The New York Times - USA (2020-12-02)

THE NEW YORK TIMES OBITUARIESWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020 N A21

Betty Jones, a dancer known for
memorable performances as an
original member of José Limón’s
famed company and later a re-
spected dance teacher, died on
Nov. 17 at her home in Honolulu.
She was 94.
Her husband, Fritz Ludin, an-
nounced her death.
Ms. Jones was 23 and relatively
new to modern dance in August
1949 when she originated the role
of the Desdemona character,
known as the Moor’s Wife, in Mr.
Limón’s take on “Othello,” which
he called “The Moor’s Pavane.”
The work, using only four danc-
ers, caused a sensation when it
premiered at the American Dance
Festival in New London, Conn.
John Martin, writing in The New
York Times, called it “a com-
pletely stunning work.”
Ms. Jones, he wrote, “is an in-
credibly lovely Desdemona,”
dancing opposite Mr. Limón as the
Moor, the Othello character. The
piece, Mr. Limón’s best-known
work, became a staple for the
young company, and Ms. Jones
performed it all over the world.
As a teacher at the Juilliard
School and, for 40 years, at the
American Dance Festival (which
relocated to North Carolina in

1978), Ms. Jones imparted the techniques developed by Mr. Limón — who thought of the body as an orchestra and emphasized movement of its individual parts to create a harmonious whole — and enhanced them with her own. “You just don’t imitate movement,” she told The Herald-Sun of Durham, N.C., in 2000, speaking of any dancer who might seek to recreate her “Pavane” perform-

ance. “It needs to come from in- side. The human element. You un- derstand what the body is saying when you’re doing it.” Betty May Jones was born on June 11, 1926, in Meadville, Pa. Her father, Dr. Hiram A. Jones, was director of health and physical education for the New York Depart- ment of Education. Her mother, Elizabeth (Smith) Jones, man- aged food service at the Jacob’s Pillow dance center in the Berk- shires of Massachusetts in the

1940s and was later booking man- ager for Dances We Dance, a company that Ms. Jones and Mr. Ludin founded in 1964. Ms. Jones grew up in Delmar, N.Y., near Albany, and after graduating from high school studied dance in Albany and then, begin- ning in 1941, at Jacob’s Pillow, where she appeared in several ballets. Near the end of World War II she danced with a United Serv- ice Organizations production of “Oklahoma!,” performing for troops in New Guinea, the Phil- ippines and elsewhere. In 1946, when Mr. Limón first approached her about joining the dance troupe he was forming, she had been thinking of a career more in keeping with her “Okla- homa!” experience. “I had planned to get a night job in a show and go to Columbia Uni- versity,” she told Américas maga- zine, a publication of the Organiza- tion of American States, in 1997. “Anyway, I said that I wasn’t inter- ested, and in the fall I got into ‘Bloomer Girl,’ with choreography by Agnes de Mille.” That musical had made Broadway in 1944 and was touring, but Ms. Jones soon found that the road-musical life “wasn’t interesting to me at all.” “So I went back and studied

with José,” she said. Mr. Limón’s fledgling company began drawing notice in 1947. Then, two years later, he created “The Moor’s Pavane.” Mr. Limón, who died in 1972, was often said to have created the role of the Moor’s Wife for Ms. Jones. She wasn’t so sure. “He had had several kind of false starts with different people,” she told Américas, “and I think perhaps he got the idea that I in- spired the Desdemona role after

he saw me do it. Eventually, José said, ‘I did Desdemona for you’ and that it was my dance. But that was news to me, and it certainly wasn’t my dance when he started.” In any case, the work became an enduring part of American dance history, performed not only by Mr. Limón’s company but also by many others. Ms. Jones also originated roles in other impor- tant Limón works, including “There Is a Time” (1956) and

“Missa Brevis” (1958). She danced with Mr. Limón’s company into the late 1960s. In 1964, for a performance at the American Dance Festival, Mr. Limón paid her an unusual com- pliment, or so a review by Allen Hughes in The Times made it seem. “Because Mr. Limón was suffer- ing from a knee ailment, his solos were danced by Betty Jones,” Mr. Hughes wrote. “She did them very well, but it was rather strange to see a woman do movements Mr. Limón has previously reserved for himself.” After forming Dances We Dance, Ms. Jones and Mr. Ludin, a fellow Limón dancer, toured ex- tensively under the dance touring program of the National Endow- ment for the Arts. The couple, who married in 1979, settled in Hawaii and created the Jones-Ludin Dance Center, a presenting orga- nization. Mr. Ludin is Ms. Jones’s only immediate survivor. Of the many times Ms. Jones performed “Pavane,” she told Américas, one in particular stuck in her mind. It was in Paris in 1960. “Coincidentally, the Comédie- Française was doing ‘Othello,’ ” she recalled, “and when the actors came to see us, they said, ‘You were able to say in 20 minutes what we say in three hours and a half.’ ”

Betty Jones, 94, an Original Limón Dancer

By NEIL GENZLINGER

Betty Jones in an undated photograph as the Desdemona character in “The Moor’s Pavane,” José Limón’s take on “Othello.”

PATRICIA JEAN MOORE

Causing a sensation

and performing all

over the world.

When Georgina Mace was
thinking about taking on a new
challenge — to improve a system
for determining which species
around the world were at risk of
going extinct — “my boss at the
time advised me not to touch it,”
she said in 2016, because the task
“could end up being a lot of work
for no purpose at all.”
Luckily for the planet, she dis-
agreed.
Dr. Mace, one of the world’s
most prominent conservation bi-
ologists, went on to provide a firm
scientific foundation for a list of
endangered species that had for
many years been compiled by the
International Union for Conserva-
tion of Nature. Called the Red List,
it helps governments and envi-
ronmental groups decide how to
focus their efforts.
The Red List was initially “a
haphazard affair” when it was cre-
ated in 1964, said Simon Stuart, di-
rector of strategic conservation
for Synchronicity Earth, an envi-
ronmental charity, and a former
official of the International Union
for Conservation of Nature. There
were no solid criteria for deter-
mining which animals should or
should not be listed. Rather, “poli-
tics and personalities played a big
role in decisions,” he said in a
phone interview, and the list
tended toward so-called char-
ismatic species, like the great
apes.
In the early 1990s, Dr. Mace,
then working for the Zoological
Society of London, began the long
process of developing the criteria
for a more scientifically disci-
plined list. The challenge: to de-
velop a practical method rigorous
enough to be convincing but sim-
ple enough to be rapidly applica-
ble to thousands of species.
“Her genius was to find that bal-
ance,” said H. Resit Akcakaya, a
professor in the department of
ecology and evolution at Stony
Brook University on Long Island.
Dr. Mace died on Sept. 19 in hos-
pice care in Oxford, England. She
was 67. Her death, which was not
widely reported in the main-
stream press, was caused by
breast cancer, her brother Dr. Pe-
ter Mace said.
Humans are causing species of
animals and plants to decline at an

accelerating rate, with as many as one million now at risk of extinction — a prospect that threatens to disrupt ecosystems that people around the world depend on for survival. The causes are numerous and complex; they include de- forestation and other forms of habitat disruption, hunting and overfishing, transport of invasive species, and climate change. In giving the Red List its more scientific underpinnings, Dr. Mace used a methodology based on the science of population dy- namics and on evidence of species decline. Extinction risk, it turned out, could be measured from a small number of ecological char- acteristics, including a species’ evolutionary history and its rate of population growth or loss. Her system has proved not only remarkably effective and durable but also flexible enough to incor- porate climate change as an ex-

tinction threat. The list has grown to include more than 120,000 species of animals, plants and fungi; some 32,000 are currently listed as endangered. Dr. Mace’s methods were con- sidered radical at first. Dr. Stuart recalled that in the mid-1990s, rep- resentatives of government agen- cies regulating fisheries argued that it was wrong to list commer- cially viable fish like bluefin tuna and North Atlantic cod as endangered when they were seemingly still plentiful. In his view they were at risk because they were being overfished. “I was feeling intimidated,” Dr. Stuart said. “But Georgina re- mained calm and answered all points with accuracy and self as- surance, and disarmed her oppo- nents.” The listing stayed. In a 2016 interview with the BBC, Dr. Mace said, “People still criticize the criteria, but every-

body accepts that there’s a univer- sal system.” Nathalie Pettorelli, a senior sci- entist with the Zoological Society of London, said of Dr. Mace, “She was never the one that shouted, but she was always the one that would be listened to.” Beneath that quiet demeanor was a crackling wit. Dr. Stuart recalled a scientific meeting when he asked Dr. Mace politely — perhaps too politely — to take on more duties. “Simon, you slimy toad,” she re- sponded, smiling. He recalled the moment as “one of my greatest honors,” adding, “And, of course, she went on and did it.” Georgina Mary Mace was born in the Lewisham borough of South London on July 12, 1953, to Dr. Bill Mace, a rheumatologist, and Jo- sephine (Bruce) Mace, a nurse and medical illustrator.

She received her undergradu- ate degree in zoology from the University of Liverpool in 1975 and her Ph.D. in biology from the University of Sussex in 1979. After completing postdoctoral work at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, she returned to Brit- ain went to work for the Zoological Society of London, eventually ris- ing to director of science. She held a position at Imperial College Lon- don from 2006 to 2012, when she joined University College London. A fellow of the Royal Society, she was made a dame of the British Empire in 2016. Dr. Mace married Rod Evans, who survives her, in 1985. In addi- tion to him and her brother, she is survived by three children, Ben, Emma and Kate; one grandchild; and another brother, Edward. Dr. Mace championed restora- tion of biological diversity and

was a major contributor to a project called the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which laid out the value of a healthy natural planet for the world’s people and its economies. In a tribute on the website of the British Ecological Society, Profes- sors Jon Bridle and Kate Jones of the Center for Biodiversity & En- vironment Research at University College London wrote that Dr. Mace’s work had “helped to reveal the ecological emergency that we face, and that we have less than a decade to prevent.” “Perhaps her most remarkable achievement,” they added, “was the way she could calmly convince an audience of this fact, while ex- pressing an unwavering optimism that we still have time to forge a more creative interaction with the rest of nature, one that benefits more than a wealthy minority, and one that can last more than just a few more decades.” Dr. Mace continued to work even after she learned she had cancer. “She never mentioned her illness to others unless she abso- lutely had to,” her brother Peter, a physician, said. “She didn’t want to be categorized by it. She wanted to get on with her life, to get on with her job, which she en- joyed hugely.” To her, he said, the disease “was an irrelevance, a nuisance.” Shortly before her death, the journal Nature published an arti- cle co-written by Dr. Mace sug- gesting that “bending the curve” of species loss could still be ad- dressed, and nature’s balance re- stored, through an ambitious international effort. Dr. Mace acknowledged in a 2009 interview with The Guardian that “it is hard to be optimistic — we are not yet even embarking on doing the right things for the planet.” Still, she added, “All the evidence to date is that when socie- ties put their mind to solving a problem, they can generally do it.”

Georgina Mace, Who Shaped List of Endangered Species, Is Dead at 67

By JOHN SCHWARTZ

The conservation biologist Georgina Mace in 2016. Temminck’s red colobus monkeys, top right, and African penguins are at risk.

JUSSI PUIKKONEN/KNAW

MIC MAYHEW/IUCN, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

NIC BOTHMA/EPA, VIA SHUTTERSTOCK

Cautioning that the

planet must restore

an ecological balance.

Furst, Violet Garville, Melissa Grinspoon, Kenneth Judson, Consuelo Leland, Sara

Lubcher, Frederick Messina, Carla Meyers, Joyce O’Mara, John Russo, Irving

Stilman, Naemi Wolfensohn, James Zeltner, David

FURST—Violet. UJA-Federation of New York mourns the passing of Violet Furst. Her legacy will live on in her family's com- mitment to serving people in need. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her children Pamela Eysler, Robert, Ronald, and Bruce Furst, and the entire family. Amy A. B. Bressman, President; David L. Moore, Chair of the Board; Eric S. Goldstein, CEO GARVILLE—Melissa. With great sadness, the col- leagues of Melissa Garville at BlackRockmournherun- timely passing. Melissa was a trusted advisor, mentor, and friend. She was known for her passion, her intelligence, her wit, and her deep and abiding concern for the well-being of others. She had an incalculab- le impact on our lives and so many othersthroughher committed charity work. We offer our deepest condolences to her beloved husband David, her daughters Olivia and Samantha, her parents ChrisandGreg,andher brothers Greg, Matt, and An- dy. A funeral Mass will be held at 10am today and vie- wable at olshtappan.com. Do- nations in her memory may be made to Brooklyn Jesuit Prep. GRINSPOON—Kenneth. Boris, 88, died peacefully after a brief illness in his home with his wife by his side. Born on March 28, 1932 in Newton, Massachusetts,Kenmain- tained homes in New York City and Lenox, Massa- chusetts. After a long career in education, Ken's proudest achievement was fulfilling his lifelong dream to pilot a Piper aircraft at the age of 80. Ken is survived by his wife, Selina Morris, daughters Elizabeth and Jennifer, daughters by marriage Pamela and Jessi- ca, his beloved brother Ha- rold and six grandchildren. Ken'slaughterandwarm

spirit will be sorely missed at Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow andotherperforming arts venues. Due to the ongoing pandemic, a memorial service will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Lenox Library Associa- tion in Lenox, MA.

JUDSON—Consuelo “Mimi” Russell, of New York City, died Sun- day, November 8, 2020. Mimi was one of four daughters of Lt. Edwin F. Russell (former US Naval Ambassador and NewspaperPublisher)and Lady Sarah Consuelo Van- derbilt Spencer - Churchill (daughter of the 10th Duke of Marlborough). Born August 27, 1946 in New York City, Mimi spent her childhood in the city, Locust Valley and Southampton, NY. As a young independent woman, Mimi became a fashion mod- elfortheFordModeling Agency, she then went on to establishherown clothing boutique on Madison Avenue showcasing up-and-coming designers, and ultimately founded her interior design firm, Mimi Russell Inc., De- signing properties throughout New York and Southampton, her most notable works were the redesigns of The Ameri- can Stanhope Hotel and The Mark Hotel. She will be remembered as a confident, beautiful, vivacious, and cha- rismatic woman. A true for- ce-of-personality who loved her family and friends. She is survived by her three sons, Alexander Judson, Nicholas Judson and Ian Judson; five grandchildren, Sophia,Pa- trick, William Oliver, Saman- tha and Charlotte; two sisters; SerenaBalfourofLondon and Jacqueline Williams of New York City; six nephews and three nieces. She was predeceasedbyhersister AlexandraBirch andher parents.

LELAND—Sara. Sally hadan exceptional career as a dancer working with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins at the New York City Ballet. Her second career was staging and re- hearsing numerous works by both choreographers. Com- panies and dancers asked for her to stage and coach ballets and were rewarded by her in- sights to many works. Sally will always be remembered by those who had the privi- lege to work with her. The George Balanchine Trust

LUBCHER—Frederick. Woodmere, New York. Attor- ney, retired partner and chair of trust and estates department of Fried, Frank, Harris Shriver&Jacobson,LLP passed away Sunday evening November 29. Born on Janua- ry 28, 1931 in Lesko, Poland, at the age of 9, Fred immigrated to New York from Austria with his mother and two older brothers Bernard and Her- man, refugees from the rise of Nazism. Fred worked hard to earn money for his family while learning English and ultimately graduating from New York University in 1952 andNewYorkUniversity School of Law in 1955. He began his career while in high school in 1946, working in the mail room of the law firm (StrasserSpeigelberg)that wouldbecomeknown as Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver, andJacobson,LLP.Upon earning his law degree Fred was hired by the firm as an attorney and rose through the ranks to become the ad- mired and respected chair of the trust and estates department. Although Fred was a very private person, in 2018, in the interest of preserving the history of Jewish Survi- vors, he agreed to be interviewedbytheUnited StatesHolocaust Memorial Museum. He discussed a history so private to him that his children only became aware

of the story upon watching the video interview. In honor of their father his children ask that you watch the interview which can be seen at the following url https://collections.ushmm. org/search/catalog/irn611751 His family knows him as a strong but gentle man. He was a husband, father and grandfather who would carry the weight of the universe if he felt they needed him to. He never wavered in his de- votion to his family and others he cared for. He is remembered by his friends and colleaguesasoneofthe finest men they have known. He is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Shirley (nee Greenberger) Lubcher, and his loving children Jeremy and Howard, their spouses Amy and Mari, and his grandchildren Steven (Sophie), Evan, Allie, Remi and Sam Lubcher. We will miss him dearly. Due to Covid restric- tions, funeral services will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, the family would appre- ciate any donations made to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (https://www.ushmm.org/ support)

MESSINA—Carla. September 29, 1950 - October 31, 2020. Beloved sister, aunt, cherished friend to all who knew her. Scenic artist and SAG member. A memorial and celebration of her glori- ous life will be announced at a post Covid date.

MEYERS—Joyce (Joy). CongregationRodephSho- lom mourns the death of our longtime member, Joy Meyers. We extend our heartfelt condolences to children, Sheri, Jill, Chip and all their dear ones. Robert N. Levine, D.D., Senior Rabbi Peter Ehrenberg, President

O'MARA—John Mowbray.

On Thanksgiving Day, No- vember 26th, 2020, John “Jack,” Mowbray O'Mara, 93, ofGreenwich,CT,passed awaypeacefullyathome, surrounded by his loving family. Jack, affectionately known as “Omar,” was born in Cincinnati, OH, on August 8,

He attended Cincinnati
CountryDay School.For
three months every winter,
he attended Coburn School in
Miami, FL. A proud alumnus
of The Hill School and Prince-
ton University '49, he also
served as assistant to Gener-
al Millbank in Allied-occupied
Germany 1946-1947. He then
received a law degree from
the University of Virginia in

On June 15, 1962 he mar-
ried Margot Murray, the love
of his life. He was a partner at
Waite, Schindel, Bayless &
Schneider in Cincinnati be-
fore moving to Manhattan,
where he became a partner
at W.E. Hutton & Co. He sub-
sequently worked for White
Weld& Co.which then
merged with Merrill Lynch.
He was Chairman and CEO of
Global Natural Resources. In
his final years he worked with
Citibank Venture Capital. He
servedon theboard of
Fannie Mae from 1970-1991,
chairing the asset and liabili-
ties policy committee, as well
asmanydecadesonthe
boards of the Midland Co.,
Baldwin and Lyons, Global
Natural Resources, and On-

trac. Beloved by his many friends and gregarious by nature, Jack belonged during hislifetimetoShinnecock Golf Club, The Meadow Club, The Bathing Corp. of South- ampton,The Racquet and Tennis Club, The Brook, The Down Town Association, The Camargo Club, The Harbor Club, Seal Harbor Yacht Club and Round Hill Club. Jack was an adventurous traveler into his 90s. He and Margot travelledtogetherwithall their children and grandchildren to a different country every year. He was an avid reader of history. He grew up sailing and skied until he was 82.Jackwasprecededin death by his mother, Juanita MacWilliams, and his father, John Thomas O'Mara. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Margot, his three daughters, Margot Bush, Mei- ca de Beistegui, her husband MigueldeBeistegui, Dede O'Mara and her partner Tom Bennett, and his three grandchildren, Sophie de Beistegui, DaphnedeBeistegui,and Emily Bush. He will be sorely missed. Because of the ongoing pandemic, there will only be a small family service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Boys and Girls Clubof Greenwich, CT: https://bgcg.org/donate/. RUSSO—Irving. The nicest man we have ever known. May your memory be a blessing. The Osofsky Family STILMAN—Naemi. The members of the New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute mourn the prema- turelossofourbeloved member, Dr. Naemi Stilman. Her enthusiasm for and dedi- cation to clinical work and community engagement will be greatly missed. We extend our deepest condolences to her family. Adam D. Libow, MD President

WOLFENSOHN—James. American Friendsofthe Hebrew University (AFHU) and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) are deep- ly saddened by the passing of noted global financial leader, philanthropist, and friend, James Wolfensohn. Chosen by the HU Board of Gover- nors in 2011 to receive its highest honor, the degree of Doctor Philosophiae Honoris Causa, Mr. Wolfensohn was recognized the same year by the Hebrew University's Har- ry S. Truman Research Insti- tute for the Advancement of Peace with the Truman Peace Prize for his commit- ment to peace in the Middle East and his efforts to pro- mote economic growth in developing countries during his tenure as President of the World Bank. We remember his beloved wife, Elaine (z”l), and extend our deepest sym- pathies to their children, Sara, Naomi, and Adam. May they be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Daniel I. Schlessinger, Chair of the Board of Governors Professor Asher Cohen, President Professor Menahem Ben- Sasson, Chancellor American Friends of the Hebrew University

Marc Mayer, Chair of the Board of Directors Clive Kabatznik, President Beth A. McCoy, Chief Executive Officer

ZELTNER—David. CongregationRodephSho- lom mourns the death of our member, David Zeltner, beloved husband of Hilary, and father of Zoe and Edward. We extend our deepest condolences to Hilary, Zoe, Ed- ward and all their loved ones. Robert N. Levine, D.D., Senior Rabbi Peter Ehrenberg, President

KERZ—Corinne Clejan. 17 March 1960 to 1 December 2015: It's been five years since your departure yet you con- tinue to be missed with una- bated and poignant sorrow. The memories of your beau- ty, love and wisdom are undi- minished by the passage of time. You are sorely missed byyouradoringhusband, grieving family, and count- less friends. The passage of time does not diminish the enormity of our loss!

Deaths Deaths Deaths Deaths Deaths Deaths Deaths

In Memoriam

The New York Times - USA (2020-12-02)

Get our desktop app

Company

Features

Documentation

Resources