Three U. officials mourned

Two emeritus members of the University's Board of Trustees and a former University treasurer died over winter break. The unrelated deaths of William Gordon, who served as the University's treasurer from 1955 to 1975, and trustees John Eckman and F. Otto Haas, were met with disappointment by many at the University. Gordon, 80, died Dec. 28 during open-heart surgery. As treasurer, he helped design the Associated Investment Fund, which pools most of the endowment funds received by the University. A Philadelphia native and 1936 graduate of the Wharton School of Business, Gordon began his tenure at the University as a statistician in the treasurer's office. After he completed his term as treasurer in 1975, he became president of the Franklin Investment Company, a University subsidiary that manages the Associated Investment Fund, and remained in that position until 1982. Current University treasurer Scott Lederman worked with Gordon for seven years and said Gordon was extremely interested in the University's history. "He was a true son of Pennsylvania for sure," Lederman said. In 1982, Gordon was given the Alumni Award of Merit by the University for his 46 years of service. Eckman, also a Wharton graduate, died of lymph cancer Dec. 17 at the age of 74. The former president and CEO of the Rorer Group, a pharmaceutical firm most famous for its antacid medication Maalox, had been a trustee since 1967. As a trustee, Eckman was the founding chairman of the Board of Overseers of the School of Arts and Sciences and the University Libraries Overseers. Vice Provost and Director of Libraries Paul Mosher said Eckman had a real love for the University and showed it by attending and participating in many University events. "John Eckman voted with his feet for Penn as well as being very generous financially," Mosher said. Mosher also recalled when he once was invited to Eckman's summer home in Nantucket. The first thing he noticed was that Eckman had "Penn's flag flying proudly in his driveway." F. Otto Haas, former chairman of the Morris Arboretum, died Jan. 3 of natural causes. He was 78. Dismayed with the decline of the arboretum in the late 1960's and early 1970's, Haas became the arboretum's chairman in 1972. Since then, the Morris Arboretum has been recognized as one of the world's foremost centers for research in plant propagation and horticulture education. Paul Meyer, the arboretum's current director, said Haas truly cared about the arboretum and its employees. Meyer said Haas even had a small apartment attached to his house where he allowed interns working at the arboretum to stay. "Otto Haas, more than any other one person, revived the Morris Arboretum and made it the world class institution that it is today," Meyer said. Haas was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University in 1983.