Charles Bernard Carpenter ’55

Charles Bernard Carpenter ’55 died September 30, 2011, after a struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. As a premedical student and Rufus Choate Scholar, he attended Dartmouth Medical School as an undergraduate, subsequently receiving his M.D. from Harvard. A member of Alpha Theta, “Bernie” also served as a member of Dartmouth College Union, dormitory operations and Air Force ROTC. After graduation from Harvard in 1958 Bernie interned and took a subsequent residency at Cornell University/Bellevue. He then served as a medical officer in Japan, returning to Boston, where for the next 44 years he was a pioneer in organ transplantation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Harvard Medical School. He helped to develop the field of immunogenics, a necessary corollary to transplantation. An author of more than 380 professional papers and medical textbook chapters, he served as the director of the laboratory of immunogenics and transplantation at BWH. In 1966 he was named one of “Ten Outstanding Young Men of Greater Boston.” It was the first of many national awards, including the Charles B. Carpenter Transplant Fellowship, awarded to renal transplant fellows to pursue further training. Four prestigious medical schools honored him with visiting professorships and several national medical boards named him as a member. Bernie served Dartmouth as a member of the class executive committee, leadership agent and class agent. In October 2008 the class awarded him the Class of 1955 Award. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sandra, sons Bradford ’82 and Scott and four grandchildren.