Herbert Berger, ’32
Staten Island, New York
November 16, 2003
Dr. Berger interned at Morrisiana City Hospital in New York City and was
a resident at U.S. Naval Hospitals. During World War II, he was senior
medical officer aboard the assault troop transport ship General William
M. Black. He returned to Staten Island after the war and began a private
practice, was named clinical professor of medicine at New York Medical
College and director of medicine and cardiology at Richmond Memorial Hospital.
In addition to maintaining a clinical practice in internal medicine for
more than 50 years and gaining national acclaim for his work in cardiology,
Dr. Berger became an expert on drug addiction. He was director of the International
Society for the Study of Addictions, editor of the International Journal
of the Addictions, a member of the British Society for the Study of Addictions,
and president of the American Society for the Study of Addictions. In the
U.S., he became a controversial figure for his support for the decriminalization
of drugs. He testified before Congress a dozen times on public health policy
issues and addressed governmental bodies of 30 nations, making fundamental
contributions to national and international debates relating to public
health policy. Dr. Berger was the founder and a past president of the New
York State Society of Internal Medicine and was a fellow and vice president
of the New York Academy of Medicine. He was president of the Blood Bank
Association of New York State and the New York City Medical Society. He
is the author of more than 200 publications and lectured in 96 countries.
In 1992, he completed his autobiography entitled Did this Really Happen?
To express appreciation to Maryland for providing his medical education,
Dr. Berger established an endowed faculty position in the division of cardiology
as well as the Herbert Berger Lectureship in Medicine. In 1978, he was
named recipient of the Medical Alumni Association’s Honor Award & Gold
Key, awarded for contributions to medicine and distinguished service to
mankind. Dr. Berger is survived by daughter Dr. Shelby Berger Jakoby and
an adopted son, Alfred. He is preceded in death by wife Sylvia and son
Leland.
Irving Freeman, ’35
Phoenix, Ariz.
Harold H. Burns, ’36
Towson, Md.
January 24, 2004
As a child, Dr. Burns learned piano and enjoyed a brief career playing
for silent movies in theaters in eastern Pennsylvania. On a trip to Atlantic
City he saw Al Jolson speak and sing in The Jazz Singer and decided there
was no future in his profession. Upon graduation from medical school,
Dr. Burns trained at Mercy Hospital before setting up a practice in
Baltimore.
During World War II, he worked double shifts to cover for surgeons in
military service. He continued operating until 1972 and retired completely
in 1990.
Dr. Burns enjoyed ballroom dancing at the Greenspring Inn. Wife Margaret
passed away in 1989. He is survived by one son, four daughters, 17 grandchildren
and nine great-grandchildren.
Marion H. Gillis Jr., ’36
Salisbury, Md.
November 17, 2003
John P. Urlock Jr., ’39
Annapolis, Md.
September 28, 2003
Prior to medical school, Dr. Urlock attended and graduated from Maryland’s
pharmacy school. Upon completion of his medical studies, he entered the
U.S. Army. Dr. Urlock served as a member of the medical corps on the
HMS Queen Mary which transported troops to England once America entered
the
war. Both he and the Queen Mary survived a collision at sea with a British
Naval escort, killing hundreds of British sailors. He also landed on
Omaha Beach as part of the D-Day campaign. While in England, Dr. Urlock
attended
Oxford University where Flemming was giving a course on penicillin. Upon
completion of military duty with the 29th Infantry Division in 1945,
he returned to Baltimore and opened a general practice on Washington
Boulevard
where he practiced until retirement in 1988. Dr. Urlock was president
of the East Baltimore Medical Society as well as the Maryland Academy
of Medicine
and Surgery. He was on the staffs of Franklin Square and South Baltimore
General Hospitals. He remained active in several veterans organizations,
serving as national surgeon with the 29th Infantry Division Association,
and post commander with American Legion Limestone Post 72 and American
Legion Lithuanian Post 154. Dr. Urlock is survived by son Paul, daughter
Monica, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
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Arthur E. Pollock, ’40
Altoona, Fla.
October 18, 2003
Dr. Pollock returned to Altoona following medical school graduation training
at Mercy Hospital. In 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a commissioned officer
to serve in its medical corps. He was dispatched to the medical detachment of
the 398th Army Infantry Division of the 100th U.S. Army Division in France. Dr.
Pollock worked in a MASH triage unit. As his division moved toward Berlin, soldiers
recalled him jumping from a bullet-ridden jeep into a German military field hospital,
and surviving imprisonment by speaking fluent German and treating wounded and
dying German soldiers. Immediately following the war, Dr. Pollock remained in
Germany to treat concentration camp survivors, communicating with them in German,
Yiddish and Russian he had learned from his parents and grandparents. He earned
the Meritorious Service Unit Award, two Battle Stars, the Bronze Star Medal,
Combat Medal Badge, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, European
Meritorious Service Unit Award and other citations. Upon completion of his military
service, he trained in psychiatry in New York City for one year before returning
to Altoona to set up his general practice. He was always available for his patients
and treated many without compensation. Dr. Pollock served on the governing boards
of many civic and charitable organizations. He is survived by two sons and three
grandchildren. Dr. Pollock was preceded in death by Judy, his first wife of 27
years, his third wife Dorothy Deters, and fourth wife Elayne Poth. His second
marriage, to Ruth Pettigrew, ended in divorce.
James J. Nolan, ’41
Baltimore , Md.
February 20, 2004
Dr. Nolan trained in internal medicine at Union Memorial, Mercy, and the old
Baltimore City Hospitals. During World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Force
and studied at the College of Tropical Medicine in Calcutta, India. A flight
surgeon, Dr. Nolan flew numerous trips on the China-Burma-India route and was
awarded two Bronze Stars. He later served in the Maryland National Guard. Following
his military service, Dr. Nolan returned to Baltimore and opened a private practice,
worked briefly as a physician at Fort Howard Veterans Administration Hospital,
and teamed up with Leo Gaver, ’39 in practice until 1976. He served as chief
of medicine at Bon Secours Hospital. Upon retirement in 1993, he became a physician
emeritus at St. Agnes and joined its hospice program. Dr. Nolan is survived by
wife Nancy, one son, two daughters, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Harry F. Coffman II, ’42
Keyser, W.Va.
December 20, 2003
Upon completion of his medical degree, Dr. Coffman served a rotating internship
at Mercy Hospital, followed by residency training in the U.S. Air Force at Mitchell
Field in New York. During World War II, he was a flight surgeon stationed in
the European Theatre from 1943–46. He was recalled to active duty in 1951, serving
in California where he completed a fellowship in pediatrics at Hollywood Children’s
Hospital. He maintained a family practice in Keyser from 1946–83 and enjoyed
golf and hunting. Dr. Coffman is survived by wife Martha and three children.
John Howard Franz, ’42
Kingsville, Md.
February 4, 2004
Dr. Franz trained in radiology and during World War II was a Navy radiologist
stationed in Norfolk, Va. He began working at Maryland General in Baltimore in
1945 and served as chief of the radiology department until retirement from there
in 1972. He practiced at Bon Secours, South Baltimore General and North Charles
General Hospitals and maintained a private practice in Baltimore and Bel Air,
Md. until 1982. Dr. Franz served as 90th president of the Medical Alumni Association
from 1964–65. He was a charter member of the Kingsville Volunteer Fire Company
and the Maryland Golf and Country Club. He served on the board of the Jacob Weissner
orphanage in Hamilton and was a mason and a member of the Kingsville Rotary Club.
Dr. Franz is survived by wife Charlotte, one son, three daughters, 12 grandchildren
and five great-grandchildren.
William N. Corpening, ’43DGranite Falls, N.C.
February 25, 2004
An outstanding athlete at UNC-Chapel Hill, Dr. Corpening set numerous records in track & field while working toward his undergraduate degree. Later in life he would be recognized for his athletic accomplishment by being inducted into UNC’s Track Hall of Fame. Upon completion of his medical degree, Dr. Corpening served an internship at University Hospital in Baltimore and a residency at Methodist Hospital in Houston before entering the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He served on the hospital ship Chateau Thierry in the Pacific and later was acting chief of medicine at Fort Lawton Hospital in Seattle. He was honorably discharged as Captain in 1947. Dr. Corpening returned to Granite Falls and began practicing family medicine with his father. In addition to private practice, he was team doctor for Granite Falls and South Caldwell high school athletic teams, a medical advisor for Lovelady Rescue Squad, and a volunteer for the American Red Cross. He was a member of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the North Carolina Medical Society, the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, and was past president of the Caldwell County Medical Society. He was a loyal supporter of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and was a member of the John Beale Davidge Alliance, the school’s recognition society for major donors. Dr. Corpening is survived by wife Avis, six children and eleven grandchildren.
William B. Rogers, ’43D
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
November 28, 2003
Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, Dr. Rogers attended Maryland as an out-of-state resident. Because of the war, he and his classmates received their medical educations in an accelerated program, studying through the summers and graduating in three years. Upon graduation, he returned to Akron for training at Akron City and Columbus Children’s Hospitals. Dr. Rogers served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1945–47, stationed at the Second General Medical Hospital in Frankfort, Germany, and he was discharged with the rank of captain. He returned to Ohio and practiced pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the same location in Cuyahoga Falls for more than 50 years. By the time of his retirement, he had treated the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of his original patients. He also served as the Cuyahoga Falls High School football team doctor. Dr. Rogers was on the staffs of Akron City, Akron Children’s, Akron St. Thomas, Akron General, and Cuyahoga Falls General Hospitals. He held appointments on several medical boards and publications including the role of founder and president of the Akron Pediatric Society. Dr. Rogers possessed an extensive autograph collection that included most of the U.S. presidents and many famous medical doctors. To express his appreciation to the University of Maryland for accepting him in medical school, he established the William B. Rogers MD Student Loan Fund for out-of-state students in 1994. His first wife June died in 1995. He is survived by wife Rosaria, three children including Paul T. ’71, eight grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, six step-children and six step-grandchildren. Memorial gifts may be made to the William B. Rogers MD Student Loan Fund at the Medical Alumni Association.
Robert S. Mosser, ’51
Towson, Md.
January 11, 2004
Dr. Mosser’s undergraduate studies were interrupted by World War II as he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943. He served in the infantry in the European Theatre and was discharged with the rank of captain. He attended medical school on the GI Bill and, upon graduation, received training in neurology at the University of Rochester. He was a professor of pediatric neurology at Maryland from 1954 until retirement in 1982. Dr. Mosser enjoyed golfing, playing classical guitar, making stained-glass lamps and woodworking. Survivors include wife Ellen, son Jeffrey, ’77, three daughters and nine grandchildren.