Ralph B. Garrison, ’33
Hamlet, North Carolina
August 24, 2000
Dr. Garrison trained at the Maryland House of Corrections and Baltimore City Hospital. He began the practice of family medicine in Hamlet in 1934, making house calls and delivering hundreds of babies before retirement in 1989. He served as president of the North Carolina State Medical Society, the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians and the Richmond County Medical Society. Dr. Garrison was instrumental in the founding of Richmond Memorial Hospital, and he served as chairman of the Hamlet School Board. He was preceded in death by wife Evelyn and is survived by one son, one daughter, seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren

Robert H. Dreher, ’34
Wind Gap, Pennsylvania
July 23, 2000
Dr. Dreher trained at Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania before opening a private practice that he maintained until his death. He was the sole physician in Wind Gap for nearly 50 years, delivering babies, setting fractures, performing tonsillectomies. During the winter he made house calls with the help of a horse and sleigh. Dr. Dreher was a member of the American Academy of Family Practice and was president of the Northampton County Medical Association in 1953. He was recognized by the town of Wind Gap in 1986 with a special ceremony after 50 years of continuous service. He helped organize a chess club in the town in the 1940s. Dr. Dreher’s wife Elizabeth died in 1997. He is survived by one son, one daughter and five grandchildren.

Isadore Kaplan, ’37
Baltimore, Maryland
October 26, 2000
Dr. Kaplan earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy prior to enrolling in the medical school. He completed an internship at Windber General Hospital in Pennsylvania and a residency at the Victor Cullen Tuberculosis Hospital in 1939. During WWII, he served as head of the chemical warfare division for the Army’s 29th Division in Europe. In 1945, he was discharged with the rank of major. Dr. Kaplan began his career in 1946 in the B&O Railroad’s medical and surgical department and was appointed medical examiner in 1951. He was promoted as the B&O’s medical and surgical director in 1958 and was in charge of all medical staff and facilities systemwide. He became president of the American Association of Railroad Surgeons and served as chairman of the medical section of the Association of American Railroads from 1971–72. Dr. Kaplan was considered an expert in preventive techniques in industrial medicine and was a prolific contributor to medical and scientific journals. After retiring from Chessie Systems in 1977 (the successor company to B&O/C&O), he became a research psychiatric consultant at Taylor Manor Hospital in Ellicott City. While at Taylor Manor, he worked on a number of studies and conducted symposia on gambling, alcoholism, panic disorder, agoraphobia and depression. Dr. Kaplan was preceded in death by wife Hilda and is survived by two sons, one daughter and six grandchildren.

Winfield Thompson, ’38
Goldsboro, North Carolina
June 19, 2000
Dr. Thompson received surgical training in Baltimore, Cleveland and Little Rock, Arkansas before enlisting in the U.S. Medical Corps during WWII. He was assigned to the European Theatre of Operations, serving as chief of general surgery in an Army hospital in England. Following the war he established a surgical practice in Goldsboro, N.C. Appointments included surgical consultant and surgeon for Cherry Hospital and O’Berry Center for 39 years. Dr. Thompson was past president of the Wayne County Medical Society and the medical staff at Wayne County Memorial Hospital. He served on the N.C. State Hospital Board, American Board of Surgery, American Society of Abdominal Surgeons and was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Southeastern Surgical Society. For several years he was a clinical instructor of general surgery for the University of North Carolina Medical School. His affiliation with charitable organizations included the American Red Cross, United Way, Rotary and Kiwanis. Dr. Thompson was a charter member of the Goldsboro Rescue Squad and served as its medical advisor. He was team physician and advisor for the Goldsboro High School athletic teams. He is survived by wife Katie, three children, two stepchildren, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Schuyler G. Kohl ’40
Scarsdale, New York
September 14, 2000
Dr. Kohl trained at Metropolitan Hospital in New York City and the University of Maryland, before receiving MS and DrPH degrees from the Columbia University School of Public Health in 1952 and 1954, respectively. In 1950, he joined SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Positions included research associate, assistant professor of OB/GYN, and he was on the staff at Kings County Hospital, Long Island College Hospital, and St. John’s Episcopal Hospital. Dr. Kohl became professor of OB/GYN in 1962. He served as associate dean of the College of Medicine from 1961–71, acting dean in 1970, and as acting chairman of OB/GYN from 1976–78. He participated in landmark efforts to bring family planning services to New York City’s municipal hospitals, and also in increasing the number of beds and basinets in municipal hospitals to ensure sufficient length of stay for mothers and newborns. Dr. Kohl was president of the New York State Board of Medical Examiners from 1966–69, and was the author of several book and numerous papers. He served on committees, boards, and bureaus locally, nationally, and internationally throughout his career in medicine and public health, including a half century at Downstate. He is survived by wife Blossom.

Herman Williams, ’40
Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
Vita R. Jaffee, ’41
Bethesda, Maryland
November 6, 2000

Thomas F. Lusby II, ’41
Prince Frederick, Maryland
June 29, 2000
Dr. Lusby trained at Maryland General and Franklin Square hospitals in Baltimore. He served in the Army Medical Corps during WWII where he was chief of surgery in the 161st General Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was discharged with the rank of major. Dr. Lusby resumed his practice in Oakland, Maryland in 1947. In 1956, he moved to Cumberland and returned to Frederick in 1971 where he remained until retirement. He was on the staff of Calvert Memorial Hospital and was a member of the American Academy of Family Practice, Med-Chi, and the Southern Medical Association. Dr. Lusby is survived by wife Louise, one son, one daughter and one grandchild.

Everett D. Jones, ’42
Baltimore, Maryland
October 20, 2000
Dr. Jones interned at Maryland General Hospital before serving with the Army Medical Corps at a military hospital at Valley Forge, Pa., during WWII. He was discharged in 1945 with the rank of captain. After the war, he completed training in orthopedics at University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia and Kernan Hospital in Baltimore. Dr. Jones practiced in High Point, North Carolina before returning to Baltimore in 1950. In Baltimore, he had a medical practice at St. Paul and Biddle streets from 1950–78. During the 1950s and 1960s, he served as a sports medicine consultant to the Baltimore Colts. An avid outdoorsman, hunter and yachtsman, Dr. Jones commissioned the building of a 41-foot yawl in 1961 and competed in ocean races. He also enjoyed painting landscapes and golfing. He is survived by two sons, one daughter and three grandchildren.

Benedict Cusani, ’43M
West Palm Beach, Florida
August 5, 2000
Dr. Cusani served under Gen. Patton in the third Army as regimental surgeon during WWII and was decorated with two Bronze Stars and the Croix de Guerre. He completed his internship and surgical training at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and later taught surgery at the University of Miami Medical School. He was a member of the Florida Medical Association, Southern Medical Association and the Dade County Medical Association. Dr. Cusani closed his practice and moved to West Palm Beach in 1976 where he was instrumental in organizing the VA Outpatient Clinic in Palm Beach County. He continued his medical career as a VA surgical consultant, retiring in 1985. He is survived by wife Victoria and daughter Ann.

Joseph Bilder Jr., ’51
Wichita Falls, Texas
July 8, 2000
Prior to medical school, Dr. Bilder was a first lieutenant in the infantry during WWII. Upon completion of medical school, he trained at Akron Children’s Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania. He began practice in Denison, Texas but moved to Wichita Falls to join the Wichita Falls Clinic five years later. Dr. Bilder retired from the clinic in 1989 and participated in community activities and volunteer work. He is survived by wife Bettye, two sons, one daughter and five grandchildren.

DeWitt T. Hunter, ’52
Woodland, Washington
September 1, 2000
Dr. Hunter received a presidential appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis from Franklin D. Roosevelt after completing the examination. Following graduation in 1945, he served aboard a minesweeper in the Aleutian Islands during the last year of WWII and entered the School of Medicine upon his military discharge. Dr. Hunter received training in anatomy at Maryland and Johns Hopkins. He held academic appointments at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas, University of Oklahoma and the University of Utah. He was a prolific medical writer and lecturer and held several patents for medical devices and procedures. In addition to academics and research, Dr. Hunter held numerous positions as the medical director for several large blood banks and medical laboratories as well as pathologist for several hospitals. He was the medical examiner for the County of Riverside, California at the time of his retirement in 1990. He is survived by wife Laurel, ’52, two daughters and two grandchildren.

Ralph S. Goldsmith, ’54
Half Moon Bay, California
August 27, 2000
After serving in the U.S. Army, Dr. Goldsmith pursued a career in medical research in the Thorndike Laboratories at Harvard Medical School. He was a recognized authority on bone metabolism and the causes and treatment of disorders of bone. He authored numerous scientific publications and delivered lectures internationally on a range of medical topics including osteoporosis. He founded units devoted to basic and clinical research at the Mayo Clinic as well as the University of Texas, San Antonio, and was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Osteoporosis Foundation. For ten years he served as chief of staff at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and was associate dean of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. Dr. Goldsmith led the UCSF Medical Center to national prominence in research and in clinical care for veterans. He was respected as an advocate for patients, staff and faculty of the hospital, and for the importance of medical research and education in the advancement of human welfare. Dr. Goldsmith is survived by wife Mildred, one daughter, one son, and one grandson.

J. Walter Smyth, ’54
Baltimore, Maryland
September 27, 2000
Dr. Smyth trained at University Hospital and served as a Navy flight surgeon in Pensacola, Fla., before studying for five years at the Brady Urological Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He began practice in 1963 and held the rank of associate professor of urology at Johns Hopkins. He was chief hospital urologist at Johns Hopkins, Church, Good Samaritan and St. Joseph hospitals. Dr. Smyth retired in 1993 and the following year received the Brother Bartholomew Varden Award for outstanding contributions to medicine and the community from Mount St. Joseph High School. He was president of the Medical Alumni Association of the University of Maryland in 1990–91, was a member of the school’s John Beale Davidge Alliance and, in 1999, received the association’s distinguished service award. He is survived by wife Patricia, five sons, three daughters and 20 grandchildren.

Robert C. Irwin, ’59
Baltimore, Maryland
November 1, 2000
Dr. Irwin served in the U.S. Army before enrolling in medical school. He trained at the University of Maryland, and during the 1960s served as medical director of St. Gabriel’s Home for Retarded Children. In 1973, he and three other physicians established the Pediatric Center in Catonsville, where Dr. Irwin maintained a pediatrics practice until the time of his death. Colleagues remember Dr. Irwin as a man who understood children and enjoyed being with them. With the assistance of Mount Calvary Episcopal Church at Eutaw and Madison streets, Dr. Irwin was instrumental in the formation of the Joseph Richey Hospice in 1986 and served as its medical director, a volunteer position. His goal in working with AIDS and cancer patients was to help them get their pain under control within 24 hours of arriving at the hospice. He also served as chief of pediatrics at Bon Secours Hospital. Dr. Irwin is survived by wife Marjean, one son, three daughters and eight grandchildren.

Earl F. Riter, ’61
Newport, Oregon
November 9, 1999

Harold A. Cohen, ’71
Albuquerque, New Mexico
March 2000

Robert H. Wiedefeld Jr., ’83
Phoenix, Maryland
September 14, 2000
Dr. Wiedefeld trained at Franklin Square Hospital, serving as chief resident. A family practitioner, he was a member of the Hunt Manor Medical Group in Phoenix, Md. He made house calls to patients and was a critic of medical plans that did not permit doctors to spend enough time with their patients. Dr. Wiedefeld served on the family practice committee at Greater Baltimore Medical Center and was chair of the family practice credentialing and review committee. He was a fellow of the American Board of Family Practitioners and active on the Maryland chapter. He was an amateur carpenter who built most of a barn adjacent to his home. He was a pilot, boater, scuba diver, tennis player, golfer and horse rider. He also played guitar and sang at services at Roman Catholic churches. He is survived by wife Susanne, a nurse at GBMC, and daughters Marie and Susanna.