1961 — FT
James F. Ott
James F. Ott, 85, died on October 10, 2021. He was a native of Chicago, and after graduating from Brown University, he earned his MBA from Kellogg and his CPA. An avid reader, classic movie buff and lifelong Cubs fan, Ott spent his entire career in the Chicago area and held a variety of senior financial executive positions, eventually retiring to Melbourne, Florida. He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Tina, as well as his four children and eight grandchildren.
1987 — FT
Robert J. Mallin, Jr.
Robert J Mallin, Jr., 60, of Tewksbury, New Jersey, passed peacefully on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. Before receiving his MBA from Kellogg, he was an honors graduate of Babson College. Mallin was founder and CEO of Village Office Supply, a multi-state distributor of key supplies for hundreds of businesses. He was also actively involved in the leadership of industry buying groups and software development. His friends, relatives and classmates will miss him dearly and cherish their memories together.
EMBA Cohort 7
Donald Paul Nowotny
Donald Paul Nowotny died on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. Nowotny earned his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Iowa State University and his MBA from Kellogg. He served in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and worked in landscape architecture before becoming the 46th Ward Superintendent for the city of Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation, a role he held for many years. He will be deeply missed by his beloved spouse, Carl Wayne McDowell, and by his many nieces, nephews and relatives.
Kellogg Community
Bala Balachandran
Bala Balachandran, professor emeritus of accounting information and management, passed away on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, at the age of 84. He retired in 2008 after 35 years on the Kellogg faculty. Balachandran leaves behind a profound legacy of advancing management education globally. He is survived by his wife, Vasantha; his sons Sudhakar ’90 and Diwakar, a current student in Kellogg’s EMBA Miami Program; and his grandchildren.
Learn more about Balachandran’s research here.
Ned Smith
Ned Smith, associate professor of management and organizations, passed away on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, at age 40, after a long battle with brain cancer. He is survived by his wife, Erin, and their four children, Finn, Beckett, Eliza and Cecily. Friends and colleagues remembered him as a “rare multitalented academic” and devoted husband and father who inspired countless friends, students and fellow researchers.
Read more about Smith’s life here.
Howard J. Trienens
Howard J. Trienens ’45, ’49 JD, ’95 H, life trustee, former chair of the Board of Trustees and one of the university’s most generous benefactors, died July 26, 2021. He was 97 years old. A double alumnus, Trienens earned his bachelor’s degree from Kellogg before earning his JD at what was then the Northwestern University School of Law. Trienens became a member of the board in 1967, serving as chair from 1986 to 1995. He became a life trustee in 2000.
Learn more about Trienens’ devotion to Northwestern here.