In Memoriam

Robert Trebor ’75, Los Angeles, March 11, 2025, at age 71. Born Robert Schenkman, Trebor had a successful acting career. He was most well-known for his portrayal of serial killer David Berkowitz, aka Son of Sam, in the film Out of Darkness (1985). He also played Salmoneus in the TV show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its sister series, Xena: Warrior Princess. Other notable credits included his role in Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) and his final onscreen appearance, in the Coen brothers’ Hail, Caesar! (2016). Growing up, Trebor composed music, wrote and directed short films, and penned movie and theater reviews for Scholastic magazine. He also wrote the humorous book Dear Salmoneus: The World’s First Guide to Love and Money, as well as The Haircut Who Would Be King, a satirical novel that follows “Donald Rump” and “Vladimir Poutine” in their journeys to presidency. Trebor is survived by his wife, Deirdre Hennings. 

Patrick Quinn, Lake Geneva, Wis., Jan. 3, 2025, at age 82. Quinn was known for collecting historical mementos that comprise Northwestern University Archives — from the Leopold and Loeb ransom notes to the diaries of prominent Northwestern faculty. Quinn dropped out of the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the ’60s to participate in the Civil Rights Movement in the South. In March 1965 he gave a speech following Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Ala., and joined the group that marched for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. Quinn worked as an archivist for 42 years, first at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin and then as the assistant university archivist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1974 he became the University Archivist at Northwestern, where he spent the next 34 years until his retirement in 2008. (See “Keeper of the Past.”)  Current University Historian Kevin Leonard ’77, ’82 MA fondly recalls meeting Quinn in 1976, during Leonard’s first visit to the archives: “While I had not inaugurated a visit to Northwestern’s University Archives in search of employment, within 15 minutes of beginning a conversation with Patrick, I became a signed, sealed and paid member of the department’s staff. Patrick put me to work organizing archival collections … And I loved it. For all intents and purposes, because of Patrick, I’ve been reading other people’s mail ever since.” Quinn is survived by his wife, Mary; daughters Abra and Rachel; and granddaughters Ruby and Rosie. Read more about Patrick Quinn. 

Mark Pfeil ’72 CERT, Greer, S.C., Oct. 10, 2024, at age 75. Pfeil built a successful career in physical therapy, spending 20 years as a head athletic trainer in the NBA. Pfeil earned a postgraduate certificate in physical therapy from Northwestern. After becoming a certified athletic trainer, he became involved with NBA summer league and draft camps in Chicago. Pfeil eventually served as head athletic trainer for the Chicago Bulls from 1980 to 1990 and for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1990 to 2000. In retirement, Pfeil worked at physical therapy and sports performance clinics in South Carolina while serving as a volunteer firefighter with the Glassy Mountain Fire Department for 13 years. Pfeil is survived by his wife, Beth; brother, Bruce; sister, Joanie; and several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. 

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.

John Vander Sande ’71 PhD, Newbury, Mass., June 28, 2024, at age 80. A physical metallurgist, Vander Sande made significant contributions to electron microscopy. A longtime professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Vander Sande brought the first scanning transmission electron microscope to the U.S. This microscope uses a beam of electrons to scan material samples and investigate their structure and composition. Vander Sande was instrumental in leading research on weak-beam microscopy as director of a microscopy laboratory at MIT, and he was known as a gifted teacher and devoted mentor. Vander Sande also launched American Superconductor, an energy technology company that produced high-temperature superconducting wires. Beyond his scientific pursuits, Vander Sande had a passion for antiques and was a self-taught expert on 17th- and 18th-century furniture — expertise that earned him a production credit for the 1996 film The Crucible, which was set in 1692. Vander Sande is survived by his wife, Marie-Teresa Vander Sande ’71 MS; children John and Rosse; and grandchildren Gabriel, Sophia and John. 

Helen “Meg” Bennett ’70, Los Angeles, April 11, 2024, at age 75. A former Northwestern Homecoming queen and Miss America contestant, Bennett moved to New York City after graduation and earned roles in productions of Grease on Broadway and Godspell off-Broadway. In 1975 she began a long and successful soap opera career as the ingenue Liza on Search for Tomorrow. Bennett went on to play Julia Newman in The Young and the Restless beginning in 1980. She began scriptwriting for The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, Santa Barbara and Sunset Beach and received five Daytime Emmy nominations for writing, with a win for General Hospital in 1995. She also received five Writers Guild of America nominations, with wins for General Hospital and Sunset Beach. Bennett is survived by her husband, Robert Guza Jr.; two stepdaughters; four grandchildren; two siblings; and many nieces and nephews.

Photo Credit: Getty/CBS Photo Archive