Clark University - Clark News Winter 2004
In Memoriam (winter 2004)
Robert Campbell, former dean of the college and history professor, died Sept. 1 in Olympia, Wash., after a long illness. He was 85 years old.
Dean Campbell earned his master's degree and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He joined Clark's History Department as assistant professor in 1946 and was a popular professor at Clark for almost 12 years. He then went on to positions with the National Coal Association in Washington, D.C., and the Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults in Chicago. He became Clark's fifth dean of the college in August 1960.
Described as the most innovative dean of the college at that time, Dean Campbell can be credited with shaping much of the current undergraduate program at Clark. He argued for strengthening liberal education and unconventional approaches to learning, such as independent study. Among his many initiatives, Dean Campbell encouraged new majors in music and geology and worked to create an intellectual community at Clark by balancing specialized and general education, diversifying the student body and supporting independent inquiry.
Dean Campbell also advocated for B.A./M.A. programs, which were not adopted during his tenure but have since become an integral part of the University. He encouraged interdisciplinary learning and worked to incorporate independent inquiry more formally into the undergraduate curriculum. His early focus on inquiry-based learning has become a central element in Clark's undergraduate programs.
Dean Campbell was known for his humor, enthusiasm and determination. He was active in the Worcester community as well, serving on many boards and committees.
A memorial service for Dean Campbell was held at Clark on Oct. 17 in Tilton Hall.
William Carruth '48, formerly of Shrewsbury, Mass., died May 26, 2003.
A native of Shrewsbury, Mr. Carruth graduated from Major Beall High School in 1941. His education was interrupted by World War II, in which he served in the European Campaign. He served in the Army Reserve for a period following his return from the war.
Mr. Carruth was a business major at Clark and received a B.A. and B.B.A. in 1948. He was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Following graduation, Mr. Carruth worked for Graton and Knight in Worcester. He was later transferred to Bristol, N.H., where he worked for International Packing Corp. Mr. Carruth retired as a plant manager of the Northfield, N.H., division in 1986.
Mr. Carruth was chairman of the Minot-Sleeper Library Board of Trustees in Bristol and served on many other town committees throughout his life. He was secretary of the local investment club and was an avid reader, bridge player and fisherman. He died in Venice, Fla., where he was a winter resident for 17 years.
Dorcas Dawe '72 and her mother died in a car accident on Dec. 2, 2002. She is remembered here by her friends Eleanor (Frankel) Perlman '72 and Joseph Perlman '73.
After graduating from Clark, Dorcas became a paralegal and spent most of her career working at the law firm of Paul Weiss in Manhattan. She was a loyal alumna and helped organize many social and fund-raising activities in the New York area. A memorial service was held for her and her mother in May 2003.
Dorcas was a warm, vivacious person, who left behind family and many loving friends in both the United States and England. Her friends will always remember her loyalty, her love of life, her joy in gardening, her quick wit, her readiness to enjoy a museum exhibit, play, party or social gathering, and her desire to be at any important event in her friends' lives. She is, and will be, sorely missed.
Marvin Gruss '44, an attorney in New Canaan, Conn., for more than 40 years, died June 10, 2003.
Mr. Gruss attended Clark for two-and-a-half years, majoring in economics and science. His education was interrupted by Army Service, which included meteorology studies at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In the Army, he served as a weather forecaster and radio Air Corps with the rank of lieutenant. Clark awarded Mr. Gruss a bachelor's degree summa cum laude on the basis of his academic record at Brown and MIT.
After serving in the Army, Mr. Gruss worked for his father's business, Crescent Woodworking, in South Norwalk, Conn. When his father retired, Mr. Gruss took over the company and ran it for several years. He also served on the boards of directors of the Connecticut Lumber Dealers Association and the Norwalk Carpenters' Joint Apprenticeship Council.
He continued to run his father's company while he attended Yale Law School, where he earned a law degree in 1962 and graduated with the "Order of the Coif" (top 10 percent). He then joined the law firm of Hawthorne, Ackerly and Dorrance and later became partner. During his career, he was associated with other partners and practiced in his own firm.
Mr. Gruss was active in civic affairs, serving on various town boards and committees. He was co-founder of the New Canaan Community Foundation as a project of the New Canaan Bar Association, of which he also had served as president. He was also a past president of the Estate Planning Council of Lower Fairfield County and a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, among many other community and professional activities.
Mr. Gruss was also an avid musician and played the trombone in the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra for more than 40 years. During his six-year tenure as president of the symphony's board of governor's, Mr. Gruss introduced "preview concerts" for Norwalk school children and had musicians from the symphony lead music classes at Norwalk Community College.
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