In Memoriam: Spring/Summer 25

ALUMNI

1950

Joe Willie Wiggins died on Dec. 4, 2024. In 1969, he joined Jacksonville Pathology Associates, where he serviced the local Baptist hospitals in Jacksonville, Florida, until his retirement in the mid-1980s.

1953

Earl Galleher (HS, urology, 1953–54; faculty, 1959–61), a urological surgeon, died on Dec. 7, 2024, within days of his wife’s death. He participated in the first kidney transplant at the University of Maryland and taught and mentored students, interns and residents at the university.

1960

Allen Pusch (A&S ’56; HS, pathology, 1960–64; PGF, pathology, 1960–64), a pathologist and dedicated educator, died on Nov. 19, 2024. He served as assistant director of pathology at State University of New York Upstate Medical Center and associate director of clinical pathology at University Hospital in Syracuse, New York. Pusch was a lifelong educator who strived to share his expertise with students and inspire the next generation of medical professionals.

1962

Roger L. Sopher, 88, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, died on Jan. 19. After serving in the U.S. Air Force and completing medical research, he worked as a professor and head of the Department of Pathology at the University of North Dakota until his retirement.

1964

Kenneth Quickel Jr. (HS, medicine, 1964–66), 85, died on Dec. 29, 2024, in Stillwater, Minnesota. After completing his training, Quickel moved to Danville, Pennsylvania, where he was an endocrinologist and eventually became vice president of Geisinger Medical Center. He concluded his career by serving as president of Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

1965

Clyde McAllister died on Nov. 11, 2024. Following his internship, he spent over 23 years doing varied assignments for the U.S. Navy and attended the Navy aeronautical school to become a flight surgeon. In 1986, he was assigned to NATO in Brussels to help improve multinational coordination around medical standards and equipment. He retired from the Navy with the rank of captain and pursued his hobbies.

John Garland died on July 8, 2024. He was an endocrinologist in West Palm Beach, Florida, for over two decades before retiring in 2005.

J. Crossan O’Donovan, 85, died at his home in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Jan. 19. After medical school and serving in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, O’Donovan moved back to Maryland and founded a thriving pediatric practice in Dundalk that served families for more than 40 years.

1973

Everett Ray Knight, 72, died after a battle with Parkinson’s disease and brain tumors. A dedicated physician, Knight built a successful career as a diagnostician and mentor in southern Indiana and metro Louisville, Kentucky. In 1979, he founded his solo practice and established a community-based residency program. He was also a passionate craftsman, known for his work in restoring a 1951 Porsche roadster and building Windsor chairs and Federal furniture.

1975

Shelby R. Wilkes died on Dec. 28, 2024. After medical training, he settled in Atlanta and founded Atlanta Eye Consultants, where he became the first Black retinal surgeon in Georgia and first retinal surgeon of any race to establish a retinal outpatient surgical center in Georgia.

FORMER FACULTY, FELLOWS & RESIDENTS/HOUSE STAFF

Alexander Sloan Townes (HS, internal medicine, 1957–58; PGF, rheumatology, medicine, 1959–61; faculty, 1961–72) died at his home on Oct. 15, 2024. He had a long, distinguished career as a clinician, medical educator and pioneer researcher in the field of rheumatology. He served as faculty, chief of rheumatology and associate chair of medicine at the University of Tennessee before moving to the Nashville VA Hospital as faculty, the associate dean for veterans affairs, and chief of staff.

Stephen Schwartz (HS, orthopedic surgery, 1963–66) died at his home in Pleasantville, New York. Following medical and surgical training, he served in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam before returning home to work for his father’s orthopaedic medicine practice. He later started his own practice and was on the staff for over four decades at White Plains Hospital.

Edward Velayos (PGF, rheumatology, medicine, 1964–66) died on Oct. 6, 2024, after an extended illness. He practiced at the Ardmore Arthritis Clinic and Arthritis Center of Denton, Texas, and served as president of the Rotary Club of Denton South. In this role, he established the first city-to-city project between Ardmore and Piura, Peru, to send needed medical supplies and medications to help build a clinic.

Junius Clark (PGF, cell biology and anatomy, 1967–69) died on Oct. 28, 2024, at the age of 84. He began his career as a microbiologist in academic settings, including at the Thomas Jefferson University Medical College in Philadelphia and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He spent the majority of his career with Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute, where he co-authored many peer-reviewed studies and had expertise in animal modes of infection.

Sherrill Calvin Cheeks (HS, psychiatry, 1967), 91, died on Feb. 16 in Westminster, Maryland. For 30 years, Cheeks was clinical director of Springfield Hospital Center in Sykesville. During his tenure, he established five clinics for post-traumatic stress disorder to serve Vietnam veterans and maintained a private practice at Re-Entry Mental Health Services until his retirement.

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