| 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s |
| 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | Obituaries |
1940s
Russell L. Bufkins, BA’47, MA’51, retired from the U.S. Navy in 1966 while serving as an officer-in-charge in New York City. He then served as national PR director for the Boy Scouts of America, a position from which he retired in 1982. He also worked for the Denton (Texas) Tennis Association for 22 years and was a PR volunteer for the University of North Texas Opera for 20 years. Bufkins lives in Denton. (2009)
“When I enrolled at IU in early 1946 following three-and-a-half years in the U.S. Navy, I didn’t have a clue concerning a major,” writes Carl B. Foster, BA’49, MA’50. He continues, “A professor signed me up for journalism because I told him that I had enjoyed my experiences on my high school newspaper. On the first day of classes I reported to the Student — then housed in a Quonset hut. I had yet to have my first journalism class. A very stern looking woman took one look at me, crooked her finger, and motioned me to report to her. I found out later that she was Marge Smith Blewett, BA’48, the editor. ‘We aren’t getting enough news about the upcoming mayor’s race, Foster. Go down to city hall, interview the mayor, and don’t come back without a story!’ My trepidation about my very first reporting assignment was about equal to my fear of the editor. So, I took off, interviewed the mayor, wrote the story, and got the right-hand lead on the next issue, including a byline. That’s all it took. I spent the next four years working in every aspect of the IDS.
When I finally became editor, I met, romanced and married the campus editor, Jean Buroker, BA’49. We graduated from IU together and celebrated our 62nd wedding anniversary last January.” Foster is a former director of public relations at the University
of Central Missouri. He retired in 1986 and lives in Warrensburg, Mo. (Spring 2012)
Patricia C. Perkins, BA’48, spent much of her professional career as a public relations director for hospitals in Indiana and Connecticut, where she was cited by the state’s general assembly for her volunteer work and service on the U.S. Bicentennial Commission. She returned to Indiana after retiring and now lives in Noblesville. Two of her sons and two granddaughters are IU graduates and a third granddaughter is currently a student at IU. (Fall 2010)
