Tversky, a professor of cognitive psychology since 1978, gained fame when he wrote a 1974 article for Science magazine on the science of reasoning, which triggered interest in the subject.
Tversky was born in Haifa, Israel, in 1937. His mother, Genia Tversky, was a member of the Knesset from its establishment in 1948 until her death in 1964.
As an Israeli, Tversky was an officer in a paratrooper unit of the Israeli army and fought during the 1956, 1967 and 1973 wars, winning honors for bravery in 1956 when he saved the life of a fellow soldier who was setting an explosive charge.
Tversky earned a bachelor's degree from Hebrew University in 1961 and a doctorate degree in psychology from the University of Michigan in 1965.
He taught at the University of Michigan, Hebrew University and Harvard University before coming to Stanford in 1970 as a fellow at the Center for the Advanced Study of Behavioral Sciences. He later joined the Stanford faculty.
He won the American Psychological Association's award for distinguished scientific contribution in 1982 and a five-year McArthur Foundation fellowship in 1984.
Tversky's work focused on how people make decisions during conditions of uncertainty and showed that such choices can be predicted.
In addition to being affiliated with Hebrew University from 1966 to 1978 and again from 1984 to 1985, Tversky also was affiliated recently with Tel Aviv University as a visiting professor of economics and psychology.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara Tversky, a Stanford professor of cognitive psychology; two sons, Oren Tversky of San Francisco and Tal Tversky of Stanford; daughter Dona Tversky of Stanford; and a sister, Ruth Ariel of Jerusalem.
Memorial services were held last week. In lieu of flowers, the Tversky family suggests donations to favorite charities.
Herbert Nanney, a Stanford University professor emeritus of music and university organist, died May 20 of heart failure in a Mountain View convalescent hospital. He was 77.
Nanney was on the Stanford faculty for almost 48 years and one of the three organs in Stanford's Memorial Church, the Fisk-Nanney organ, is dedicated in his name.
Nanney was named university organist for a short period before World War II, in which he served with a hospital battalion and served as the organist-director of the American Cathedral in Paris.
After the war, he received an artist's diploma from the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and returned to Stanford in 1947, receiving a master's degree and then joining the faculty.
Before coming to Stanford the first time, Nanney had served as the organist at the Pasadena First Methodist Church, the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles and the Ninth Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia.
As a Stanford faculty member, Nanney gave recitals and lectures throughout the country.
In the mid-1960s, Nanney headed a new doctoral program in organ performance practice at Stanford. By his retirement in 1985, 18 of his former students held positions with universities throughout the country.
Nanney is survived by his wife, June Nanney of San Jose, and a son, Duncan Nanney of Palo Alto.
A memorial concert will be held at 8 p.m. Sept. 30 at Stanford's Memorial Church. The concert is free and open to the public.
William Anthony Arbaca
William Anthony Arbaca, 48, died Feb. 25. Born in San Francisco, he moved with his family to Palo Alto in 1954. A graduate of Cubberley High, he was a drummer and singer who played with show groups, recording bands and night club acts throughout the United States. He toured with the "Trio Monterey" through Alaska and played with many bands including "Showdown," "Coco," and "The Mulligan Hill Band." He is survived by his mother, Margarita Abarca of Palo Alto; and two sisters, Maggie Fleming of Irvine and Lorraine Abarca of Palo Alto. Services have been held.
Arthur J. Baggenstos
Arthur J. Baggenstos, 87, a resident of Menlo Park and Palo Alto from 1923 to 1965, died on May 26. A native of San Francisco, he served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and was vice president of General Appraisal Co. He was a charter member of the American Society of Appraisers and past member of the Palo Alto Elks Lodge. He is survived by two sisters, Catherine Scott of Palo Alto and Loretta Baggenstos of Santa Clara. An avid fly-fisherman, he lived for many years in South Lake Tahoe. Services have been held. Memorial contributions may be made to the Barton Memorial Hospital Foundation, P.O. Box 7316, S. Lake Tahoe, CA 96158; or the Audubon Society.
Phyllis Einarson
Phyllis Einarson, 66, died May 16. A graduate of the General Hospital School of Nursing in Newfoundland, Canada, she was a longtime nurse at Stanford University Hospital and Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto. She is survived by a daughter, Patricia Einarson of Los Altos; a son, Murray Einarson of Palo Alto; two sisters, Cavell Tyrrell of Toronto, Ontario, and Shirley Squires of Labrador, Newfoundland; and three grandchildren. Memorial donations can be made c/o Marilyn Pardy, Asst. Administrator, Janeway Child Health Centre, Janeway Place, St. John's Newfoundland, Canada A1A 1R8 or the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital, Attn. Development Department, 725 Welch Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304.
Pearlie B. Gooch
Pearlie B. Gooch, 77, died May 29. Known as "Mother Gooch," she had been a Palo Alto resident since 1944. In 1950, she used her savings to open her own beauty salon on Olive Avenue. She operated it for the next 25 years. She was active in the Jerusalem Baptist Church, where she served in the Women's Missionary Union, senior choir and Baptist Training Union and was a Sunday school teacher and a Vacation Bible School director. After her retirement, she traveled extensively. She is survived by her husband, John Allen Gooch of Palo Alto; a daughter, Gloria Gray of Palo Alto; a son, Billy D. Gray of Los Angeles; and one granddaughter.
Nathaniel Harrington
Nathaniel Harrington, 81, a longtime East Palo Alto resident, died April 29. He migrated to California from the Deep South in the early 1940s. He was a World War II veteran, a laborer and a farmhand, and he helped to build the California highways. He is survived by two daughters, Andrea Grace Harrington of Santa Rosa and Mary Harrington of San Francisco; three sons, Dana Harrington of San Francisco, Nathaniel Harrington Jr. of Oakland and Kevin Harrington of San Francisco; a sister, Anna Mae Brown of Palo Alto; a brother, Jerome Harrington of Venice, Calif.; and two grandchildren.
Roger Kampen
Roger Kampen, 65, former owner of the Van Kampen Framing Gallery in Palo Alto, died May 23 after a heart attack. Born in Holland, Mich., he lived in Michigan and Arizona before settling in California. He served in the U.S. Army in Korea in 1956 and 1957. In 1986, he opened the Van Kampen Framing Gallery. A master of the framing trade, he spent the last 10 years framing art and photographs with his co-worker Mike Nelson. He recently sold Van Kampen Framing Gallery. He is survived by his companion of 46 years, Jim Ellington. No services will be held. Donations can be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Jeffery Kirk
Jeffrey Kirk, 83, of Bloomington, Minn., formerly of Palo Alto, died on May 23. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he graduated from the University of Missouri. He served in the Army during World War II and in the Air Force during the Korean War. A lawyer and banker in St. Louis, he moved to California in 1960, where he served as president of the Stanford Bank in Palo Alto. He served on the board of trustees of the Palo Alto-Stanford Hospital. He was a member of the Palo Alto Club, the Menlo Country Club, and the Saturday Morning Club. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Virginia, of Bloomington, Minn.; two sons, Kirk Jeffrey Jr. of Bloomington, Minn., and Charles D. Jeffrey of Northampton, Mass.; a daughter, Mary Dana Jeffrey Lee of Williamstown, Mass.; and five granddaughters.
Josephine F. Louie
Josephine "Josi" Fay Louie, 47, died in her Palo Alto home on May 27 from cancer. She grew up in San Francisco and graduated from San Francisco State University. She worked for Hewlett-Packard for 18 years, most recently as marketing and communications manager for quality. She was committed to women in recovery and loved animals, children, travel, books, film and helping others. She is survived by her parents Jek and Fay Louie of San Francisco; a brother, Walter Louie of Los Angeles; and a sister, Esther Beymer of Moscow, Idaho. Services have been held.
Barbara Elva Mills
Barbara Elva Mills, 59, an East Palo Alto resident, died May 9. A native of San Francisco, she worked as a homemaker. She is survived by her mother, Gladys Moore of Clovis; a brother, Raymond Baggs of Rohnert Park; a sister, Donna Moore of Clovis; her daughters, Donna Sweetin of Menlo Park, Lorraine Norman and Linda and Joanne Mills of East Palo Alto, and Carolyn Welch; and 23 grandchildren. Services have been held.
Darryl Glenn Parks
Darryl Glenn Parks, 36, a resident of East Palo Alto, died on May 15. He is survived by his wife of six years, Elaine Parks; his father, Donald W. Parks of Natchitoches, La.; three sisters, Donna Adams, Kathy Parks and Patricia Parks; and three brothers, Jerry Parks, Donald Parks Jr. and Gary Parks.
Phillip Michael Rages
Phillip Michael Rages, 42, died on May 19 in Stanford. He moved with his family to Menlo Park in 1955 and attended Cubberley High School. He was an avid swimmer and worked as a lifeguard. He attended Foothill College before enlisting in the Army in 1973. After his discharge from the Navy, he worked as a food clerk. He was a member of Faith Missionary Baptist Church of Christ. He is survived by his parents, Roger and Clarene Watts of Palo Alto; a sister, Cheryl Houston of Fayetteville, N.C.; and a brother, David Rages of East Palo Alto.
Langford Wheaton Smith
Langford Wheaton Smith, 67, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died Saturday, May 25. Born and raised in Berkeley, he attended St. John's College in Annapolis, Md., and received his MBA and Ph.D. from Stanford. A member of the Sierra Club and St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Palo Alto, he worked for many years in the computer field, working for IBM 30 years before his retirement. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie; three daughters, Teresa Downing of San Jose, Melissa Bragg of Denver, Colo., and Portia Smith of Mountain View; and three granddaughters. Services have been held. Contributions may be made to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, the Sierra Club or the Sempervirens Fund.
George Chaffin Smedberg
George Chaffin Smedberg, 88, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died May 25. He worked many years as a theatrical lighting consultant and as a volunteer in the community. He helped deliver groceries to home-bound seniors at Lytton Gardens and was active in recycling and environmental conservation programs. He could frequently be seen driving around town in an electric car converted by his son. He worked with the Urban Ministry of Palo Alto's Food Closet and helped serve meals to the homeless. "In his 88 years, he has set us all a strong example of generosity and zest for life," said his daughter, Virginia Smedberg of Palo Alto. He is survived by a son, Jeffrey Smedberg of Santa Cruz; his daughter; and two grandchildren. A memorial gathering will be held on June 30. Friends may contact Virginia Smedberg for more information. His children suggest contributions of time to an environmental or humanitarian group, as well as "just doing something special for someone."
Back up to the Table of Contents Page