Class Notes from the Class of 1965

Alumni from the UW School of Medicine Class of 1965 share updates

The UW Medical School Class of 1965 had a number of unique features, few of which are mentioned in the abbreviated biographies mentioned below. Almost a fifth of the classmates became academics, for a few years to a lifetime; four won Distinguished Alumni Awards; one achieved the Distinguished Alumnus Award from WSU this year; one achieved the Gold Medal Award of Canada, the highest award given by the Governor General of Canada; one wrote the classic textbook of medical microbiology; one knew more about AIDS and HIV than any other human; one was a Pendleton Roundup Physician; and one discovered that the active metabolite of vitamin D is made in the kidney.

Additionally, this class has the largest endowed scholarship fund of any class and has decided that some of the funds will be distributed to those fourth-year students heading into an academic career, another indicator of the esteem they had for their professors. The list of their uniqueness goes on and on.

— Dick Baerg, Class of 1965

Ed Atlee, MD

Since recovering from a stroke in 2016, I have tried to keep active with a gym membership, lots of dog walks and rowing on the lake in the summer. I have also enjoyed playing in a steel drum band and being a member of two book clubs.

Dick Baerg, MD

Since our last biography collecting at the 50-Year Reunion, life has definitely slowed down in the Baerg household. After retiring at age 67, I went to Bates Vocational School's Boat Building Course for two years, learning how to build wooden boats the classic and modern way, and continued that hobby for a few years. I was active in a couple of national medical societies, became a volunteer accreditation surveyor and did volunteer teaching of gastroenterology in Vietnam on a number of occasions.

Judy and I got married after the first year of medical school (61 years ago) and have been blessed with three grown children (none physicians) who are all married, and we now have eight grown grandchildren, four of whom are still in college/grad school. Judy and I continue to travel internationally and spend much of our summers at a floating house on an island in northern BC, fishing, crabbing or prawning and taking care of ourselves. When you need a hand, look at the end of your sleeve.

After spending such a large part of one's life learning to serve (another name for medical education), being a gastroenterology practitioner and teacher, doing biophysics research and being involved nationally with other physicians, I believe it may be very easy to flounder without the identification of other meanings to your life. I became an unstoppable reader, wrote a short book on salmon fishing during the COVID pandemic and, with a retired cardiologist friend, started an old man's book club with the belief that old men need to talk with other old men and need to continually learn. We were right about that.

Gerald Bartlett, MD, PhD

Hello, Class of 1965!! We (Liz and I) are still enjoying life in Mount Vernon, with grandkids that pull us north (British Columbia) and south (WA and OR). Sometimes we feel like a stretched-out rubber band. 

I retired as chair and professor of pathology and immunology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, Illinois, at the end of 1989. That was mainly due to the health of my first wife, Kerry. She had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 1995 and was in remission at the time. By then, we had decided to retire in 1998, since all three of our kids were married and living in the PacNW (while we were stuck in Peoria). She later relapsed and died in 2008, having survived long enough to meet all eight of our grandchildren! That was a real blessing!    

A couple of years later, I married Liz Janzen, who is from Canada. I believe some of you have met her at the two most recent class reunions. Because of where her family lives (southern BC), she travels there often; sometimes I tag along and other times I stay home. I have been blessed by my marriage to her and thus by the privilege of getting to know many of her relatives and friends and to learn about the stories of Mennonite refugees after WWII. Her family’s story has been published as "The Steppes are the Colour of Sepia" by Connie Braun (her niece). 

As of June 2023, we are following a scattershot calendar, mainly due to the end-of-academic-year activities of five of our 14 grandkids: Three are graduating high school, one completed her master’s in psychology, and another is conducting three concerts. About half of the events are in BC and the others in Everett and Sammamish.  

Liz is healthy, energetic, spry, flexible and active (all of which are out of my league) — I call her my "Energizer bunny"! When we moved into town seven years ago, she convinced me not to move to a senior residence by assuming responsibility for our 1/3 acre "yarden." She also is active in our church, which is right next door, and loves to be a hostess. (She has entertained the Higginses twice in the past few years! It is time to do that again!)

In contrast, I have been slowed down quite a bit physically (maybe mentally too — I'll be the last to know!). I have two radiologic spinal diagnoses: spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis. Neither is causing any radicular pain yet, but the slight misalignment puts a lot of stress (therefore pain) on my low back muscles. I use a walker for comfort when standing and walking, and heat for comfort in my recliner. I also have type 2 diabetes -> CKD -> anemia. I guess my body is lining up its exit strategy.      

Jerry Bartlett, jerbart@comcast.net

John Keener Boyce, MD

For the last five or six years, I’ve been doing the same stuff I did for the previous 15. That would be being retired and doing less and less as various body parts become less capable.

Before that, I worked here for 30-some years as an anesthesiologist. Near the end of 2001, I was very tired and felt I wasn’t doing as well at work as when younger, and decided to quit before hurting someone.

My wife, Judy, and I have been married for almost 55 years. Our son lives in Wisconsin and is an RN. Our daughter lives on Bainbridge Island and has her own business preparing books for publication.

My all-time favorite call from a hospital here came many years ago during the night. The phone rang and I picked it up and said, “Hello.” The person calling said, “Boyce, is that you?” I said, “Yes.” The caller said, “This is Dolan; get your ass over here,” and then hung up. Knowing that Dee Dolan was a very good ICU nurse, I got up and got my ass over there. At that time, before there were any pulmonologists here, I took care of patients needing ventilation.

I’ve always liked to fish, but now fish from a chair, flogging the waters with my flies and still catching a few. We’ve always had a variety of spaniels to chase birds with, and also because they are good buddies. My hours are filled by reading, walking, naps, scooping dog poop and church events such as Bible study.

I am available for viewing or correspondence at 634 Doris Drive, Great Falls, MT 59405, and will talk on the phone, 406-452-7477.

Jeff Brooks, MD

I retired from UCSF in June 2009 and have not missed managing the microbiology and research laboratories and the Investigator Generated Research, Training and Program Project Grants. I had two goals to keep me entertained in retirement: finishing collecting the U.S. coins in circulation during my lifetime, which are mostly uncirculated; and building a model wooden sailboat. My son and I built a radio-controlled, mahogany-planked 45-inch Star Class boat that is sitting on a stand in the other room. Then I discovered Spreckels Lake in Golden Gate Park, a lake designed for model boats, and the SF Model Yacht Club, started in 1898. Subsequently, I was membership secretary and treasurer for a while and have had 15–20 more model sailboats of different classes.

One day, the wind hit the sails of a boat as I was taking it out of the water, and I sprawled on the walkway. My decades-long decaying sense of balance caught up with me, and I could no longer safely walk the lake’s edge path, so I switched my interest to model steamboats. I now have two, and others have come and gone. We also have four extra museum-quality miniature model steam engines with boilers and accessories from the U.S., UK, and France. These are exquisite and run beautifully. I can operate the steamboats while sitting in a lakeside chair. My vision has deteriorated to the point where I can no longer do the detailed work on the boats and don’t drive.

My four children, three daughters and a son, ages 43–59, are the highlights of my life. All will be here in September 2023 for my 85^th birthday.

Steven Dassel, MD

Jeanette and I live in Laurelhurst, half a block from the children’s hospital. We purchased the house for $25,000 in 1970. We planned to stay a year or so, to be within walking distance of the then COH. Here we are, 54 years later. That wasn’t the best economic move, but we were comfortable, and my subsequent private practice was only a few blocks away.

Macular degeneration forced me out of general pediatric practice. I was able to practice behavioral pediatrics for several years and finally retired in 2012.

Our daughter Stephanie died of complications of juvenile diabetes and multiple sclerosis a few years ago, and our son Kurt lives in Boston. He and Sara have two children. Steph and Tom have one son, who lives in Seattle. I finally had to give up bicycling and my gym, but use a home gym, stationary bike and walk for exercise. I listen to a lot of books, remain an avid Husky fan and we enjoy our getaways on Whidbey. 

Generally, my health is good. A-fib led to Eliquis, and I have spent some time in wound clinic for leg hematomas. There were some rocks in the path, but it’s been a good life.

E. Fred Deal, MD

My wife, Ann, and I still live in Wenatchee in the home we bought after residency, 51 years ago. 

We have four children, 11 grandchildren, two granddaughters-in-law and one great-grandson. We still have our summer home at Warm Lake, Idaho. A little piece of paradise for us! We attend our son’s Presbyterian church in East Wenatchee. I love to tell newcomers that I have known the minister all his life! 

In addition to our “modern iron,” I have a 1912 Model T Ford touring car, which is fully restored, and I have driven it in the Apple Blossom parades since 1976. Ann and I still keep up our home and garden with some help. Our son, Jim, and his son keep us computer-literate! 

We occasionally travel to Seattle, St. Paul and Atherton, California, to see our family. Ann and I are basically healthy and thank God for each day!

David Doupe, MD

After graduation and a year of a rotating internship in Indianapolis (Marion County General Hospital), I served three years in the Air Force as a flight surgeon stationed in Japan and Korea. Residency was at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Magee-Womens Hospital) under the Chair Donald Hutchinson, MD. 

We had considered returning to the Northwest, and I spent a month at Swedish Hospital doing obstetrical anesthesia and looking for opportunities to practice. I did not find a fit, so we stayed in the east and I joined a practice in Erie, PA. Three years later, I joined with a former residency mate and we practiced general OB-GYN for 14 years. I then went to our hospital as the vice president for medical affairs and continued a gynecologic surgical practice until my hospital responsibilities took too much time from the practice.

During this time, I was active in the American College of Physician Executives (now known as the American Association for Physician Leadership) and encouraged interested physicians on our staff to take leadership roles in hospital administration. After nearly 10 years, there was a change in our administrative leadership, and I was given the "opportunity" to do something else. I chose to go the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and earn a MPH. I then worked in a local community health clinic for a couple of years before retiring and moving to Florida for 10 years.

While in Erie, I was active in the local Rotary Club and served on the board of the Community Foundation, as well as the boards of the schools my children attended. I have been fortunate to have been able to make six trips to Africa (Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia and Sierra Leone) on medical missions.

Life has been good to us, and I have enjoyed relative good health except for a progressive hearing loss. I golf weekly (weakly!) and help out at our local church pantry. We are enjoying the local continuing care community (Homestead Village) we moved to here in Lancaster five years ago, making new friends and close to our grandchildren and Johns Hopkins lacrosse games.

Jean Ghivizzani, MD

The most exciting thing in nephrology was being there at the beginning. I put myself through school as a pianist and teacher. My 14-year-old student, Caroline Helm, was the first ever on experimental home dialysis and I saw it firsthand. 

Once dialysis got going, patients were miserable with anemia. A local nephrologist developed erythropoietin and wow, what a difference. Each nephrologist got to put one person in the study. Seattle had about 750,000 people then, and 450,000 belonged to Group Health (and me), so I got four patients on the study and saw their lives totally change.

Hypertension was a huge issue, and minoxidil was being studied at the VA. I had a four-year-old little girl with off-the-cuff hypertension who came in seizing one night with unmeasurable pressures. Anesthesia helped me and put her into a coma, and we knew that when she woke up, she'd likely die of HTN. So I phoned my buddy running the VA study. He could not give me the Rx, and we'd been denied compassionate use … but he said the VA parking lot had common thefts and where his car was and what was on the front seat.  I "stole" the minoxidil from his car, explained to the parents what we were doing, had the documents necessary to participate in the study, got everything signed and started Rx. She became a perfectly controlled hypertension patient… on the VA study in the end, she was included. X# of men and one four-year-old little girl. 

I also had the first recognized case of calciphylaxis in the NW (renal failure-induced hyperparathyroidism) and on and on. I'm still trying to rehome the slides of this gruesome complication. So nice to be at the right place at the right time and be carried along on the waves. My practice was bigger than all five nephrologists at Mason Clinic before I finally convinced administration to get me a partner (I hired Henry Tenckhoff). Prior to that, I was getting the "You said you could do the job and we didn't think a woman could, so just do it."

When my first husband was dying rapidly of colon cancer, I told administration I had to leave immediately to be with him. I wrote medical and social summaries on every patient to help my replacement. A fellow from UW, Dr. Gerard Ames, came and took over. One week later, he asked for help, and Dr. Millie Tung, a solo practice nephrologist, came and did half-days in the office and alternating call. Two weeks after that, a third person was hired for weekend relief. When I returned, they recognized my request for a second nephrologist.

I can say what Milt did at the end, I've had a wonderful life.

Judith Goslin Hall, MD

In medical school, I got interested in genetics and did an extra year for my master’s degree with Arno Motulsky on fetal hemoglobin. I knew I wanted to be a clinical medical geneticist, so we went to Baltimore in Johns Hopkins Hospital to study with Victor McKusick. I trained in medical genetics, pediatrics and endocrinology at Johns Hopkins. We were in Baltimore during the Vietnam war, so my husband went to Vietnam for a year.

By the time we returned to Seattle in 1972, we were a family of three and enjoyed hiking and camping. In Seattle, I organized genetic diagnostic services, trained fellows, described genetic disorders and their natural history, and developed ways of studying physical measurements. When I first came to Seattle, Lynn Staheli was starting an interdisciplinary arthrogryposis clinic, and my role in that was to diagnose the different types of arthrogryposis.

In 1981, my marriage ended, and I moved to Vancouver with my children to run the clinical genetics program for British Columbia, which I did for 10 years while continuing to train fellows and pursue arthrogryposis. In 1990, I became the head of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. I learned a lot about administration and professional associations and the community organizations that support children. During that decade, single genes began to be identified for arthrogryposis. Along the way, I produced many papers, chapters and books.

In 2004, I had mandatory retirement and joined the UBC Associations of Professor Emeriti, a wonderful multidisciplinary group, which has expanded and become a real source of information about older academicians. I continue my interest in arthrogryposis within an international group and to study people over 65 to understand their physiologic differences.

Karen Gudiksen, MD

I retired 10 years ago from a career-long job at California’s Alameda County behavioral health program. I had run an inpatient program, worked on varied outpatient clinics and on a clinic in a several-thousand-inmate county jail. I also did psychiatric evaluations on judicial appointment. 

My husband, Paul, and I raised a son, Mark. He got a PhD in physics from Harvard. He also got a wife with a PhD in chemistry at Harvard. They live nearby and are raising 16- and 13-year-old daughters. Mark now works as a venture capitalist.

With retirement, we began traveling the world. That includes seven continents and more than 100 countries. We started travel as a couple, moved to group travel and finished on luxury liners.

Health was good for both of us for most of this journey, married for 60 years. I missed the reunion because Paul died on May 22, largely from a massive stroke. I am facing total right hip replacement, perhaps secondary to long-distance running, including 33 marathons.

See you at the next reunion.

Robert Higgins, MD

My international healthcare consulting ended by 2012 as the projects in Vietnam, Laos and Argentina ended successfully. I did work with Roy Schwarz in China while he was president of the China Medical Board of New York, but the results were frustratingly poor.   

Judy and I enjoy travelling and especially nature trekking in Madagascar, South Africa, New Zealand, Bhutan, Belize and several others. At home, we continue to stay busy with our church and a few other organizations. We read three newspapers daily, but don't watch TV. We enjoy watching different topics with the Great Courses series and also participate in the Great Decisions program of the Foreign Service Association. We walk most days and enjoy staying in contact with our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as with our many friends around the world. I am writing my memoirs, and Judy is editing my efforts. 

I did get two new knees in 2020 and have done well with that. Both Judy and I had cataract surgery, and I can drive without glasses for the first time in 70 years. We are both healthy with no serious health issues. Life is good at 88 and even better with the class reunion.

Ruth Kennedy, MD

l have not done anything world-shaking over the last five years. Have volunteered at the Shaw Library and Historical Society, worked on an arts and antiques committee in Seattle, supported the SAM and SAAM. l belong to two book clubs. We read diverse books — some tough and some fluff! I am thankful for good friends and family and look forward to seeing everyone in 2025.

Marlin Mattson, MD

Retiring eight years ago, I remain active as professor emeritus of clinical psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. During the past 50 years, teaching first- and second-year medical students has been one of the highlights of my professional life. The last 42 years of my life have been shared with Robert, who is also a physician.

My UW Medical School education is remembered with gratitude. It prepared me very well for what came after.

James May, MD

Prologue "How was the play Mrs. Lincoln? It was all downhill after the commotion." The last four years have been topsy turvy. Much is the same. Same big house, big yard, married 58 years still have my own office and work about 30 hours a week, am behavioral health medical director of a health plan, on the board of a local bank, work out regularly, for the first time I am having a nurse practitioner work with me, still am renewed by helping people out of misery. That last item is major for me. On the other hand, everything is changed. My eyesight, hearing, cardiac function and balance are impressively diminished the last several years. I am unable to do all the vigorous physical 't activities that I loved. I had many good friends, but they are all dead. Those however pale beside the impact of having a beloved wife with advanced AZD. We have personal care people 65 hours a week. She needs to be watched  24/7. etc. I sold our beach home as we were unable to manage it. This afternoon I close on another. It is pretty marble, not even room to sit up, but there is peaceful music of the Reid Chapel in the background. Plenty of room for two caskets. The river Jordan is muddy and wide, but it’s oh so peaceful on the other side.

Art Thompson, MD, PhD

After a post-second year in biochemistry, I graduated a year behind. I interned at New York Hospital and was drafted. I returned to Seattle after serving at the Army Chemical Center, Edgewood, Maryland, to finish graduate work, residency and a fellowship in hematology.

Joining the faculty, I was at Harborview, what was then the Public Health Hospital and finally the Blood Center. My 45-year career included teaching, research on blood clotting and clinical medicine/hematology. The latter featured establishing and running a comprehensive regional program for patients with hemophilia and other congenital bleeding disorders. I still have limited involvement in consulting and volunteer work this past decade post-retirement.

Elaine Adams married me 57 years ago, and she continues her career in psychosocial, community health and preventive care nursing as an emeritus professor. Our oldest daughter is a professor in science education at UW, and the younger one uses her MD and MPH background currently as rural health CMO and consultant and is the immediate past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine. Two granddaughters will begin college this fall with two grandsons two years behind.

William von Stubbe, MD

I retired in 2007, with most of those years spent as a medical oncologist as part of a 10-physician mixed internal medicine subspecialty practice. Of those 10 partners, four of them were also UW-trained doctors.

For over 40 years, I’ve enjoyed living surrounded by family fruit orchards on a ridge overlooking the Yakima Valley on the Yakama Nation.

My health is good enough to maintain a good-sized yard and garden as well as pursue a lifelong addiction to bird hunting with my German longhaired pointers and fly fishing.

I’ve recently discovered that swift-flowing streams with slippery, rocky bottoms combined with weak, 83-year-old legs and shaky balance are a risky mix. 

Blessed with good health of wife, three daughters and four grandchildren. I wish I had Glen Hamilton’s investment moxie, which makes our class stand out in terms of contribution to “the cause.”