William M. Michener ’51

William M. Michener ’51, M.D., a distinguished pediatrician and educator of pediatric medical students and residents, died in Naples, Florida, on September 28, 2017. At Dartmouth Bill majored in chemistry-zoology and was a member of Sigma Nu and the varsity track team. He went on to receive his M.D. at Tufts Medical School, along with 16 Dartmouth classmates. He interned at Walter Reed Army Hospital and served two years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Following a pediatric fellowship at the Mayo Clinic he joined the Cleveland Clinic with a rare specialty in pediatric gastroenterology. Bill was the author of more than 100 articles on ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. While at the Cleveland Clinic he served as director of education, overseeing the training of young medical students. He was a member of the medical faculties at Cleveland Clinic and Ohio State University. Bill interrupted his career in Cleveland to spend five years as a leader of a new department of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. While there he served as president of the Dartmouth Club of New Mexico. He was honored with the Mayo Clinic’s Distinguished Pediatric Alumnus Award and the Edward John Nobel Foundation Award for development of leadership potential. Bill served on the board of Planned Parenthood in Cleveland. He found time to indulge lifelong interests in fishing and tennis. Bill’s wife, Roxie, predeceased him in May 2017. Surviving are children Peter ’80 and Sarah and three grandchildren.