In Memoriam

Rusty Mae Moore ’63, Feb. 23, Pine Hill, N.Y., at age 80. Fluent in six languages, Moore taught international business for several decades at Hofstra University. Moore directed the Hofstra University Business Research Institute, was a Fulbright fellow in Brazil and taught in Russia and the Netherlands. In the early 1990s Moore transitioned as a trans woman and became a prominent transgender and LGBTQ rights activist. She taught the first gender studies class at Hofstra. Moore and her wife, Chelsea Goodwin, opened up their home in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood to provide housing to transgender and other LGBTQ people in need of housing, including Sylvia Rivera, an important figure in New York’s transgender history. Moore and Goodwin’s home earned the affectionate nickname “Transy House.” Moore and Goodwin were legally married in 2018 after spending nearly 30 years together. The couple ran a bookstore together in Pine Hill, hosted a radio show and founded a festival for people interested in the science fiction subgenre steampunk. Moore is survived by her wife; her children, Jonica, Amanda and Colin; her sister, Susan; and two grandchildren.

Photo Credit: Jonica Moore

Richard S. Oldberg Jr. ’61, Estes Park, Colo., Dec. 27, at age 83. A talented hornist, he studied the French horn during his college years at Northwestern until a lip injury forced him to turn to premedical studies. That break, however, was only temporary, and in 1962 he received an invitation to play as an extra horn with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO). In 1964 Oldberg was promoted to third horn and remained with the CSO for 29 years. Oldberg often performed as a soloist in pieces such as Strauss’ Second Horn Concerto and Schumann’s Konzertstück for Four Horns. Oldberg also served on Northwestern’s faculty for many years. Even during retirement, Oldberg played with the Boulder Philharmonic in Colorado and led its annual performances of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. He is survived by his son, David.

Photo Credit: Rosenthal Archives of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association

Richard Lerner ’60, ’02 H, La Jolla, Calif., Dec. 2, 2021, at age 83. A prominent biochemist with more than 400 published scholarly works, Lerner studied the human immune system and the function of antibodies and DNA in the treatment or detection of arthritis, cancer and diabetes. His fundamental research that led to the development of Humira, a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, and Benlysta, an immunosuppressive drug to treat lupus. Lerner served as director and president of the Scripps Research Institute from 1987 to 2012, tripling the size of the institute and guiding it to become one of the world’s leading centers for life sciences. He is survived by his wife, Nicky; and three children, Danica, Arik and Aaron. 

John Ruan III ’67, Des Moines, Iowa, Sept. 11, 2021, at age 78. A shrewd businessman with a passion for philanthropy, Ruan deeply impacted Des Moines through generous donations and public beautification projects, including the renovation and expansion of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. He earned degrees from Northwestern and Harvard Business School before joining the family businesses, Ruan Transportation Management Systems and Bankers Trust, in 1953, leading both to unprecedented success. He served as the chairman for the World Food Prize Foundation for 20 years and was inducted into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame in 2012. Ruan is survived by his wife, Janis; their two children, John Ruan IV and Rachel Ruan McLean ’00, ’03 MA, ’05 PhD; and five grandchildren. 

Robert “Bobby” Whiteside ’64, Madison, Tenn., April 21, 2021, at age 79. A singer, producer and songwriter, Whiteside worked alongside artists such as Barbra Streisand and Johnny Mathis. Whiteside co-wrote hit songs such as “Comin’ In and Out of Your Life” and “When the Lovin’ Goes Out of the Lovin’” and also released his own album, Bittersweet Stories, in 1974. He spent 40 years in the commercial advertising business, writing and producing jingles for Harley-Davidson, McDonald’s, 7UP and others. He won three Clio Awards. He also had a passion for fishing and boating. Whiteside is survived by his wife of 54 years, Brenda; his daughter, Wendy; his sons Terry and Tarrey; four grandchildren; and his sister, Mary Whiteside Schuette ’60. 

Louis R. Magor, ’67, ’74 MMus, Seattle, April 11, at age 75. An acclaimed musician, conductor and teacher, Magor began teaching choral music to middle and high schoolers in the Chicago area while he was a student at Northwestern. He arranged music for various choral groups in Chicago at the encouragement of choral professor William Ballard, and soon after earning his master’s degree in music, Magor became the first director of the prestigious San Francisco Symphony Chorus when he was 28 years old. Margaret Hillis, the renowned conductor of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, had recommended Magor for the position, and numerous members of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus wrote letters to then-conductor Seiji Ozawa insisting that Magor be hired. Magor held the position for a decade, after which he replaced Ballard as conductor of the San Francisco Boys Chorus and led them on a national tour in 1985. In 1990 Magor moved to Seattle and became a well-respected elementary school music teacher for 31 years. He served as an accompanist to Seattle’s Total Experience Gospel Choir, as the music director at Wallingford United Methodist Church and as conductor for the Seattle Bach Choir and the West Seattle Children’s Chorus. Magor is survived by nine cousins.

Patricia Hoftiezer Simms ’69 of Madison, Wis., April 5, at age 75. After graduating from Northwestern, Simms spent her entire 42-year career reporting for the Wisconsin State Journal, where she started two columns. Her “Snoop” column, which ran from 1989 to 1998, compiled gossip, insider news and watchdog reporting. In 2007 she launched a consumer advocacy column called “SOS” that continues to this day. During her time at the State Journal, Simms covered five governors and the 1970 bombing of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Sterling Hall. Simms’ newsroom team was named a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for their breaking news reporting on the 2011 protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol in response to Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10, an anti-union law. Simms continued to freelance for the paper after her retirement in 2011. She was also the first woman journalist in Wisconsin to demand and receive maternity leave. Simms is survived by her two children, Sara Lander and Joseph Simms, and her six grandchildren.

Photo: Courtesy of Wisconsin State Journal