
In Memoriam

Columbia Engineering mourns the loss of Richard Longman, professor of mechanical engineering and professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics. Longman, who taught at Columbia for more than 40 years, was best known for his innovation in the control of dynamic systems, resulting in important contributions to three burgeoning fields: time optimal control of robots for increased productivity, satellite mounted robot kinematics and dynamics, and iterative learning control to make robots doing repetitive tasks improve their performance to ultimately achieve zero tracking error. In his many collaborations, Longman brought an incredible mathematical talent, an instinctive understanding of dynamics, and an intellectual curiosity and attention to details that were unmatched and helped raise the bar of all the collaborators.
Tullio “Ted” Borri BS’51, ’82BUS, ’84BUS died peacefully on April 5, 2024, two days after his 95th birthday. His connection with Columbia Engineering was very important to him. He was an active member of the Columbia Engineering Alumni Association, serving as president and a board member, and was the secretary of the Class of ‘51. He was also a member of every milestone reunion committee, serving his class with pride. Ted and his wife, Cecil Ane Borri, endowed a scholarship, and meeting and mentoring the scholarship’s students was an ongoing source of pleasure and pride.

Mark Carlos MS’77 passed away on July 16, 2024, at age 72.
Lynn Conway BS’62, MS’63 passed away on June 9, 2024, at age 86. Read our tribute.
Columbia Engineering mourns the loss of Dr. Edward A. DeCarbo Jr., former Engineering dean of students (1985 – 1990), who passed away on Feb. 18, 2024, in New York City.
William “Bill” Doll MS’55 passed away on July 10, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. He obtained his MS in electrical engineering at Columbia University in 1955. He was most proud of creating CHIRP, a radar technology that uses frequency modulation and pulse compression. Following a 20-year career at Bell Labs, he took a position at Lockheed Electronics and continued to work in the defense industry designing radars for warships and planes for the U.S. and other countries. Bill was always curious and a lifelong learner who will be greatly missed by his friends and family.

Kristopher “Kris” Holder MS’24, age 30, passed away on July 5, 2024, in a tragic motorcycle accident. Kris was a man of faith and an adventurer, who deeply loved his friends and family, and work as a traffic engineer.
Dr. Michael N. Infantino BS’76, MS’77, 70, of Holmdel, New Jersey, passed away peacefully at his home, on July 30, 2024. Michael was born on April 6, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York, where he grew up in the Dyker Heights section and met his beloved wife, Veronica “Ronni” (Albergo) Infantino. He earned both his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering and his master’s degree in chemical engineering from Columbia.

Ira M. Millstein SEAS’47, LAW’49 died on March 13, 2024 at age 97. Ira was the oldest and lonest serving partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, a prominent civic leader in New York City, and an ardent supporter of Columbia University. Although his passion was in law, Ira remained an avid member of the Engineering community. In 2007, he became the first recipient of the Samuel Johnson Medal. He was later a longstanding committee member on the Samuel Johnson Medal committee, serving from 2009 to 2019.
Raymond Moran BS’96, MS’04 passed away in January 2024 following a serious illness. Raymond earned a BS in mechanical engineering and an MS in civil engineering and engineering mechanics. He was also a student in the Doctor of Engineering Science program, working under the supervision of Dr. Ibrahim Odeh.