In Memoriam

Rex J. Crookshanks (BSEE ’54) passed away on April 17, 2007, at the age of 80. He is survived by his wife, Leah Bonnickson, and son, Rory Crookshanks.

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Crookshanks went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in engineering from USC. He also earned credentials in mechanical and electrical engineering. Later, he was hired as an engineering consultant at Hughes Aircraft, where he was asked to create a detailed design solution for a challenging satellite-communications-system requirement, which no one else was able to accomplish. Later, he transitioned to the Hughes staff as a senior scientist. Crookshanks was an avid inventor. While working at Hughes Aircraft, he was credited with more than 200 patents across a broad range of engineering and mathematical areas.

Crookshanks was also an active real-estate investor, which included buying, developing and remodeling properties both within and outside of the United States, up until his death.

Michael “Mike” Wayne Doss (M.S. ’68), 68, died on March 8, 2007, unexpectedly at his home in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He was born on July 29, 1938, in Winston Salem, N.C., to the late James Raymond Doss and Irene O. Doss Boyles. Doss was a graduate of North Carolina State University and USC. He served his country in the Marine Corps Reserves. Doss was an avid North Carolina State Wolfpack fan and loved his time spent with friends at the games. He was retired from a career in telecommunications, including positions with IBM, Codex, Netlink, Nortel, Siemens, and as a founder of CipherOptics.

Doss is survived by his wife of 47 years, Judith Butler Doss; his daughters, Leslie and husband, Ronnie Fuquay; Michelle and husband, Bryan Holjes; and Stephanie and husband, Scott Hawke; grandchildren, Calvin and Amy Hawke, and Carter Holjes; and stepgranddaughter, Amanda Fuquay.

He was loved by all who knew him and will be missed greatly by his family and friends.

William Anderson Knight (M.S. ’72), born in 1930, passed away. Knight is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Lee Smith Knight; four children, William A. Knight Jr., Samuel Foman Knight, Sally Haviland Knight, and Virginia Lee Spiers; five grandchildren, Jennifer Dawn Helm, Samuel F. Knight Jr., Rebecca Erin Knight, Marshall Andrew Spiers and Georgia Lee Spiers; and two greatgrandchildren, Wilson and Shawn Helm.

Born in Montgomery, Ala., Knight was a graduate of Auburn University and the USC School of Engineering. He served 26 years in the U. S. Air Force, entering service in 1953 at the close of the Korean War. Active in the Reserves, he was recalled to active duty for the Berlin Wall Crisis of 1961 and again in 1963 for the Cuban Missile Crisis. He served in Germany, Iceland, and Vietnam, as well as Washington state, Colorado, Montana, Florida and Virginia. Knight’s citations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Commendation, Presidential Unit Citation and Outstanding Unit Awards.

After retiring from the Air Force, he became an internal auditor for the Virginia Department of Social Services. During his lifetime, Knight was active in PTA, YMCA Indian Guides, Cub Scouts, Military Officers Association and various civic and neighborhood organizations. He was a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled Americans Veterans, the Association of Government Accountants, and the Institute of Internal Audit.

Pragnesh Jay Modi (Ph.D. CSCI ’03), an assistant professor of computer science at Drexel University in Philadelphia, who was a rising star in artificial intelligence and completed his Ph.D. in computer science at USC in 2003, died on April 9, 2007.

“Among Jay’s many accomplishments was an NSF Career Award and an IEEE Intelligent Systems magazine award for ‘AI’s 10 to Watch,’” said Gerard Medioni, chair of the Viterbi Department of Computer Science. “He was one of the bright young stars in the area of agents and multiagent systems.”

Modi joined the Drexel faculty in Pittsburgh in 2005, following a postdoctoral research position at Carnegie Mellon University. He received a prestigious National Science Foundation Career Award, as well as the IEEE honor.

Medioni said Modi’s Ph.D. thesis at USC had been “foundational in the area of distributed constraint optimization.”

“Jay will be remembered with fondness as a dedicated colleague and loyal friend,” added Medioni.

Anthony J. Miadich (BSCE ’65, MSCE ’67) died May 8 at age 64. Miadich was born Aug. 5, 1942, in Cleveland. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from USC and a master’s degree from UCLA. He moved in 1978 to Lake Oswego and was managing general partner for Orien Ventures. In 1965, he married Sharon L. McMahan.

Survivors include his wife; daughters, Traci Shields and Wendy Harmon; sons, Mike, Bart and Matt; and four grandchildren.

James E. Roberts (MSCE ’66) died on July 6, 2006, at the age of 75. Roberts was a career highway worker who came west on Route 66 as a child fleeing the Dust Bowl and grew up to play a leading role in building and strengthening California freeways as the state’s top bridge engineer.

Roberts joined Caltrans as a junior civil engineer in 1951 on the eve of a historic highway and bridge construction boom. Typically first to arrive at work and last to leave, he rose quickly during a career spanning five decades and held several key management jobs, including chief deputy director. In 1996, he became the only Caltrans employee to be inducted into the National Academy of Engineering.

Roberts served as director of the Caltrans Engineering Service Center, overseeing 2,300 engineers, architects, support staff and consultants responsible for designing, building and maintaining the state’s 12,000 highway bridges. As state bridge engineer for about 15 years, he led efforts to retrofit bridges to withstand seismic shakes and spearheaded rebuilding of structures damaged in major earthquakes in Whittier in 1987, Loma Prieta in 1989 and Northridge in 1994.

At Caltrans, Roberts inspired loyalty among workers as a demanding but fair boss who preferred “coaching” over supervising employees. He fit the image of an engineer, with a sharp grasp of technical concepts, a disciplined approach to work and a crew cut that he maintained meticulously.

Roberts was born in 1930 in Jameson, Mo., to farmers battered by dust storms and the Depression. He was 6 years old when his parents packed four children and a cedar chest in the back seat of a car and headed for a better life in California.

The family settled in Bakersfield before moving to Oakland and Albany, where Roberts excelled in school. He entered UC Berkeley, and started working for Caltrans before earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1953.

He joined the Army for two years, working with the Corps of Engineers in Korea during wartime. Roberts also served 33 years in the Army Reserves, retiring as a colonel. In 1966, he earned a master’s degree in structural engineering from USC.

Roberts is survived by his wife, Patricia Lee Brighton Roberts, two children, and two grandchildren.

Henry L. Sperow (BSME ’60) passed away at his home on March 31, 2007, at the age of 85.

Born in West Virginia, Sperow was married to Alice, who preceded him in death in 1998. He was a Marine Corps naval aviator in World War II and was awarded the Air Medal after he flew his Corsair back from combat. Sperow was called back to duty and served in the Korean conflict. After returning home, he earned a bachelor of science degree at USC and went on to a career in the aerospace industry. After moving to Thousand Oaks with their family, the Sperows owned and operated Sperow Realty.

Sperow leaves behind his son and his wife, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Clay Williams (BSCE ’51) passed away, after a lengthy battle with cancer, at the age of 83.

Williams, the only child of Ben F. and Hesper Odor Williams, was born July 29, 1923, in Glendale, Calif. He spent his youth in Oklahoma and served in the Navy during World War II. He returned to California and graduated from USC with a B.S. in civil engineering.

Williams worked for Rockwell International Corp. from 1955 until he retired. During this time, he was co-inventor of several patents in the nuclear field. While living in Tehachapi, Williams enjoyed engineering plans for several builders in the area.

He was preceded in death by his loving spouse of 29 years, Frances. Williams was remarried and is survived by his current wife, Dorthie. He is also survived by his three children, Ross Williams of Bakersfield, Dean and Nancy Williams of Tehachapi, and Keith and Rebecca Williams of Richmond, Va. His three stepchildren, Rita Barna, Jane Rollins and Doug Barna, who he dearly loved, also survive him. He has five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.