In Memoriam

Wally Scott ’53
Wally was a Senior Austin Fellow and a dear friend and adviser to the Austin Scholars for nearly 30 years. He helped mentor and inspire generations of Kellogg leaders and was quick to offer his extensive network to support a student’s aspirations. He co-founded our Center for Executive Women and was a life member of our Global Advisory Board. Wally had deep ties to Northwestern University. He was a 1953 graduate, and his grandfather, Walter Dill Scott, served as the University’s president. Prior to joining Kellogg, Wally had an extensive career in business and government. He served as a senior partner of Lehman Brothers, associate director for economics and government in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, executive vice president of The Pillsbury Company (now General Mills), president and CEO of IDS Financial Services (now Ameriprise) and chairman and CEO of Grand Metropolitan USA (now Diageo). He had a life of great impact and his caring, and commitment to Kellogg will be missed.



Steve Palmer ’84
Steve Palmer passed away on July 11, 2017, at age 60, surrounded by his loving family. Steve graduated from Bucknell University with a double major in political science and American history and earned a master’s degree from the Kellogg School of Management in 1984. He enjoyed a long and diverse career in commercial real estate finance in Connecticut and New York City, most recently as a partner and managing director at H/2 Capital Partners. Steve resided in Darien, CT, for 23 years, where he dedicated hours to coaching youth soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams. He was a co-founder of the Darien Real Estate Club and a member of the Darien High School Building Subcommittee, St. Thomas More Church and the Country Club of Darien. He and his wife, Laura, relocated with his company to Dallas in June 2015, where they welcomed friends and family to their new home and explored new regions of the country. Steve will be remembered for his strength, optimism, humility, loyalty, integrity and selflessness. He nurtured lifelong friendships, and his near-total recall of youthful escapades was legendary. Most of all, Steve loved to link people together, and found common ground in a diverse group of friends and associates. His quiet resilience and courage inspired those who watched him fight a rare, relentless cranial cancer for 13 years. His “I won’t back down” attitude prevailed throughout numerous surgeries and treatments. Steve is cherished by his wife of 27 years, Laura Flaherty Palmer, and his three children: Wilson, Russell and Sloane. A memorial mass was celebrated on July 29, 2017, in Darien, and attended by many of Steve’s Kellogg classmates. He will be truly missed by the class of ’84.



Linda Anderson Lavine ’94
It is with a heavy heart that we share news of the passing of our dear friend and classmate Linda Anderson Lavine on Dec. 6, 2017. She joins her husband, fellow alum David Lavine ’94, who passed away in 2008. Linda was a warrior princess throughout her nearly three-year cancer battle, and her grace, strength and light shine on in the faces and hearts of their sons Ben and Adyn and everyone who knew her.