In Memory

Suma Mahler (Bowles), ’49 nutritional sciences, passed away on March 24 at the age of 93. Rex A. Cochran, ’59 agronomy, graduated from OSU in 1959 and married his wife, Claudia Hardin, on Jan. 24 of that same year. He worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service as a soil scientist until 1994, then traveled with odd jobs until 2017 when his wife was committed to Cave Center with Alzheimer’s. His wife passed away on Jan. 25, 2022. Roy Peterson, ’60 secondary education, died on Jan. 28, 2022. He was a pitcher for the 1959 OSU baseball team and went on to play for the New York Yankees.

Gerald Lowrance

Hodge, ’65 master’s in industrial engineering and management, died on March 12, 2022. He was born in Waldo, Arkansas. He was married to the former Marilyn Aylor for 65 years. Hodge was a registered engineer in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. He served on advisory boards to engineering colleges at the University of Arkansas, OSU and Texas Tech. Hodge retired from the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1987 with the rank of captain. Hodge worked within multiple companies until his retirement in 1997. After retirement, he was affiliated with Universal Display and Fixtures in Lewisville, Texas, as a vice president. Hodge participated in volunteer activities, including teaching a talented and gifted class at Burnett Elementary School and was an adjunct professor to the College of Engineering at SMU. Additionally, he volunteered for the Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE), Meals on Wheels and Citizen’s Development Center. He considered his family and church to be the most important parts of his life and over the years was

TAN SRI DR. ALI BIN HAMSA

Tan Sri Dr. Ali bin Hamsa, ’86 master’s in economics, ’97 doctorate in environmental sciences and economics, died on April 21, 2022, in Dublin, Ireland. Hamsa was born in Kluang, Johor, Malaysia, on Aug. 29, 1955. Hamsa’s career started on Jan. 5, 1981, when he served as the assistant director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry at the Administrative and Diplomatic Service. Hamsa then attended Oklahoma State University and received his master’s degree in economics in 1986. Upon graduation, Hamsa returned to Malaysia to continue his career in public service. During this time, he served as senior project manager at the National Institute of Public Administration. This is where Hamsa co-authored his two books, “Dasar-Dasar Utama Kerajaan” and “Malaysia Kita.” In 1992, he moved to the Transport Ministry before deciding to continue his education at OSU. Hamsa received his doctorate degree in environmental sciences and economics in 1997. Following graduation, Hamsa returned to Malaysia to work within the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department. His final position held before chief secretary was directorgeneral of the Public-Private Partnership Unit. Hamsa was the 13th chief secretary to the Malaysian government from June 23, 2012, until Aug. 28, 2019. “The 13th chief secretary to the government was an icon in the country’s public service,” Mohd Zuki, Hamsa’s successor, said in a statement about Hamsa’s death. Hamsa was in the 2015 and 2018 visits from the OSU delegation, which included former OSU President Burns Hargis. Hamsa visited with President Hargis regarding OSU students traveling to Malaysia, since Malaysian students had one of the largest student populations at OSU in the past. As an OSU alumnus, Hamsa was dedicated to keeping a strong relationship with OSU. Following his role as chief secretary, Hamsa became the first Malaysian to receive an honorary science doctorate from B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology in Chennai, India. He was appointed as independent nonexecutive director of the G Capital Bhd before being re-designated as an executive director days later. Hamsa was a dedicated civil servant to the country of Malaysia as well as a dedicated alumnus who was passionate about the well-kept relationship between OSU and Malaysia.

actively involved with his church as a teacher and served on numerous committees.

Dr. Donald

Monroe Marshall, ’81 master’s in animal science, ’84 doctorate in animal breeding and genetics, died on Oct. 3, 2021. Marshall was born Jan. 18, 1957, in Jefferson City, Missouri. Following graduation from OSU, Marshall moved to South Dakota in 1984 to work at South Dakota State University. His career at SDSU included roles as an extension beef cattle specialist; teaching and research role with the Department of Animal Science; the associate dean and director of academic programs for the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences; interim dean for the college; the interim department head for the Department of Animal Science; and the new vice provost for undergraduate education. Marshall authored several research publications on a variety of topics and was elected to the executive board of the Agricultural Interactive Distance Education Alliance in 2011. Marshall earned numerous awards including the Larson Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching; the F.O. Butler Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching; the Gamma Sigma Delta Award for Excellence in Teaching; and the Students’ Association Teacher of the Year for the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences. Marshall married his wife, Nancy, in 1997. The couple then had three children: Becky, Charlie and Katie. Don’s patience, thoughtfulness, generosity and endless supply of “Dad jokes” made him a favorite of his children’s friends, while his legacy of service, his dedication to his students and colleagues, and his devotion to his family and friends will leave treasured memories for all who knew him.