Dr. Samuel Kaplan, a pioneer in congenital heart disease research and emeritus professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, died of cancer on January 21 at UCLA Medical Center. The Palisades Highlands resident was 81. Kaplan graduated from the University of Witswatersrand School of Medicine in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1944 and completed his residency training before continuing his postgraduate training in cardiology at Hammersmith Hospital in London in 1949. He moved to the United States in 1950 to join the cardiology department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where he began his pioneering studies in congenital heart disease. As chief of the division of pediatric cardiology, he was among the first in the world to establish the specialty and is considered among the founders of this discipline. Under his direction, the hospital became a national and international referral center for infants and children born with heart defects. In addition to his clinical expertise, Kaplan made many experimental contributions to the field; his laboratory studies were instrumental in developing the membrane oxygenator that is still an essential part of the surgical procedure for open-heart surgery on both children and adults. Kaplan directed a superb clinical and laboratory training program in which each cardiology fellow was encouraged, nurtured and mentored to enter a career as an academician. Generations of his trainees are currently leaders of pediatric cardiology and occupy important positions in medical centers throughout the U.S. and other countries. When he retired from his position in Cincinnati in 1987, Kaplan was widely recognized as among the top five most constructive and productive academic cardiology leaders in America. At the invitation of the U.S. State Department, he lectured in several countries to share his expertise in pediatric cardiology. Joining UCLA in 1987, one of Kaplan’s most impressive contributions was his success in strengthening the postdoctoral training program. The respect and gratitude of several dozen fellows attest to his success. At UCLA, he also became the leader of a multi-institutional research program funded by a $9-million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects on the heart and lungs of HIV transmitted from mother to infant. This work alone has contributed more than 30 scientific reports, has identified important heart and lung complications associated with HIV, and has identified appropriate treatment and follow-up for these infants and children. Kaplan, revered in both pediatrics and pediatric cardiology, was the recipient of numerous honors and awards throughout his career. He is survived by his wife, Molly; his brother, Solomon; his sister-in-law, Marie; and his nephew and wife, Tony and Louise McKenzie. The David Geffen School of Medicine is planning a memorial service and UCLA’s department of pediatrics will issue notices of memorial services. The family has requested that donations be sent to the UC Regents/UCLA Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Sciences Development, 10945 Le Conte Ave., Suite 3132, Los Angeles, CA 90095.

Timothy H. Ling, president and chief operating officer of Unocal Corp., died suddenly of apparent natural causes on January 28 after an ice hockey workout in El Segundo. He was 46. “Tim Ling was a brilliant executive with boundless energy and enthusiasm,” said Charles R. Williamson, Unocal’s chairman and chief executive officer. “He lived every moment with gusto. Although his life was tragically short, it was remarkably full. The entire Unocal family is shocked and saddened by Tim’s sudden passing. We will miss him terribly.” Williamson indicated that he would assume Ling’s responsibilities as president and chief operating officer on an interim basis, effective immediately. Ling was also a member of the company’s management committee and had served as a member of Unocal’s board of directors since 2000. Previously, he was executive vice president, North American Operations. He joined Unocal in 1997 as chief financial officer. “Tim invested every ounce of his extraordinary energy in making Unocal successful,” Williamson said. “His leadership and commitment were unwavering. He embraced change and challenge like no one else I have ever worked with.” Williamson noted that, with the help of Ling’s leadership, Unocal has made a lot of difficult changes over the past few years, strengthening its profitability and future growth potential. Ling was instrumental in developing and leading many of Unocal’s key business initiatives. He also helped to assemble a multitalented, highly experienced management team. “Thanks in good part to Tim’s vision and commitment, Unocal is traveling a clear and well- marked path to future success,” Williamson added. “We owe him a legacy of continued achievement and improved performance.” Born in Philadelphia, Ling earned a degree in geology from Cornell University in 1982 and an MBA at Stanford in 1989. Prior to joining Unocal, he was a partner at McKinsey & Company in Los Angeles. He also worked as a research geologist for the United States Geological Survey at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where his focus was on the assessment of deepwater energy and mineral resources. In 1987, Ling married Kimberly De Mello. He was a devoted family man and actively involved in his young children’s lives, including coaching his eldest son’s ice hockey team. He was also an accomplished vocalist and musician who played both the cello and the piano. Ling was a director of the American Petroleum Institute, the Domestic Petroleum Council and Maxis Communications, a cellular telephone provider in Malaysia. He also served on an advisory board for the Department of Energy and was on the management board for the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Meanwhile, he served as an officer and board member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, where he helped raise funds to complete Walt Disney Concert Hall. In addition to his wife, Ling is survived by their three children, Hudson, 7, Tommy, 4, and Peter, 2; his parents, Gilbert and Shirley Ling of Marion, PA; his sister and her husband, Eva and Neil Monahan of Wynnewood, PA, and their children, Stephanie and Casey; and his brother and his wife, Dr. Mark and Jenny Ling of Atlanta, GA, and their children, Sydney and Graham. Funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either the Tim Ling Memorial Fund at St. Matthew’s Parish Church in Pacific Palisades or to the Tim Ling Scholarship Fund, in care of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.

Trudy Louise Barker, former employee of Anita Jean and Gages Children’s Wear in Pacific Palisades, passed away on January 26. She was 60. Barker was born on November 27, 1943 in Los Angeles to Jim and Anita Jean Barker and graduated from University High School. She worked in the family business until the store closed in February 1985. Preceded in death by her father, she is survived by her mother and her stepfather, Ross Oakley; sisters Ginny Bass, Linda Oakley and Judi Barker; brother Jim Barker, Jr.; many nieces, nephews and loving friends and “furry friends” Snoopy and Big Toe. Funeral services will be held this morning at 10:30 a.m. at Gates, Kingsley & Gates Moeller Murphy Mortuary Chapel, 1925 Arizona in Santa Monica, with burial following at Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Barker’s memory to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Los Angeles Chapter, 2440 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 115, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Barbara Carr, former manager of the Palisades branches of Santa Monica Bank and U.S. Bank, passed away at West Hills Hospital on December 10, following a lengthy illness. She was 49. Born in Toledo, Ohio, Carr moved to Southern California in 1987. Her career included 29 years in banking. She was an active member of the Palisades Lions Club for seven years and participated in community events as a member of the Palisades Chamber of Commerce and in the American Cancer Society. From 1998-2002, she reviewed and made suggestions for Compsych Systems Publications in Pacific Palisades. Carr will be remembered by her many friends as a caring person with a generous heart. She is survived by her brother Jim Carr and family of Maumee, Ohio, and her sister Judy Vienhage and family of Cape Coral, Florida. A memorial service was held in Westlake Village on December 15. Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or one’s favorite charity.

Vincent F. Cleeves, a 54-year resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away on Wednesday, January 21 at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica. He was 86. Cleeves was born in La Crescenta on July 4, 1917. As a young boy, he delivered the local newspaper on horseback and as a teenager made a surfboard and learned to surf Southern California beaches. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in mechanical engineering. While working in New York, he met his future wife, Nancy, in 1946. They married shortly thereafter and moved to the Palisades from Santa Monica in 1950. Employed for 35 years at McDonnell Douglas in Ocean Park, Cleeves commuted daily to Long Beach. After retiring, he continued to consult for McDonnell Douglas for three years before settling down to hobbies and his passion of cabinetmaking. An accomplished woodworker, Vince built many beautiful furniture pieces and cabinets for his family. He loved to hike in the Santa Monica Mountains, backpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his sons and nephews, and spend time at the beach bodysurfing. Many family vacations were spent skiing at Mammoth Mountain. He also enjoyed travels to Alaska, Hawaii, Europe and the Panama Canal. Cleeves is survived by his wife of 57 years, Nancy; sons Vincent Jr., of Boulder, Colorado, Monty of Redwood City, and Chuck of San Diego; daughter Virginia of Boulder; a sister, Marion of Berkeley; seven grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. A funeral Mass was held at Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades on January 24. Contributions may be made in Cleeves’s name to the charity of one’s choice.

Leslie Randolph Skidmore, Jr., who had raised his family in Pacific Palisades, died peacefully January 15 in Napa, California. He was 85. Born in Portland, Oregon, Skidmore grew up in Salt Lake City, where he attended the University of Utah before transferring to the U. S. Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1942. Following graduation, he became a gunnery officer aboard the U.S.S. Pensacola. His ship distinguished itself in Pacific Theater battles that included Coral Sea, Midway, Guadacanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Tarawa. The ship survived a torpedo attack in 1942 and returned to action through Armistice Day. Skidmore married Joyce Christensen on June 5, 1945. After the war he received a master’s degree in engineering from the Naval Academy in 1947 and a second master’s degree in physics from UCLA a year later. He worked at Pearl Harbor and the family lived in Kailua, Oahu, between 1951 and 1955. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1956 with a rank of Lieutenant Commander. He is remembered fondly and with deepest respect by his shipmates with whom he communicated regularly throughout his life. After the Navy, Skidmore spent his career as an electronics engineer at Deco Electronics, then Hughes Aircraft Company in Culver City. He assisted in developing early satellite transmission facilities in Perth, Australia, in the 1960s and managed classified defense programs including missile guidance and aircraft navigation systems ranging from early radar, sonar and laser research to guidance systems for the F-18 fighter jet. The Skidmores lived from 1958 to 1982 in Pacific Palisades, where Joyce was a well-known real estate agent. After Les retired from Hughes in 1981, the couple retired in Monterey, California, where they and their best friends, Martha and Bill Edlun, both built retirement homes. In 1999, Les and Joy moved to Napa. Skidmore will be fondly remembered for his generous spirit, humor and commitment to and love of his family and his country. He was a meticulous and skilled engineer who relaxed by applying the same attention to detail as a chef, gardener and woodworker. He lived his life in furtherance of American ethics-honor and loyalty to country, family and friends. In addition to his wife, Les is survived by his son, Randy of Napa; his daughter, Terri Skidmore Lantz (husband Stephen) of Pacific Palisades; and his grandchildren, Peter Skidmore, Patrick Skidmore Lantz, Geoffrey Skidmore and Katie Lantz. He was interred at Tulocay cemetery in Napa.