Howard Lee Needles

A memorial celebration was held Aug. 6 for Howard Lee Needles, professor emeritus of textiles, who died July 30 at Hospice House in Monterey. He was 67.

Needles earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from UC Riverside in 1959 and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Missouri at Columbia in 1963.

He joined the UC Davis faculty in 1969 as a professor of textile science. He held that position for 25 years, serving as chair of the Department of Textiles and Clothing and for many years as a master adviser for students majoring in textiles. He retired in 1994.

Needles' research interests included changes in fibers, polymers, dyes and finishes that are caused chemically or physically during processing. In 2003 he was awarded the prestigious Louis Atwell Olney Medal for outstanding achievement in the field of textile chemistry.

Philip J. Vogt

A professor and senior surgical pathologist at the UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center, Philip J. Vogt, died Aug. 13 in Sacramento from heart-related problems. He was 68.

Vogt joined the Department of Pathology at the UC Davis School of Medicine in 1986.

His duties included work as director of the pathology residency training program in the School of Medicine and as a lecturer in courses on systemic pathology and nephrology. He won several outstanding teaching awards, and a Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching of Clinical Services.

Vogt's clinical and research interests at the medical center focused on dermatopathology and renal pathology, where he used electron microscopy and other specialized techniques for diagnosing cancer. He was highly respected for his abilities to answer difficult medical questions.