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Corporation Member Jerry McAfee dies

Jerry McAfee, former chairman and CEO of Gulf Oil Corp. and a Life Member Emeritus of the MIT Corporation, died of congestive heart failure at his home in Pittsburgh on October 14.

A native of Port Arthur, TX, Dr. McAfee was a 1937 graduate of the University of Texas. He received the ScD degree in chemical engineering from MIT in 1940. He spent his entire career in the oil industry, joining Gulf Oil in 1945, rising through research and management ranks to become its chairman from 1976 until his retirement in 1981.

Dr. McAfee was elected to the MIT Corporation in 1977. Previously he had been a member of the Corporation Visiting Committee on Chemical Engineering and a member of the national sponsoring committee for the chemical engineering building. He became a Life Member Emeritus in 1991.

He was a member and former president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Petroleum Institute and the American Chemical Society.

Mr. McAfee is survived by his wife, Geraldine; a daughter, Rita McAfee Johnson of Denver; three sons, Joe R. of Cleveland, William M. of Los Angeles and Thomas R. McAfee of San Francisco, and 11 grandchildren.

Dudley Bennett

Dudley Bennett, 74, of Somerville, a retired custodian in Physical Plant, died on October 22. Mr. Bennett worked at MIT from 1964 until his retirement in 1986. He leaves his wife, Phyllis Bennett.

Weston J. Burner

A memorial service was held October 28 in Ipswich for Weston J. Burner, 68, of South Hamilton, who died of a heart attack on October 24. Mr. Burner was director of information processing services when he retired in 1984. A naval veteran of World War II, Mr. Burner was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He had worked at MIT since 1969.

He is survived by his wife, Irma E. (Becker) Burner; two sons, Kenneth W. of Pittsburgh and Wayne A. Burner of Chester, NH; a daughter, Elizabeth J. Silva of North Reading, and three grandchildren.

Susan Jean Dacier

Susan Jean Dacier, 34, of Lowell, a technician at Lincoln Laboratory since 1988, died unexpectedly on October 21. Ms. Dacier is survived by her mother, Alberta Gassett Dacier, and two brothers, George A. III of Hampton, NH, and Wilfred G. Dacier of Lowell. A memorial service was held at Grace Chapel in Lexington on October 27.

Gloria McAvenia

Gloria McAvenia, 57, of Everett, an administrative assistant in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, died suddenly on October 5. Ms. McAvenia had worked at MIT since 1972. She leaves a daughter, Diane Esdale of Brockton.

Frank P. Morgan

Frank P. Morgan Jr., 80, of Melrose, a retired guard at Lincoln Laboratory, died on October 14. Mr. Morgan worked at Lincoln from 1952 until his retirement in 1980. In addition to his wife, Louise (Field) Morgan, he leaves a daughter, Patricia, three sons, Jeffrey, C. Andrew and Philip Morgan, all of Melrose, and two grandchildren. Remembrances may be sent to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation or to the National Kidney Foundation.

Jose Munoz

Jose Munoz, 56, of Londonderry, NH, a staff member at Lincoln Laboratory since 1972, died on September 23. He leaves his wife, Ilene Munoz; four sons, Jose Jr., John A., Jerry and Jason A. Munoz, and a daughter, Deborah Munoz.

Helen M. Putnam

Helen M. Putnam, 87, of Medford, a retired administrative secretary in the aerophysics laboratory, died on September 19 after a long illness. A graduate of Middlebury College, Miss Putnam taught high school for a number of years. She worked at MIT from 1965 until her retirement in 1973. She is survived by Cheryl Brawley of Elizabethtown, KY.

James Sullivan

Word has been received of the October 27 death of James Sullivan, 81, of Everett. Mr. Sullivan was a service staff member in Physical Plant from 1969 until his retirement in 1981. His survivors include his wife, Joan Sullivan, a son, Paul Sullivan, and a daughter, Helen.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on November 8, 1995.

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