09/18/12, Deaths - Almanac, Vol. 59, No. 04

Deaths	Print Issue
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Mr. Forrest, EHRS
Mr. Gray, Annenberg Library
Dr. Kleindorfer, Wharton

Mr. Forrest, EHRS

Forrest Mr. Robert D. Forrest, director of radiation safety and radiation safety officer in the department of environmental health and radiation services, died August 28 while on vacation in North Carolina. He was 46.

Raised in the Philadelphia area, Mr. Forrest earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1988 and his master’s of science from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell in 1993.

As radiation safety officer, Mr. Forrest was responsible for all aspects of radiation safety at the University, the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Monell Chemical Senses Institute and the Wistar Institute. “Rob’s competence in coordinating his staff’s time to support ever-growing responsibilities and risks was remarkable,” said Matthew Finucane, executive director of EHRS. He participated in radiation safety education of Fellows in Radiology and was always available to advise on radiation safety matters.

Mr. Forrest’s expertise in radiation safety was recognized beyond Penn. He chaired Pennsylvania’s Radiation Protection Advisory Committee and built the respect of colleagues in academe, government and industry.

Mr. Forrest was a national leader in radiation safety, serving on and chairing committees in the Health Physics Society, and serving as president of the Delaware Valley Health Physics Society. Through his leadership in the radiation safety community, Mr. Forrest, in coordination with Penn Police, Philadelphia Police, the US Departments of Energy and Homeland Security, Penn Schools, CHOP and Wistar, instituted a program of enhanced security for radioactive materials. This effort allowed Penn to become the first private entity in the country to establish such high security and emergency preparedness.

“Mr. Forrest was a creative, thoughtful and innovative leader who had the respect of all who knew and worked with him,” said Mr. Finucane.

He is survived by his wife, Helen; his children, Bobby, Melissa and Michelle; his parents, Mary Ann Cellini Forrest and Denis E. Forrest; a sister, Barbara Filler; two brothers, Steven and Gregory; and his father–in-law, Edward Meakim.

Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the “Forrest Children’s Educational Fund”, C/O Edward G. Meakim Jr., 1273 Eagle Rd., West Chester, PA 19382.

A memorial service will be held at the Perelman School of Medicine’s Translational Research Center, in the Auditorium, at 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, on October 9 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Mr. Gray, Annenberg Library

Gray Mr. James “Jim” W. Gray, former library assistant in the Annenberg School library, passed away August 31 at age 70.

Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Gray graduated from Edison High School in 1960. He began his career at Penn the next year at the Biddle Law Library. In 1964 he was drafted into the Army where he served for two years as a stateside medic. Mr. Gray returned to Penn spending most of his 40-year career at the library in the Annenberg School of Communication.

Mr. Gray was a shop steward and treasurer for AFSME Local 590, which represented Penn library staff, among others.

He was an active member of Penn’s African-American Association (Triple A), serving as the Tri-Chair for Staff until his retirement; the group was previously known as the Black Administrators, Faculty and Staff.

Although this organization no longer exists, it was largely through its efforts that the African-American Resource Center was established in 1989. Mr. Gray was a major figure in that effort (Almanac February 4, 2003).

He is survived by his daughters, Rashida and Aisha; son, Malik; two grandchildren; his mother, Eloise; a brother; and two sisters.

Dr. Kleindorfer, Wharton

Emeritus Professor Paul Kleindorfer of The Wharton School passed away August 24 in Paris, France, after a struggle with ALS. He was 72 years old.

A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Dr. Kleindorfer came to Wharton in 1973 after completing his PhD at Carnegie Mellon University, and joined the newly formed decision sciences department, now operations and information management.

As the Anheuser-Busch Professor of Management Science, Dr. Kleindorfer served Wharton in a number of roles, including two terms as department chair, vice dean of the doctoral programs, and co-director of the Risk Management and Decision Processes Center with Wharton professor Howard Kunreuther, a role in which he served until his retirement in 2006.

His research and teaching interests spanned the department’s mission and included decision processes, information systems/information technology and operations management. During his career, Dr. Kleindorfer published over 25 books and numerous research papers.

After retirement, Dr. Kleindorfer accepted a faculty position at INSEAD where he was the Paul Dubrule Professor of Sustainable Development and Distinguished Research Professor. He was active in research until his death and had an international reputation in the areas of operations management, energy and risk management. His most recent research focused on single-year and multi-year insurance policies in a competitive market, assessment of catastrophe risk and potential losses in industry, restructuring initiatives in network industries, and on risk management and sustainability strategies for carbon-intensive industries.

In June 2012, Dr. Kleindorfer was named an MSOM Fellow by the Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Society of INFORMS and prepared an acceptance speech, which reflected his recent research and was delivered by his former colleague Dr. Morris Cohen.

Dr. Kleindorfer is survived by his wife, Stephanie; his three children, Sonia, Geoffrey and Erin; and four grandchildren.

The operations and information management department at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania has established the Paul R. Kleindorfer Memorial Fund in honor of Dr. Kleindorfer and the contributions he made to the discipline, department and school. Contributions may be sent to Alison Matejczyk at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 344 Vance Hall, 3733 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Please make checks payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania with “Kleindorfer Fund” written in the memo field.

A celebration of Paul Kleindorfer’s life will be held on November 14, at 4:30 p.m. on the 8th floor of the Jon M. Huntsman Hall, at 38th and Walnut Streets, with a reception immediately following.

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