Jeannine Ness (nee Aimont), who worked in acquisitions in the Graduate Library from 1980-92, died March 15.

She was born in Auberviellers, France, in 1929, a year of excellent vintages. Her architect father joined the French Army as an officer in communications (transmission) to support his family during the Depression.

Living in Auxerre in 1939-40 for her fifth year of school, she received two momentous announcements in two close-set days of June: She scored first in the department on the Lycee school’s entrance exams, and her father’s chauffer arrived with the Army sedan to evacuate Jeannine, her mother, aunt and a girl cousin. The Germans were coming.

The families headed south, along roads choked with people. They were strafed by enemy aircraft, but knew they had nothing to fear, Jeannine said, since the planes were Italian. She spent the German occupation in the south and center of France, and after the war a few years on French occupation in the south of Germany.

She went through the Lycee system in classics, always a star student, then to the University of Strasburg for a degree in law. Following that she went to England to add English to the string of her languages (Greek, Latin and German) that would grow substantially over the years to include Danish, Sanskrit, Malay and Spanish.

She then returned to her parents’ home in Nancy. There she worked for the American Army and met her future husband, Gayl. (He points out that that was during the Korean war; the Army wanted to win that war so they sent him to France.) They were married in 1955 in Zurich and embarked on an academic career, starting with a Fulbright Fellowship in Copenhagen, 1955-56. They had four children: Marc, born in Copenhagen; Eric, born in Berkeley; Yan, born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Shanta, born in Ann Arbor.

The couple came to Ann Arbor and the U-M Sociology Department in 1964; they have been here since, with much travel abroad. In Ann Arbor Mrs. Ness was known as a culinary artist and gracious hostess to faculty, students and scores of visitors.

Mrs. Ness is survived by her husband and children, four grandchildren (Eliot and Mallory Ness, and Sophia and Blake Layton), and an aunt, uncle and cousins in France. Intelligent, witty, creative and intellectual, she will be sorely missed. A memorial service was held March 18. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to Arbor Hospice, 2366 Oak Valley Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48103.

Dr. Richard Reed

Dr. Richard Reed, who earned three degrees from U-M and later taught at the School of Dentistry, died March 16. He was 80.

Reed earned a bachelor of science degree in zoology in 1945, a doctor of dental surgery in 1949 and a master’s degree in prosthetics in 1951.

After taking over the practice of a dentist in Kalamazoo who was serving in the Armed Forces, Reed himself entered the Air Force in 1953, serving as captain and chief prosthetic officer at Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kan. After his tour of duty ended in 1955, he went into general practice with two other dentists in Saginaw and was active in many professional organizations and community groups.

At the urging of several friends, he began teaching at the School of Dentistry as an assistant professor in 1971. Four years later, he was promoted to associate professor.

In 1979, he received the Paul Gibbons Award from graduating dental students for his outstanding teaching during their four years of dental education. The following year, he received an award from third-year dental students for teaching excellence.

He retired from active faculty status in 1986 and was named a professor emeritus of dentistry that same year.
—Submitted by Jerry Mastey, School of Dentistry

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