With great sadness, we report that Anthony Battaglia, age 37, a long-time friend of the AE Department, died on Sep. 19, 2003, from injuries sustained in a brutal mugging as he walked from a railway station near his home in Lynbrook, NY.

Authorities offered a $30,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a gang of youths alleged to be responsible for the crime. On Feb. 9, 2004, police reported the arrest of four members of the Latin Kings street gang and a woman accomplice. Two of the suspects were charged with first-degree murder and three others face second-degree murder and other charges. Investigators believe the violent gang is also responsible for three earlier crimes in other Nassau County towns.

Battaglia is survived by his wife, Caryn, daughter, Stephanie, and step-son, Richie.

Anthony Battaglia was a founding partner of Engineering Solutions in New York, NY. He was formerly director of engineering at Haines, Lundberg, Waehler also of New York City.

Over the past several years, Battaglia had actively participated in the AE Department, attending both the AE Career Fair and serving as member of the AE Senior Thesis Jury. The latter was an activity that he particularly enjoyed. He will be sadly missed by his many friends in the AE Department.

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Herbert Beckhard of Glen Cove, age 77, died on Sep. 11, 2003, after suffering a stroke.  In 1944, he enrolled at Penn State but left to serve in the US Navy aboard the USS Cape Esperance during World War II. He returned to Penn State after the war where he played on the 1944 and 1947-49 tennis teams. He graduated with honors from Architectural Engineering in 1949, and enrolled in Princeton University Graduate School of Architecture leaving after a year to begin his professional career.

In 1951, Beckhard began working with world-renowned Manhattan architect Marcel Breuer. He was named a partner in the firm in 1964. When Breuer retired in 1976, Beckhardstayed on a few years before starting his own office with partner Frank Richlan.  

He is survived by his wife, Ellie; daughters, Susan of Manhattan, Karen Beckhard Ravener and Jane of Glen Cove, son Tom of Irvine, CA, and four grandchildren.

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We are saddened to report that Robert M. Hettema, 86, retired associate professor of Architectural Engineering died on Feb. 6, 2004, at Mount Nittany Medical Center.

He received his civil engineering degree from Purdue University in 1939, and spent the next 32 years of his career at Turner Construction Company where he became a senior executive and vice president. He was working for Turner in Oahu, HW, when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. He joined the Navy in 1944 and served in the South Pacific during World War II as a Seabee.

He joined the AE Department as associate professor in August 1973, to provide leadership to our then fledgling construction management option. He retired in January 1984, but came back to AE during the spring of 1989 to assist the Department following the untimely death of Professor Charles Merica.