Obituaries

A Buffalo native, she earned a bachelor's degree in 1927 and master's in 1929 from UB and her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1935. She joined the faculty of the Department of Mathematics at UB in 1929 as an instructor, rose through the ranks and retired in 1973. After her retirement she kept in touch with many of her former students, some as long as 50 years.

She served the department as chairman (1962-1965) and from 1957 to 1969, was director of National Science Foundation Institutes in Mathematics for high school teachers and gifted high school students.

She also served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) from 1961-64; was vice chairman of the Seaway Section of the MAA in 1952-53 and chairman of the Seaway Section in 1953-54.

Her dedication to the department has been recognized by the creation of the Harriet F. Montague Award for junior mathematics majors.

Among her many published works was "The Significance of Mathematics," a textbook that she co-authored, used in many courses for non-science students.

Active in many professional organizations, she had served as president of the UB chapter of the American Association of University Professors. She received the Achievement Award of the Buffalo chapter, American Association of University Women, in 1966 and received a lifetime membership in the association. In 1972, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from UB.

She was a member of the board of the Buffalo Zoological Society from 1978 to 1982 and an active volunteer at the zoo for many years.

A longtime member of First Presbyterian Church, she was the first woman to serve as elder of the church and moderator of the Presbytery of Western New York. She was a member of the National Board of Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church USA from 1968 to 1979 and was a board member of the Auburn Theological Seminary.

Surviving is her dear friend, Mabel D. Montgomery.

Robert W. Haines, 69, UB medical school lecturer
Services were held March 11 for Robert W. Haines, a past president of the Erie County Medical Society who had served as a guest lecturer at the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Haines, 69, died March 9 in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital after a lengthy illness.

A graduate of the UB School of Medicine, he received the highest score on the medical board certification exam the year he took it. A general practitioner who retired in 1995, he made house calls even late in his career. On many occasions payments from patients took the form of home-baked goods, according to The Buffalo News.

Haines formed the Highgate Medical Group with Herbert E. Joyce in 1955.

A licensed antiques appraiser, he was active in antiques dealing with his wife, Edna.

Leola C. Sheehan, 78, purchasing agent
A Mass of Christian Burial was held March 12 in St. Mary's Catholic Church, Swormville, for Leola C. Sheehan, who served for 16 years as a purchasing agent at UB. Sheehan died March 9 in Kenmore Mercy Hospital after a six-month bout with cancer. She was 78.

She attended Albany State Teachers College and Chown Business School in Buffalo. During World War II she became a supervisor at Marine Trust Co., working there for 13 years before joining Buffalo State College for two years. She came to UB as a purchasing agent about 1970, remaining here until she retired 16 years later.