Alumni

1940

Margaret Morgan Lawrence, a renowned pediatrician and child psychiatrist who was the sole black graduate in the Class of 1940 and the third black woman to attend VP&S, died Dec. 4, 2019, at age 105. Born in Harlem and raised in segregated Mississippi, she was the first African American female psychoanalyst in the United States and the first black female physician certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. In addition to her MD, she earned a master’s degree in public health from Columbia in 1943. In 1949, she and her husband established a progressive, racially integrated cooperative community called Skyview Acres in Rockland County, where she lived for almost 70 years before moving to Boston. Known for her empathy toward children, she coordinated the work of school psychologists across Rockland’s nine school districts. She served 21 years as chief of the Developmental Psychiatry Service for Infants and Children at Harlem Hospital and as an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia until retiring in 1984. She continued to see patients until she was 90. Dr. Lawrence is survived by three children, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

1945

Richard “Rick” Storer Ward, a child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who taught at VP&S until 1970, died Dec. 1, 2019, at age 99. He was born in Lebanon, where his father was a pediatric surgeon and dean of the medical school at American University in Beirut. Educated in the United States at Deerfield Academy and Amherst, after VP&S he interned at Babies Hospital and finished pediatric training as head resident at Bellevue Hospital. He completed psychiatry training at Columbia and joined the faculty. In 1960, Dr. Ward moved to Atlanta, where he laid the foundation for what is now the Emory Psychoanalytic Institute. He flew weekly for 10 years to New York City to teach at Columbia. He retired from Emory in 1986 and from private practice in 2017 at the age of 97. Dr. Ward studied Chinese, played soccer and baseball, and loved classical music. He is survived by his wife, Adele, his stepson, daughter, son, and two grandchildren.

1949 PhD

Dorothy Dole Johnson, assistant professor of anatomy at VP&S until her retirement in 1961, died Nov. 23, 2019. She was 100. She was co-editor of the 13th and 14th editions of “Bailey’s Textbook of Histology” and was a member of the American Association of Anatomists and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She served as an alumni trustee of Bates College, her undergraduate alma mater. She was a longtime member of the Universalist Church of West Hartford. Following retirement, she devoted herself to family, gardening, and numerous volunteer causes. She is survived by a son and two daughters-in-law.

1952

Donald H. Gent, a psychiatrist, died Oct. 7, 2019. He was 92. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II before medical school. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Robert Packer Hospital and Guthrie Clinic in Sayre, Pennsylvania. He was licensed as a surgeon and practiced for 10 years before completing a residency in psychiatry. He practiced psychiatry in Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He retired from practice in December 1993. Dr. Gent enjoyed music, studying scripture, and fishing. He was a long time member and volunteer at the Hanover First Church of God. He is survived by four children and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Anthony J. Smith, an orthopedic surgeon, died Feb 9, 2020, at age 92. Dr. Smith completed his orthopedic training in New York City in 1957 and practiced in the Coos Bay, Oregon, area for 35 years. He founded the Millicoma Orthopedic Clinic in 1972 and, following his retirement in 1991, started Tioga Orthopedic Services. He enjoyed the arts and the outdoors. Dr. Smith is survived by his wife, Del, two children, three grandchildren, and two siblings.

1953

M. Jay Goodkind, who taught cardiology as a faculty member of both Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania, died Oct. 23, 2019. He was 91. After receiving his MD degree, he interned at Bellevue Hospital and served with the U.S. Public Health Service in Bethesda, Maryland. He later practiced medicine at Philadelphia General Hospital and was the chief of cardiology at Mercer Medical Center in Trenton, which later became Capital Health System. After retiring from medicine in 1994, Dr. Goodkind pursued his love for black and white photography. He sang with the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia and belonged to the Frederick Delius Society. He is survived by his spouse, Vincent, two children, and four grandchildren.

George Douglas “Doug” Richards, who operated a private general medical practice for 37 years in Mattituck, New York, died Oct. 17, 2019. He was 91. Other physicians in his family include his father, grandfather, brother, and a son. He worked at hospitals in Riverhead and Greenport. After medical school, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army and commanded a MASH unit in Korea. He loved rowing and played the accordion. He volunteered with the Mattituck Fire Department and organizations supporting mental health and people with blindness. He is survived by his wife, Jean, four children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

1954 PhD

William Cooper, who earned his degree in anatomy, died Dec. 28, 2019, in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Following service in the U.S. Navy as a pharmacist’s mate, he taught anatomy at the University of Puerto Rico and at VP&S in the 1950s. He then joined the University of Colorado, where he was a teacher, researcher, and administrator. He invented the “Cooper Dish” and created many videos and publications in medical and science education. He also developed and operated multidisciplinary laboratories. He later worked for the National Library of Medicine and was a consultant. He is survived by his wife, Linda, two sons, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. 

1955

Joseph “Joe” F. Stocks, a pediatrician and pathologist, died Nov. 6, 2019. He was 90. He interned at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown and served two years in the U.S. Air Force delivering babies at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts. He completed a residency in medicine at the Maine Medical Center and a pediatric residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Stocks later opened a pediatric practice in Waterville, Maine. After completing a pathology residency at Maine Medical Center, he became chief of its pathology department. He later worked as medical director at the Northeast Regional Red Cross Blood Program. He taught pathology at the University of Vermont and Tufts University. Dr. Stocks played the piano every day. He is survived by his wife, Betty, four children, and five grandchildren. 

1956

Howard Martin Radwin, who was passionate about access to and development of kidney transplant services, died Sept. 25, 2019, in Austin, Texas. He was 88. He was a clinical associate in the surgery service at the National Cancer Institute then completed a residency in pediatric urology at Tulane University-Charity Hospital in New Orleans. Dr. Radwin was the first chair of urology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and chief of urology at Bexar County Hospital, where he also led the kidney transplant program. He was an early proponent that computers and, later, the internet would facilitate databases for organ donation. In 1988, he co-founded Southwest Immunodiagnostics, a laboratory where he served as president and CEO until the age of 85. Dr. Radwin’s longtime hobby was fine woodworking. He is survived by three children and seven grandchildren.

1957

Thomas J. McDonagh, a retired vice president of occupational health at Exxon Corp., died Nov. 19, 2019. He was 87. After medical school, he completed a fellowship in gastroenterology.

1958

Thomas M. Shea, retired medical director for AT&T and Telcordia (Bellcore), died Nov. 27, 2019. He was 88. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Tanner before beginning medical school. After briefly practicing medicine in Ohio, he launched a long career in corporate medicine in New York and New Jersey, which allowed for more time to enjoy his growing family. He also was president of the American Heart Association chapter of Somerset County, New Jersey. He is survived by four children and five grandchildren.

Richard Timmons, a practitioner of family and occupational medicine, died Dec. 3, 2019. He was 92. He served in the U.S. Navy in the mid-1940s then traveled around the desert of the American southwest for several years before beginning medical school. He was a charter and life member of the Arizona Academy of Family Practice in Phoenix. Dr. Timmons was in private practice for 30 years before joining Honeywell Aerospace to begin a second career in occupational medicine. He was FAA-certified as an aviation medical examiner and performed many pilot physicals. Dr. Timmons retired in 2014 at the age of 87. He was an avid photographer and sang in his church choir. He is survived by his wife, Donna, three children, two stepchildren, five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and three brothers.

1964

William Phelps Arend, professor emeritus at the University of Colorado and former head of its rheumatology division, died Jan. 14, 2020. He was 82. Dedicated to research, teaching, and patient care, he was a pioneer investigator of the underlying biologic mechanisms of rheumatoid arthritis. In the 1980s, he discovered an anti-inflammatory protein called interleukin-1 receptor antagonist that led to a new commercial drug to treat arthritis and other diseases and a better understanding of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. He was an editor of the Arthritis & Rheumatism Journal and received numerous honors for his research achievements, including a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, a Pinnacles in Inventorship Lifetime Achievement Award from CU Innovations, a VP&S Alumni Association Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Medical Research, and the American College of Rheumatology Gold Medal Award. He loved the outdoors and was a passionate advocate for the environment. He is survived by his wife, Ann Elizabeth, two sons, and two grandchildren. 

1965

David J. Schurman, professor emeritus of orthopedic surgery at Stanford University and a visionary researcher, died April 2, 2018. He was 77. He served in the medical service in the Air Force and completed residency at UCLA. Following an NIH postdoctoral fellowship, he joined Stanford in 1973. During his early studies on musculoskeletal infection, he pioneered an assay technique to quantify bacterial contamination in tissues. This formed the groundwork for worldwide studies regarding the use of prophylactic antibiotics to decrease postoperative infections following total joint replacement. He also recognized that certain types of bacterial infections are accompanied by deposition of a biofilm that reduces the susceptibility of the infecting organism to antibiotic levels. Dr. Schurman had a strong interest in implant mechanics and mechanical loading and contributed to the definition of the research area of cellular mechanotransduction. He also created a postsurgical database that was an early template for current programs enabling evaluation of new devices and surgical techniques over time. Dr. Schurman was an avid golfer and caretaker of Bernese Mountain Dogs. He also read extensively about the history of medicine. 

1967

William “Bill” G. Johnson, professor of neurology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of Rutgers University and former associate professor at VP&S, died Jan. 30, 2020, from complications following a stroke. He was 77. Following residency at New York Hospital, he served in the U.S. Public Health Service at the NIH. In 1975 he joined Columbia as assistant professor of neurology. He became professor of neurology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers (formerly University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey) in 1992. As a molecular neurogeneticist, he made significant contributions to the understanding of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases and disorders and was part of the team that identified the first gene for Parkinson’s disease. At the time of his death, Dr. Johnson was involved in three studies on autism. He was active in church life and was fluent in at least six languages. He is survived by his wife, Sandra, two sons, three grandchildren, and a brother.

1971

Alfred DeCiutiis, a retired oncologist, died Nov. 9, 2018, in his home as one of three casualties of the Woolsey Fire south of Agoura Hills in California. He was 73. Dr. DeCiutiis founded the Italian American Medical Association in Los Angeles. Starting in 1981, he hosted cable television shows, working as medical editor of Cable Health Network and Lifetime Network. For his 2001 reunion questionnaire, he complimented his classmates for “their integrity, ability, humanity, character, tempered radicalism, and fierce goal orientation.”

1977 

Justine M. Meehan-Carr, a hematologist who became founding chief medical officer for Steward Heath Care, one of the earliest accountable care organizations under Obamacare, died Dec. 10, 2019, after a long fight with leukemia. She was 71. She received a master’s degree in psychology at Columbia before earning her MD. She completed house staff training at Columbia and Massachusetts General Hospital before completing a hematology fellowship at what is now Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where she remained for 27 years. In 2008, she left Beth Israel Deaconess to continue her focus on health care quality in the transformation of Caritas Christi Health Care into Steward Health Care. She retired in 2016 and took a position on the Steward board as the system grew to 36 hospitals across the United States, with others in Europe. Following her appointment by President George W. Bush, Justine served 10 years on the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, an HHS advisory committee. She chaired the committee and its Quality Committee. She also served on the boards of Network For Excellence in Health Innovation and the Sarita Kennedy East charitable foundation. She loved sailing, the Patriots, and Ireland. She is survived by her husband, Dan Carr’76, and three children.