In Memoriam
Remembering recently deceased members of our cherished GSE community
Faculty
Howard R. Kight, associate professor emeritus
Howard R. Kight, associate professor emeritus in GSE’s Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, died May 1, 2025. He was 92.
A native of Charleston, West Virginia, Kight earned his bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan College before completing master’s and doctoral degrees in child psychology at Indiana University. He joined the UB faculty in the early 1960s, building a career that bridged psychological measurement, learning theory and the everyday realities of schooling.
His research explored achievement motivation, test anxiety and how students experience and interpret school environments. One of his early publications, co-authored in the Journal of Educational Measurement, examined the factor structure of test and general anxiety among university students, contributing to a growing body of scholarship on how assessment conditions shape student performance.
Kight was also engaged in the Northeastern Educational Research Association (NERA), where he served in multiple leadership roles over several decades, including program co-chair and member of the board of directors.
Later in his career, Kight co-authored a comprehensive study of in-school suspension programs across New York State. The work documented how districts implemented disciplinary policies while maintaining academic instruction and student supervision—an effort that reflected his long-standing interest in the intersection of learning, behavior and school systems.
He is remembered by those who knew him for his gentle nature and quick-witted sense of humor.
“Howard was always willing to assist doctoral students and serve on their committees, helping with the statistical part of their study,” said former GSE colleague and professor emeritus Al Pautler. “He was always very helpful to them, as well as to me, as their major advisor. I always appreciated that about Howard.
“He was also always up for a good game of ping-pong and was well known as a good ping-pong player,” Pautler remembered. “He was a good tennis player, too, and an all-around good person.”
Alumni
1930s
- Jane Keefe, BEd ’35 | 11/21/2025
1950s
- Carmelo Palano, BEd ’50 | 1/12/2026
- Siiri Puust, BEd ’59 | 12/18/2025
1960s
- Donald Szen, EdM ’64 | 12/11/2025
- James Neenan, EdM ’67 | 2/19/2026
- Martin Oper, EdM ’67 | 12/30/2025
- Dennis Pulisi, EdM ’68 | 11/10/2025
- Elizabeth Clark, EdM ’69 | 11/5/2025
1970s
- Dr. John Hanssel, EdD ’70 | 1/12/2026
- Daniel Selkirk, EdM ’71 | 2/20/2026
- Lottie Fortune, EdM ’72 | 1/16/2026
- Wayne Triano, EdM ’72 | 12/19/2025
- Thomas Centofanti, EdM ’73 | 11/17/2025
- Dr. Frank Calzi, EdD ’74 | 11/3/2025
- Carolyn Darch, EdM ’74 | 11/22/2025
- Lucy Folga, EdM ’75 | 2/9/2026
- Cheryl Williams, EdM ’75 | 11/3/2025
- Lawrence Naukam, MLS ’76 | 2/18/2026
- Judith Speller, MLS ’76 | 2/19/2026
- Bruce Radka, EdM ’77 | 11/3/2025
- Eugenie Rebres, MLS ’78 | 2/18/2026
1980s
- Dr. Peter Roswell, EdD ’80 | 1/27/2026
- Dr. Juanita Hunter, EdD ’83 | 11/22/2025
- Leon Shkolnik, MLS ’88 | 1/7/2026
- D. William Nordstrom, MLS ’89 | 11/19/2025
- Dr. Mary Sharrow, PhD ’89 | 1/7/2026
1990s
- Dr. Kay Johnson-Gentile, PhD ’90 | 12/1/2025
- Dr. Valerie Cooley, EdD ’93 | 2/19/2026
- Colleen O’Connor, EdM ’95 | 11/5/2025
- James Gerland, Sr., MLS ’98 | 1/6/2026
2000s
- Douglas Conway, MLS ’09 | 2/19/2026