William Boyd Buck, 85, died Oct. 18 at his home in Saint Albans, Vermont. He became a faculty member at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Illinois in 1977. In 1978, he founded a 24-hour animal poison hotline; this program grew into the National Animal Poison Control Center, which transitioned to ownership by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1996 and continues operation in Urbana today. He retired from the college in 1997. A graveside service will take place Saturday, Oct. 27, at 10 a.m., at Grandview Memorial Gardens, 4112 W. Bloomington Road, Champaign. Memorials: CarePartners Adult Day Center, 34 Franklin Park W., Saint Albans, VT 05478.
Emanuel “Manny” Donchin, of Tampa, Florida, died Oct. 10 in Tampa. He was a pioneer in the field of event-related brain potentials and played a major role in the development and assessment of recording and analytic procedures for ERP research. He joined the psychology faculty of the university in 1968 and established the Cognitive Psychophysiology Lab. He became the head of psychology in 1981, retiring in 2001.
Les Gasser, 70, of Urbana, died Oct. 16 at his home. He worked for the university. A celebration of life is planned for Oct. 29 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Riggs Beer Company in Urbana. Memorials: Children’s Tumor Foundation, dedicated to neurofibromatosis research, at ctf.org.
Marjorie Ellen “Marge” Gordon, 92, of Penfield, Illinois, died Oct. 20 at Clark-Lindsey Village in Urbana. She worked for Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at Illinois as a bookkeeper.
Alvin E. Gustafson, 88, of Monticello, Illinois, died Oct. 18 at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. He retired from his job as an electrician for the university. Memorials: Danville Area Community College Nursing Program.
Phillip I. Henson, 85, of Savoy, Illinois, died Oct. 19 at Clark-Lindsey Village in Urbana. He was a civil engineer and administrator at the university. Memorials: Lewy Body Dementia Association.
Matthew McClure, 40, of Springfield, Illinois, died Oct. 21 at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. He worked for the university in the athletic and I-Card departments. A memorial service will occur at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at Bisch Funeral Home West, 2931 S. Koke Mill Road, Springfield. The family will greet family and friends following the service until 4:30 p.m. Memorials: Shriners Hospital for Children, 4400 Clayton Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110.
Kurt A. Mitchell, 64, of Champaign, died Oct. 19 at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. He worked for the university as an equipment manager. A memorial is planned for 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Apostolic Christian Church Fellowship Hall, 1425 E. 400 N. Road, Cissna Park, Illinois.
Pauline Rymer, 99, of Champaign, died Oct. 13 at OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana. She retired after working as a library clerk at the university for 17 years. Memorials: Disabled American Veterans.
Rebecca J. Simon, 78, died at Meadowbrook at Clark-Lindsey in Urbana Oct. 15. She spent her career at the university in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as an academic adviser and in the School of Chemical Sciences as director of the placement center. Memorials: Plant a flower in your garden or donate to a local humane society.
Bernard “Bernie” Daniel Taylor, 86, of Urbana, died Oct. 19 at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. He worked at the university as a carpenter, retiring after 35 years. Memorials: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, the American Heart Association or the Developmental Service Center, 1304 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign, IL 61821.
