is survived by his daughter, Nicole Roberts Burley ’93.

Photo Credit: Getty Images Entertainment/Michael Loccisano

Joel Flaum ’63 JD, ’64 LLM, Chicago, Dec. 4, 2024, at age 88. Flaum spent nearly 50 years as a federal judge in Chicago. After working briefly in private practice, Flaum became an assistant state’s attorney in Cook County, Ill. He co-founded and was associate director of the police legal adviser program at what is now Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where he was a lecturer in the late 1960s. At age 33 Flaum became the youngest person to head the Illinois attorney general’s Chicago office. He served as first assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois for three years. President Gerald Ford nominated him to a federal district judgeship in 1974, making Flaum the nation’s youngest federal judge. He was appointed to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1983 and served for 37 years, including as chief judge from 2000 to 2006. In November 2024 Flaum received the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award at the U.S. Supreme Court. He is survived by his wife, Delilah; children Jonathan Flaum ’93 JD and Alison Flaum, a clinical professor at the Law School; and four grandchildren.