Obituaries

John Ariaudo, 94, (B.S., chemistry, ’38; M.D., ’43) died Feb. 10, 2007. He grew up in El Centro, Calif., graduating from Central Union High School. A member of the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II, Ariaudo was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star. After the war, he returned to USC to attend medical school. He practiced in San Bernardino and El Centro.

Mereida L. Wann, 86, (B.A., history, ’43) died Oct. 24, 2006. She moved to Portland, Ore., in 1945 where she was a ninth-grade English and social studies teacher for 26 years. Wann is survived by a daughter, two sons, three grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Ralph L. Kirsch, 87, (B.A., ’47) died Nov. 9, 2006. Kirsch’s studies were interrupted when he joined the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Initially a sailor on a sub-chaser, he was transferred to officer-training school, eventually earning the rank of lieutenant. He served as a communication officer aboard the USS Mount Olympus in the South Pacific and was among the first Americans to view Hiroshima after the 1945 atomic bombing. At the end of World War II, Kirsch refused a promotion to lieutenant commander and an assignment to explore the South Pole, instead returning to finish his degree at USC. He loved the outdoors and worked as a park ranger at Yosemite National Park. Later, he and his wife settled outside of Redlands, Calif. Kirsch is survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, sister and five grandchildren.

James W. Logan, 82, (B.A., political science, ’49) died Jan. 7, 2007. Logan taught history in a high school in Fresno after graduating. He served in the Marines during World War II and later became a planning commissioner and Fresno City Council member. Logan was co-founder of the Cedar Lanes Bowl and Restaurant and owned Nancy’s Restaurant until he became a business consultant. He often appeared for clients before the Fresno County Board of Supervisors on development issues. Additionally, Logan served as president of the local United Way board and the Fresno Unified School Educational Foundation. He loved the outdoors and had worked as a park ranger in Kings Canyon National Park.

George Bernau, 60, (B.S., business administration, ’66; M.A., law, ’73) died Dec. 12, 2006. After graduation, Bernau became a lawyer and turned his “what-if” musings into popular novels. The first, Promises to Keep, was published in 1988 and imagined a full life for President Kennedy. Purchased for $750,000 by Warner Books, it was a record advance for a first novel at that time. Bernau later published similar what-if books on Marilyn Monroe and Adolf Hitler’s propagandist and henchman, Joseph Goebbels. He also wrote occasional book reviews for the Los Angeles Times. He is survived by his daughter, Erin.

Walter Willoughby Carruthers, III, 62, (B.A., political science, ’66) died Feb. 7, 2007. After earning his bachelor’s, Carruthers earned a master’s in public administration and an M.B.A. from USC. He was a senior underwriter for Scottsdale Insurance Company for 17 years. A storyteller, he had a great passion for writing stories about his childhood in Hollywood in the 1950s. He was also an avid member of the Pima Air Museum and participated in annual Scottish festivals in Arizona and national Scottish Highland competitions. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Connie, and his daughter, Laura.

Patricia Jean “P.J.” Armstrong Smoot, 58, (B.A., English, ’71) died Nov. 22, 2006. She met her husband of 38 years, James R. Smoot, at USC and taught high school English after graduation. Smoot went on to work in the New York and Paris offices of Price Waterhouse and in the financial and human resources divisions of International Paper. After retiring, she founded and served as president of The Point of Contact, a management consulting firm. She is survived by her husband, parents, sister, three brothers, aunt and uncle, as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.

John S. Boskovich, 49, (B.A., philosophy, ’80) died Sept. 24, 2006. He wrote the 1990 movie “Without You I’m Nothing” with comedian and actor Sandra Bernhard, who also starred in the film. Boskovich taught art at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. His photography was exhibited at the Rosamund Felsen Gallery in Santa Monica.

—Compiled by Kirsten Holguin