In Memoriam

John McKnight ’53, Evanston, Nov. 2, 2024, at age 92. A racial justice advocate, McKnight was professor emeritus of speech and urban affairs at Northwestern. His activism began when, as a student, he opposed segregation and quotas that limited the number of Black and Jewish students at the University. An ROTC scholar, McKnight joined the U.S. Navy after graduating and spent three years in Asia during the Korean War. He then returned to Chicago and worked for the Chicago Commission on Human Relations and the Illinois affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union. After serving as Midwest director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, he returned to Northwestern in 1969 to help create the Center for Urban Affairs (now the Institute for Policy Research). He wrote several books and co-founded DePaul University’s Asset-Based Community Development Institute with John “Jody” Kretzmann ’85 PhD. McKnight is survived by his wife, Marsha; his son, Jonathon; stepchildren Marc, Stuart, Eric and Scot; seven grandchildren; and three nieces and nephews.

Photo Credit: University Archives/Janet Mesic Mackie

John “Mac” McQuown ’57, Sonoma, Calif., Oct. 22, 2024, at age 90. A Wall Street innovator, McQuown helped create the first equity index funds in 1971 while working at Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco. Index funds, which were developed by applying data analysis to the stock market, revolutionized investing, such that Bloomberg Markets magazine called McQuown “one of the architects of the modern investing system.” Though he started out studying mechanical engineering at Northwestern, a corporate finance class changed McQuown’s trajectory. After graduating and serving two years in the U.S. Navy, McQuown earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and began working on Wall Street with Smith Barney & Co. He developed more than a dozen companies and co-founded Wells Fargo Investment Advisors, now part of the asset management firm BlackRock. After moving to Sonoma County, Calif., in 1995, he and his wife, Leslie, established Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery. The farm earned the 2017 California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award for its energy-efficient operation. Committed to sustainability, the McQuowns established the John A. and Leslie W. McQuown Fund for Climate Technology Assessment at Northwestern and the John and Leslie McQuown Fund for Finite Earth. They also supported the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems and helped establish the Julio M. Ottino Professorship in the McCormick School of Engineering, in honor of the longtime dean of the school. McQuown delivered the 2015 McCormick convocation speech and received the Northwestern Alumni Medal in 2017. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Morgan.

Read more about McQuown and his Northwestern legacy.

Photo by Jim Prisching

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.

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 

Eric Gilliland ’84, New York City, Sept. 1, 2024, at age 62. Gilliand was a TV writer and producer who worked on hit sitcoms including Roseanne, The Wonder Years and That ’70s Show. A radio/television/film major at Northwestern, he participated in both Waa-Mu and Mee-Ow shows. His Hollywood career began as a member of the production staff on Amen and as a writer and story editor on Who’s the Boss?, and his four-year stint working on Roseanne earned him a Writers Guild of America Award nomination. After Roseanne, Gilliland worked as writer and consulting producer for That ’70s Show and later as writer and producer for My Boys. In 2019 Gilliland served as consulting producer for The Conners — a spinoff of Roseanne — and he received a Daytime Emmy nomination for his writing on the Netflix sketch comedy series The Who Was? Show. His final project was the 2021 podcast The Cinnamon Bear: A Holiday Adventure. Upon his death, celebrities including comedian Dave Hill and actor Ryan Reynolds took to social media to commemorate his kind spirit and writing talents. He is survived by his mother, Sonja Gilliland, and sister, Lisa.