In Memoriam
Roger Stanley Kimball, '57, MD, CRT, March 26, at age 74. Born in Portland Ore., he specialized in internal medicine and maintained a private practice in San Francisco for more than 40 years.
Kimball received his BA at Stanford in '57 and was also a fellow in the university's cardiology department. He received his MA from UC Berkeley and his MD from Albany Medical School. Kimball completed an internship at Highland Hospital in Oakland and did his residency at UCSF.
A professor of clinical medicine at UCSF, he worked in health services at San Francisco State University for more than 10 years. Kimball leaves behind thousands of patients who were aided by his sound and honest medical advice, and touched by his old-school bedside manner. He is survived by his ex-wife, Patricia Wadsworth Kimball, and his daughters, Keri Ann Margaret Kimball and Dyana Jean Kimball.
James W. Martin, MD '44, January 9, at age 89. Born in San Francisco and raised in Auburn, Calif., he was a fourth-generation Californian. After attending UC Berkeley and Bonn University (Germany), Martin received his BS and MD degrees at Stanford. He also received his MPH degree at UC Berkeley, in Health Administration and Planning.
A surgeon in private practice, Martin was also a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Peshawar in Pakistan. He later worked for the U.S. State Dept in Islamabad. Martin served as medical director at Mercy General Hospital and was a field representative for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO), which took him throughout the United States and Europe.
He held many teaching positions (Sacramento County Hospital and UC Davis Medical School) and served on the finance and quality of care committees for Mercy Hospital and the planning committee for the Board of Catholic Healthcare West in Sacramento. Martin was president of the Sacramento County Medical Society and a recipient of the Golden Stethoscope Award. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Thelma C. Martin; children Maureen Rielli, James L. Martin, and Joan Martin; granddaughter Alison Rielli; and great-granddaughter Ava Winberry.
William G. McGehee, '55, MD '59, March 11, at age 75. He was a member of the faculty at USC Medical School for more than 35 years, where he devoted his career in hematology to the study of coagulation disorders. McGehee was particularly active with the medically underserved populations of Los Angeles and was also a clinician-educator who mentored countless physicians in training.
As a retiree, he lived a quiet life in Cayucos by the Sea, Calif. He is survived by his sister, Mary Lou Janssen, children Margo and Scott, and their mother, Eloise, as well as six grandchildren.
John Mark Molendyk, '63, MD '66, CRT, November 15, at age 71. He was one of the founding directors and partners of The Oregon Clinic, a multidisciplinary medical group, established in l994. Molendyk proudly said, "I was privileged and honored to have the renowned pioneers of modern-day radiation oncology, Dr. Malcolm Bagshaw and Dr. Henry Kaplan, as my Stanford mentors." He believed that because of them and his Stanford education, he received the best start in his specialty.
In February 2008, the Providence Cancer Center opened. Molendyk and his wife dedicated the Dr. John Molendyk Healing Garden in the radiation oncology department. The garden offers a place for respite and honors his patients with his many years of dedicated healing. He is survived by his wife, Denise; children John Jr., Janis Hawkins, and Cheri DuChateau; stepsons Christopher Soika and Jason Soika; and eight grandchildren.
Ralph. J. Spiegl, '45, MD '48, CRT, April 16, at age 86. Known to close friends as "Bud," he attended Lowell High School in San Francisco and began his undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley. Spiegl joined the swim team at Cal, but during his freshman year fate intervened and he contracted polio. His physician told him to transfer to a campus that didn't have so many hills, so the natural choice was Stanford. Spiegl was a pre-med major at Stanford and graduated magna cum laude. After graduation, he applied to Stanford School of Medicine, was accepted, and graduated in 1948.
After his internship at the old Cooper-Lane hospital in San Francisco, subsequent training took Spiegl to Peter Bent Brigham in Boston, and the National Heart Hospital in London. He then returned to Stanford and became Dr. Arthur Bloomfield's chief resident for internal medicine. He retired in 1995 after dedicating himself to the practice of internal medicine for 41 years.
Spiegl was a member of the Stanford Associates-the honor society of alumni and friends that recognizes excellence in volunteer service-since 1968. In recognition of his 35 years of volunteer service, he was given four separate awards by the Stanford Associates, culminating with the Gold Spike Award in 1999. In 2003, he received another signal honor-Stanford School of Medicine's highest honor for dedicated volunteer service: the Dean's Medal. Spiegl is survived by his wife, Marilyn; children Jacqui Spiegl, Lori Spiegl, Carin Pollock, and Bob Spiegl; stepchildren Sherry King, Deborah Clansky, and Jim Clansky; and several grandchildren and stepgrandchildren.
Kenneth L. Tuttle, MD '64, January 28, at age 73. Born in Muskegon Mich., he originally went to Syracuse University on a football scholarship. Known affectionately to colleagues and friends as "Tut," he devoted nearly 40 years as a general surgeon at Merle West Medical Center (now Sky Lakes Medical Center) in Klamath Falls, Ore.
Tuttle gained national attention in 2003 when he answered an emergency call to treat a teenage boy who had accidentally shot himself in the stomach. The teen could not be moved, due to bad weather, so Tuttle traveled 100 miles with a state police escort in a severe snowstorm to save the boy's life. According to his family and colleagues, Tuttle frequently did not charge patients who were uninsured or could not afford treatment.
Along with his family and grandchildren, Tuttle enjoyed working at his ranch and was a lifelong member of the Guide Outfitters of British Columbia, as well as many medical organizations. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Karen Tuttle; children Lynn, Lee Ann, and Kenny; and four grandchildren.