Alumni

Thelma Grace Brown (M.D. 1948, Residency 1951) died at her home in Mill Valley, California, on June 16, 2008, following a brief illness. She was 91. After graduating as valedictorian of her high school class, Brown earned bachelor’s, master’s and medical degrees — all from the U-M — at a time when few women even attended college. She completed an internship at City Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, then returned to the U-M for residency training. Brown relocated to California, and worked at the University of California, San Francisco. In 1951, she co-founded Mill Valley Pediatrics and practiced there until retiring in 1995. In retirement she enjoyed cultural activities, traveling to visit family, and attending Grand Rounds at Marin General Hospital. She attended the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Mill Valley, supported Guide Dogs for the Blind, and belonged to the Outdoor Art Club.

Charles G. Campbell (M.D. 1948) died at home, surrounded by family and friends, on June 13, 2008. He was 84. Campbell founded the cancer program at Scripp’s Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California, where he began his career as one of the first radiation oncologists. While there, he also started and practiced in a free clinic in Mexicali, Mexico. In 1993 he moved to Danville, Kentucky, and became a founding member of the Central Kentucky Cancer Program. He was a pioneer in the treatment of prostate cancer and breast cancer, and treated celebrities such as John Wayne and Charles Schulz during his career. A member of the Military Surgeons of the United States, and retired from the U.S. Army Medical Corps and the California National Guard, Campbell was instrumental in developing the first MASH unit in the Korean War. He was a member of the Danville Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. In his free time, he enjoyed traveling, skiing, piloting his own plane, and golfing.

Kenneth W. Carrington, M.D. (Residency 1960), died on July 11, 2008, at his home in Salem, South Carolina. He was 79. After graduating from the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, he came to the U-M for a residency in neurological surgery. Carrington went on to complete a fellowship at Harvard University Medical School, then practiced neurological surgery in Augusta, Georgia. He was a member of the American Medical Association and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Carrington was an avid sailor and fisherman and an enthusiastic supporter of the University of Georgia Bulldogs.

Jean C. (Smookler) Freitag (M.D. 1982, Residency 1984), of Plymouth, Michigan, died on August 12, 2008, from complications related to aplastic anemia. She was 51. Freitag received her bachelor’s degree, Master of Public Health and M.D. from the U-M, in addition to performing her residency here, and was the medical director at a methodone clinic in Oak Park at the time of her death. Despite her professional accomplishments, she most valued her role as mother to her son, Alex, and daughter, Laura.

Leon Greenspan (M.D. 1937), 96, died on June 15, 2008, at his home in Burlingame, California. One of the first physicians to be board certified in pediatrics and pediatric physical medicine, he practiced in the Bronx before becoming head of the children’s division at the Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University Medical Center. He served as professor at the NYU School of Medicine until retiring in 1987. During his career, Greenspan served as the medical director at the Human Resources School for Handicapped Children in Albertson, Long Island, worked with disabled people in India and Venezuela, and served on several city and state committees where he strove to improve the understanding of the needs of disabled children. He was vice president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of America from 1978-88, and served the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine as treasurer from 1973-76, and as president form 1977-78.

Joel I. Hamburger (M.D. 1954), of West Bloomfield, Michigan, died August 1, 2008, at age 79. He was an internationally recognized clinical thyroidologist for more than 30 years and operated a private referral center for thyroid patients. Hamburger was a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force. During his career, he served as president of the Oakland County Medical Society and the Detroit chapter of the Zionist Organization of America. Along with his wife, Hilda, Hamburger supported scholarships at the Medical School. Memorial contributions may be made to the Hilda and Joel Hamburger, M.D., Scholarship Fund, Office of Medical Development, 301 E. Liberty St., Suite 400, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48104.

David H. Jones, M.D. (Residency 1966), died in his sleep on June 24, 2008, at age 74. After earning his bachelor’s and medical degrees and completing a psychiatry residency at the University of North Carolina, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Jones then came to the U-M for residency training in ophthalmology, and returned to North Carolina to establish an ophthalmology practice in 1966. He remained there until retiring in 1988. When not working or on call, Jones spent time outdoors and with his family. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and working on his farm.

Arthur Edward Klemme (M.D. 1945), of Westminster, Colorado, died on August 27, 2008, at age 85. He attended Miami University of Ohio for his undergraduate degree before coming to the U-M Medical School. Klemme served in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 1946-48 and, from 1954-84, practiced obstetrics and gynecology at the Boulder Medical Center.

Nathan Dennis Munro (M.D. 1940) died on August 24, 2008. He was 93. Munro graduated from Culver Military Academy before attending the U-M for his undergraduate and medical training. He then completed a surgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1944, and served for two years in the U.S. Navy aboard the U.S.S. Burns during World War II. He returned to Jackson, Michigan, in 1946 and began a 35-year career as a surgeon, following in the footsteps of his father and uncle. Today his son and grandson carry on that tradition. Munro was a devoted member of the staff at Foote Hospital, serving for a time as chief of staff. He enjoyed fly fishing, golf and travel. In accordance with his wishes, his body has been donated to the U-M Medical School.

Ronald Hiroyuki Nishiyama (M.D. 1957, Residencies 1960 and 1962), age 76, died on September 12, 2008. After completing a pathology residency at the U-M, he was commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, serving two years in Japan. Nishiyama then joined the faculty at the U-M Medical School, becoming professor of pathology in 1970. While at the U-M, he received the Elizabeth Crosby Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Basic Sciences. In 1979 Nishiyama became the chief of surgical pathology and professor of pathology at the University of Vermont. He retired as chief of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Maine Medical Center in 1997. Nishiyama was recognized internationally as an outstanding endocrine pathologist.

Jerome Van Gasse (M.D. 1952), 81, died July 1, 2008, in Ann Arbor. In addition to his medical degree, Van Gasse earned a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Public Health from the U-M. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Van Gasse authored several books and was a frequent contributor to the Norway Current, a newspaper near his hometown of Iron Mountain, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Friends

Sally A. Berg, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, died June 12, 2008. She was 79. Berg was an integral part of the many successful business ventures of her husband of 55 years, Donald R. Berg, including the popular Corner Bar in Rockford, Michigan. A devoted Republican, she served three terms on the Republican Party executive committee for the state of Michigan. Sally and Donald Berg were loyal supporters of Alzheimer’s disease research in the Medical School. Donald Berg died on September 30, 2007. Contributions in their memory may be made to the Donald R. and Sally A. Berg Fund for Research in Alzheimer’s Disease, Office of Medical Development, 301 E. Liberty St., Suite 400, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48104.

Dorothy E. Trimby, age 93, of DeWitt, Michigan, died on August 16, 2008. Trimby earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Michigan in 1937, and participated in many community and volunteer activities in the Lansing area, including the Sparrow Hospital Gift Shop. Her husband of 63 years, Robert H. Trimby (M.D. 1940, Residency 1943), a highly respected pediatrician whom she met at Michigan, preceded her in death on February 16, 2001. In 2005, Dorothy established the Dr. Robert H. and Dorothy E. Trimby Scholarship Fund in the Medical School to help others in their goal of becoming U-M physicians.