Burton Mallett Onofrio ’54

Burton Mallett Onofrio ’54, M.D., passed away in Rochester, Minnesota, on December 8, 2022. The Norwalk, Connecticut, native graduated from Norwalk High with participation in student council, dramatics, and yearbook. At Dartmouth he was a Kappa Kappa Kappa with a premed major and earned an M.D. in 1955. He then earned his M.D. from Cornell in 1957, followed by an internship and two years of general surgery at New York Hospital Medical Center. He enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in Japan, where he met and married Judith in 1960. After discharge, he took a general surgical residency in Rochester’s Mayo Clinic with a neurosurgery specialty. In 1964 he returned to the Navy as a neurosurgeon at Bethesda Naval Hospital, then rejoined Mayo’s department of neurosurgery in 1968, where he performed rare and complex spinal surgeries. Burt was a leader within numerous professional societies and organizations. Regarded as one of the world’s most experienced spine surgeons, he was also a venerated teacher. His three-month unit in the resident’s program has been described as “an unforgettable educational experience.” An Onofrio professorship was funded in 2011. He was also interested in collecting art, gardening, baking pies, and completing crossword puzzles. He retired in 1995, but after a commuter year as a guest professor in Boston, took a position as mentor and assistant surgeon at Mayo’s satellite hospital in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. He finally retired in 2015. He is survived by Judith; children Scott, Gregg, and Jennifer; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister.