A tale of two classmates—one from the East Coast, the second from the West Coast, both from big cities; one African American, the second Anglo; one positively influenced by two African-American lawyers who had attended Dartmouth, the second influenced by his cousin in the class of ’62; one wanted a medium-sized school and rejected several other opportunities, the second didn’t want to attend school “in his back yard” and didn’t have other suitable opportunities; one a first-generation American whose father was a dentist, having started by rolling cigars in a factory while listening to The New York Times being read by a colleague, the father of the second owned a chemical plant, which started his son’s interest in chemistry; one Christian, who joined the Dartmouth Christian Union and sang in the choir in small churches around New England, the second Jewish who can’t carry a tune, but both joined the same fraternity; one majored in psychology, the second in chemistry. They returned to their hometowns to attend medical school, Columbia and University of Southern California; each has been married, divorced and married to a second spouse; each one has made a significant impact on the College or medicine. They encountered challenges of an extreme nature and dealt with them successfully. Before they were 40 years old, each was on the way to becoming blind.


Stan Roman saw needs in Harlem Hospital early in medical school. He’s particularly proud of a summer project he did with other medical students. Their award-winning report stimulated the N.Y.C. Health Department to start providing contraceptives. His career has included eight years as a dean at Dartmouth Medical School (1980-87), dean of Morehouse School of Medicine (1987-90), trustee of the College (1992-2002) and dean of the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education (1990-2009). Before 1980 Stan started to lose his sight from hereditary glaucoma, and by 1988 he could no longer drive. He transitioned to administrative positions with increasing responsibility. He had to memorize speeches and sharpen his other senses, especially listening. His accomplishments include increasing entry of qualified minorities into medical school and improvements in primary care. His daughter Mawiyah is a psychologist. Stan and wife Norma Dabney live in Philadelphia.


Don Schwartz was in physical diagnosis class when his partner noticed something unusual about Don’s eyes, confirmed by the professor as retinitis pigmentosa. That didn’t stop Don from completing medical school, residency in pediatrics, research in the U.S. Public Health Service at the National Cancer Institute and a fellowship in hematology-oncology. For 10 years he was director of pediatric hematology-oncology at San Diego Children’s, where he started the bone-marrow transplant program and one of the first Ronald McDonald Houses. By 1984 he could not drive or work, so retired. While learning to windsurf, he met his second wife, Sonia. In retirement Don cares for their dogs, cooks, uses e-mail and listens to The Washington Post regularly. He has two sons, Daniel ’94 and Jonathan, and two grandsons. Don and Sonia live in Holiday, Florida.


Both of these classmates are extraordinarily positive, interesting individuals. Make your day: Call Stan or Don.


—Phil Schaefer, Box 1278, Grantham, NH 03753; (603) 863-1178; philschaefer42@gmail.com