Skip to content ↓

Obituaries

Henry W. Fitzpatrick

Henry W. Fitzpatrick, retired assistant director of Lincoln Laboratory, died June 9 at Cape Cod Hospital, following a brief illness. He was 92 years old.

Fitzpatrick became assistant director of Lincoln Laboratory in 1956, with the responsibility for administration of the laboratory. He served in that position for 38 years, retiring in 1984.

Fitzpatrick's understanding of government contracting was of extraordinary value to Lincoln Laboratory, according to Walter E. Morrow, director emeritus.

Born in Superior, Wisc., he attended Superior State College and graduated from Georgetown School of Foreign Service in 1944 with a B.S. in business administration. He served as a lieutenant junior grade and a civilian accountant in the U.S. Navy, Office of Naval Research.

Prior to joining MIT's Division of Defense Laboratories in 1953, he headed the Department of Defense's Research and Development Board.

He was a longtime member of the Army/Navy Club in Washington, D.C., and the St. Botolph Club in Boston.

He is survived by his wife, Doris (Coughlin) Fitzpatrick; a son, Henry Fitzpatrick Jr. of Rehoboth Beach, Del.; one grandson and one great-grandson.

Dorothy R. Brewster

Dorothy R. (Kuchta) Brewster, a retired MIT radiochemist, died July 1 at Edwards Hospital in Naperville, Ill. She was 83.

Brewster worked at MIT for 25 years and also worked at Argonne National Laboratory for 11 years. She was a graduate of Emmanuel College and earned a master's degree from Tufts University in 1944.

She is survived by two sons, Joseph H. Kuchta and Michael Kuchta; four daughters, Helen Kuchta, Karen Reinhardt, Paula Jiminez and Susan Kuchta; two grandchildren; and her former husband, Joseph F. Kuchta.

Donations may be made to the FISH Food Pantry, 4340 Prince St., Downers Grove, IL 60515.

Frances Sumner

Frances Burnet Barnes Sumner, retired MIT humanities librarian, died Sept. 27 of pancreatic cancer. She was 94.

A memorial service will be held for Sumner at 11 a.m. on Nov. 10 at Christ Church of Cambridge, Zero Garden St.

Sumner, of Acton and Vineyard Haven, formerly of Cambridge, was the associate humanities librarian from 1965 to 1971 and the humanities librarian from 1971 to 1977.

The wife of the late Cyril Sumner Jr., she is survived by two sons, Burnet B. Sumner of Vineyard Haven and San Francisco, and Cyril J. Sumner of Oakland, Calif.; a daughter, Sarah A. Sumner of Acton; a sister, Muriel B. Jerome of Danvers; and two grandchildren.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on October 25, 2006 (download PDF).

Related Topics

More MIT News