Dear Colleagues,

I share with you sad news of the passing of three members of our UWM community.

Richard Harris Graham, Jr.

The Peck School of the Arts shared the sad news that former associate professor Richard “Rick” Harris Graham, Jr., who had retired from UW-Milwaukee’s Theatre Department, passed away in May 2020.

Rick studied architecture for two years at North Carolina State’s School of Design, and then attended the North Carolina School for the Performing Arts where he earned a BFA and taught for two years. He came to Milwaukee to design for the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in 1973.

Rick began teaching at the UWM Department of Theatre as a lecturer in 1978 and continued as an Assistant Professor in 1979 and as an Associate Professor until his retirement from UWM in 2016. His career at UWM spanned almost four decades. Rick was a founding member of Sandford Robbins’ Professional Theatre Training Program, developing and implementing the Technical Training curriculum for the area he headed for several years. He served on several committees while at UWM and all the while he continued his outside work.

Rick’s professional career as a designer stretched across 38 Theatre, Dance and Opera Companies in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel featured a story on Rick’s decades of work on Milwaukee’s stage productions. He also had numerous other national and international design credits.

For additional information, please see Rick’s obituary online. Our condolences to Rick’s family and to the many others whose lives he touched.

 

Magda Kandil

The Department of Economics shared the sad news that Dr. Magda Kandil, a former professor of Economics at UW-Milwaukee, passed away recently.

Magda received her MA in Economics from the University of Notre Dame, her MBA from Indiana University, and her PhD in Economics from Washington State University.

Magda joined UWM in 1992 from Southern Illinois University where she was an Assistant Professor. During her time at UWM, she served as Department Chair in Economics, and was a full Professor when she left UWM in 1999 to become a senior economist for the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In the last six years, Magda was the Chief Economist and Director of Research at the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates.

For additional details, please see the remembrance posted on the UWM Department of Economics website. Our condolences to Magda’s family and to the many others whose lives she touched.

 

Stephen Meyer, III

The Department of History shared the sad news that Dr. Stephen “Steve” Meyer, Professor Emeritus of History at UW-Milwaukee, passed away on June 22, 2020.

Steve served in the Air Force, and following his service, graduated from the State University of New York, Stony Brook with a degree in History, and received his PhD in History from Rutgers University.

After graduation, Steve taught social and labor history and the history of technology at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and over the years, at four University of Wisconsin campuses: Baraboo, Parkside, Madison (School for Workers), and Milwaukee. Steve was a member, and former Chair of the UWM History Department, and became a Professor Emeritus of History upon his retirement from UWM in 2011. Steve wrote widely on Midwestern labor history, particularly the history of auto workers. His books included The Five Dollar Day; Stalin Over Wisconsin; and most recently, Manhood on the Line.

For additional details, please see Steve’s obituary online. Our condolences to Steve’s family, including his wife Margo Anderson, Distinguished Professor Emerita of History and Urban Studies at UWM, and to the many others whose lives he touched.

Take care,

Johannes

Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs