1951

William J. Coughlan
Nov. 25, 2000
At his home in Weymouth, Mass., of cancer, at 74. During his career, Mr. Coughlan taught English at South Boston High School for 20 years, until 1981, and at the Latin Academy for 11 years. He served in the Navy during the 1940s. Mr. Coughlan is survived by his wife, Marion; three sons; four daughters; and eight grandchildren.

1952

James M. Higgins
Jan. 4, 2001
At Middlesex Hospital, Middletown, Conn., at 69. Mr. Higgins had been judge of the Superior Court of the state of Connecticut in Middletown since 1978; he had also served as a member of the Rules Committee of the Superior Court for the past five years; and as a member of the Judicial Review Council from 1978 to 1993. At the start of his career, Mr. Higgins maintained a private law practice in Manchester and Hartford for 10 years; he then served as an assistant attorney general, from 1968 to 1974. Mr. Higgins was appointed to the bench as a Juvenile Court judge in 1974; he moved to the Superior Court when the courts were merged in 1978. A Navy veteran, Mr. Higgins served during the Korean War. He is survived by his wife, Joan; three sons, including James M. Jr. '77; a daughter; nine grandchildren; and several nephews and nieces.

1953

Robert H. Shortsleeve Sr.
Dec. 30, 2000
At his home in Worcester, at 68. During his career, Mr. Shortsleeve worked for State Mutual of America in Worcester, the Guaranty Bank & Trust Co. and Prime Computer of Natick, where he was director of corporate services; he had also been a real estate broker. Active in many community and parish organizations, Mr. Shortsleeve had been a founding member of the Worcester chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. During the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Mr. Shortsleeve had been a member of the President's Council at Holy Cross. He is survived by his wife, Marie; four sons, including Robert H. Jr. '79; a daughter; a brother, Francis D. '53; nine grandchildren; and nephews and nieces. 

1954

Gilbert R. Landry, M.D.
Dec. 28, 2000
In the University of Massachusetts Medical Center - Memorial campus, Worcester, at 68, after an illness. Prior to his retirement in 1988, Dr. Landry had been a member of the staff of the former Cushing Hospital in Framingham, Mass., for 20 years. Previously, he had served as medical director of the former St. Camillus Hospital in Whitinsville. Dr. Landry was a veteran of the Navy. He is survived by his wife, Ellen; twin sons, Thomas R. and Daniel L. '96; a daughter; his mother; two brothers, including Robert E. '59; two sisters; and nephews and nieces. 

1955

Michael J. Scanlan
Sept. 5, 2000
At Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa., at 67. During his career, Mr. Scanlan had been vice president and treasurer of the Amatex Corp. in Norristown, Pa. A Navy veteran, he served aboard the USS Salem Flagship. Mr. Scanlan is survived by his wife, Maureen; a son; four daughters; two brothers, John J. '59 and Edmund A. '66; two sisters and 12 grandchildren.

1961

Robert F. Cronin
Jan. 10, 2001
At his home in Dubuque, Iowa, of Alzheimer's disease, at 61. During his career, Mr. Cronin had been associated with the speech communication department at Loras College in Dubuque, serving as the department chair, adviser to department majors and summer admissions counselor; he had also been chair of the arts and lecture series at Loras for seven years. A member of the Dramatists Guild, Mr. Cronin wrote five one-act and 10 full-length plays; he was the winner of several competitions, including the Wichita State University National Playwriting Contest; the Samuel French National Playwriting Contest and the American Theatre Associate National Playwriting Contest. Active in the Dubuque art community, Mr. Cronin co-founded and served as the first president of the Dubuque County Fine Arts Society; helped to establish the National One-Act Play Competition; served on the board of directors of the Dubuque Art Association and Dubuque Arts Council; and represented Dubuque on the Iowa Association of Local Art Agencies. Following his retirement from Loras College in 1994 because of Alzheimer's disease, Mr. Cronin became an advocate for extended research on the disease; in 1998, he and his wife testified before the Senate Aging and Appropriation Committee in Washington, D.C., to lobby for increased funding in this area. Named professor emeritus of Loras College, Mr. Cronin was honored by having a speech communication scholarship established in his name. A veteran, he served in the Army from 1962 until 1965. Mr. Cronin is survived by his wife, Rosemary; a son; a daughter; four sisters; his brother-in-law, Raymond E. Byrne Jr. '61; and numerous nephews and nieces.

James M. Pellegrino, D.D.S.
Aug. 31, 2000
At Massena (N.Y.) Memorial Hospital, at 61. Dr. Pellegrino had maintained a private dental practice in Massena since 1965. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; two sons; three daughters; a sister; and six grandchildren.

1962

William F. Hoffmann III, M.D.
Oct. 18, 2000
In St. Luke's Hospital, New Bedford, Mass., after an 18-month battle with lung cancer, at 59. A physician and psychiatrist, Dr. Hoffmann practiced for many years in New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and served on the faculty at Brown University, Providence, and the University of Massachusetts. During his career, he had volunteered as a physician in Vietnam through Project Concern and established the "Bridging the Gaps" annual conference with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Rhode Island. In addition to serving as a team physician for the New York Mets, Dr. Hoffmann hosted a monthly radio program on mental health issues and organized the Rhode Island Mental Health Golf Tournament in 1992 and the Mental Illness Awareness Walk in 1994. The author of many scientific and journal articles, he had been the editor of the Journal of the Southeastern New England Gerontology Society. An Army veteran, Dr. Hoffmann had been a Green Beret during the Vietnam War. He is survived by his wife, Robin; two sons; a daughter; a brother; and two sisters. 

1965

Harry G. Lent
Jan. 2, 2001
In Massachusetts. During his career, Mr. Lent practiced law for many years in Boston. A Marine Corps veteran, he served in the Vietnam War. Mr. Lent was a former commander of the Westwood (Mass.) American Legion Post 320 and past president of the Boston Rugby Football Club. He is survived by his wife, Jan; a son; a daughter; two brothers, James W. Jr. '58 and John E., M.D., '62; three sisters; and many nephews and nieces. 

1970

Robert K. Livernois
Jan. 10, 2001
At his home in Southbridge, Mass., at 52. Mr. Livernois had been employed by Reebok Shoe in Leominster, Mass.; previously, he worked 25 years for Thom McAn Shoe. Mr. Livernois served six years in the National Guard. He is survived by his wife, Paulette; two daughters; his parents; a brother; two granddaughters; and nephews and nieces.