The weekend was pure joy, times two: While members of the DMU Class of 2013 and their loved ones reveled in their status as graduates during Commencement festivities May 24-25, alumni with “milestone” class years toured campus and traded tales of their student days. United in pride for their alma mater and their own achievements, both groups marched together in the Commencement ceremony on May 25.
“This is an exciting day for all of us,” said DMU President Angela Walker Franklin, Ph.D., at the event. “With health care reform calling for an increase in the number of primary health care providers and other skilled professionals, it is a time of unprecedented opportunity for the University and our graduates.”
Business first: On May 24, members of the Class of 2013 get an overview of the Saturday Commencement ceremony in the Student Education Center Auditorium.This calls for a party: Members of the DMU community bask in Commencement joy and the May sunshine at one of the University’s most festive occasions, the graduation picnic.
Todd Wical, DO’13, shares a proud moment at DMU’s military commissioning and promotion ceremony with his wife, Kim Chaffin Wical, D.O.’14, right, and family members.On Friday, May 24, the DMU community took over downtown Des Moines’ Veterans Memorial Convention Center for a celebratory reception, followed by banquets for alumni and the University’s three colleges. The festivities are long awaited and much deserved. “Medical school is delayed gratification at its finest,” said Jeffrey Weber, D.P.M.’13.
Celebrating graduation brings out cameras, cocktail dresses, lots of loved ones and a surplus of smiles. Above, Katie Kim, a 2013 graduate of the physician assistant program, enjoys her achievement with her children.The May 24 Commencement banquets were a time to honor high-achieving graduates in academic excellence, leadership, service and research.DMU Trustee Susan Beck, D.O.’84, congratulates Dante Caleb-Samuel Dali, D.O.’13.Jolene Kelly, PA-C’96, M.P.A.S., physician assistant program director and chair, fourth from left, joins 2013 inductees into the Pi Alpha Honor Society.2013 graduates Daniel Dodge and Craig Schuring accept the Internal Medicine Discipline Award from DMU lecturer Michael Flood, D.O.’77.
White House doctor delivers keynote
Eleanor Concepcion Mariano, M.D., FACP (right), with DMU President Angela Walker Franklin, Ph.D., has taken care of some of the most powerful people in the world, but she’s never forgotten her humble roots.
In 1992, Eleanor Concepcion “Connie” Mariano, M.D., FACP, found herself at the White House with four other doctors “who looked like Tom Cruise out of ‘Top Gun.’” They were all candidates for the prestigious post of White House doctor.
“I thought I must be the token woman, Asian, the short person being interviewed for the job,” Mariano said in her keynote speech at DMU’s Commencement ceremony, where she also was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree.
During that White House interview, Mariano said she wanted the job because “it’s payback time. I owe a lot to the United States of America…If I can repay my debt by serving the commander in chief, that’s what I want to do.”
She did just that, as the first military woman in American history to be appointed White House physician for President George H.W. Bush. In 1994, she became the first woman director of the White House Medical Unit and was chosen by President Bill Clinton to serve as his personal physician. Commissioned as a U.S. Navy lieutenant upon graduating from the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine in 1981, she also is the first Filipino American in history to become a Navy rear admiral, in 2000.
In her keynote, Mariano advised graduates to “pick a life partner who believes in you….Be open to opportunity….Never underestimate the power of prayer and faith” and “be grateful.”
“Abolish the word ‘fear’ from your vocabulary,” she added. “Do not allow it to rule your life.”
Founder and now president of the Center for Executive Medicine, a medical concierge practice in Scottsdale, AZ, Mariano noted to the graduates, “Of all your achievements in life, you will be judged many times by your character and your personal behavior….If you make one misstep or misconduct, it can negate all the good things you’ve achieved. So make sure you’re proud of your personal conduct.”
Smiles are widest and loved ones of all ages are abundant at Commencement, for good reason. “Medical school is a marathon, not a race,” said Annette Bartel, D.P.M.’13, M.P.H.’13. “When it comes down to the whole DMU experience, you don’t go through it alone. At graduation, you reflect on all the people who’ve helped you along the way – DMU, the community, your family and friends. There are trying times, but they’re all worth it.”Marcia Angue Obiang, D.O.’13, waves the flag of her home country, Gabon. She is joined by Starlette Dossou, a graduate of DMU’s physician assistant program. Also attending the celebration were Obiang’s mother, Louise Angue, a Gabon Supreme Court justice, and Michael Moussa-Adamo, the African nation’s ambassador to the United States.
2013 Alumni Reunion
This year launched a new tradition in DMU alumni reunions: The University honored milestone alumni by awarding silver medallions to the Class of 1988 and gold medallions to members of the Class of 1963 and earlier classes. These graduates rekindled memories, met students and marveled at DMU’s state-of-the-art campus. They formalized their medallion status by leading the Class of 2013 in the processional for DMU’s 113th annual Commencement ceremony on May 25.
Making the weekend even more special was the recognition of Sara E. Sutton, D.O.’53, FAAO, as a Pioneer in Osteopathic Medicine for her profound contributions to osteopathic manual diagnosis and treatment. She is DMU’s sixth Pioneer and the first woman to receive the honor.
Medallion alumni included Christopher Unrein, D.O.’88, and Carolyn Stockdale Bailey, D.O.’63.
Members of the Class of 1963 toured a campus they never attended: When they were students, DMU – then the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery – was located on Sixth Avenue, downtown Des Moines.K.P. and Karen McCaffery and Barb and Roger Monsour have been friends since the two men roomed together as members of the Class of 1963. Each couple has been married for more than 50 years.
An Osteopathic Pioneer
DMU President Angela Walker Franklin, Ph.D., above at right, recognizes Sara Sutton, D.O.’58, FAAO, as a Pioneer in Osteopathic Medicine. A family medical practitioner, Sutton has been a national force in applying, teaching and promoting muscle energy technique, a type of osteopathic manual medicine (OMM). “One of my greatest honors has been to care for patients,” she said at the May 24 Pioneer event.
The 1988 DMU Alumna of the Year, Sutton is past president of the American Academy of Osteopathy and recipient of its highest honor, the A.T. Still Medallion. She maintains a part-time practice in Des Moines and frequently hosts students in her home for OMM practice sessions. The plaque at left adorns the north exterior of DMU’s Academic Center.
The University’s newly minted gold-medallion alumni – members of the Class of 1963 and earlier classes – join DMU President Franklin, DMU Board Chair Larry Baker, D.O.’77, far right, and Robert Suter, D.O.’89, M.H.A.’89, new president of the DMU Alumni Association Board, back row, second from right.Harry Stenzel, D.O.’63, and Gilbert Bucholz, D.O.’58, proudly display their gold medallions. Bucholz is a member of the DMU Board of Trustees.Class of 1988 members Richard Krizmanich, D.O., John Seifert, D.O., and Mark Enander, D.P.M., raise a toast to their silver-medallion status.Arthur Angove, D.O.’62, a member of the DMU Board of Trustees, and his niece, Stephanie Leeds, stand with Marcia Grassman Hammers, B.H.A.’88, who concluded her tenure as president of the DMU Alumni Association Board during reunion weekend.Norman Rose, D.O.’63, enjoys a laugh with DMU students. Past chair of the University’s anatomy department, Rose now practices in Fort Lauderdale, FL. As a student, he persuaded then-Dean John Shumaker, Ph.D., to pay him $25 to produce a mimeographed student newspaper, The Pulse. He also was among a group of students who painted the exterior of the college’s clinic building downtown. Rose produced an audio/visual CD about the Class of 1963 that was shown during the reunion.William Stanley, D.O.’63, shares some DMU memories with Neil Bailey, reunion guest of Carolyn Stockdale Bailey, D.O.’63.Murray Goldstein, D.O.’50, congratulates 2013 osteopathic medical graduate Yoshihiro Ozaki, standing at right, and members of his family.
Sara “Sally” Sutton, D.O.’53, FAAO, who was honored by DMU as a Pioneer in Osteopathic Medicine on May 24, chats with Norman Rose and G
ershon Weiner, both members of the Class of 1963, prior to the Commencement ceremony. Medallion alumni – members of the 25-, 50-year and earlier classes – led the processional.Let the processional commence! The University awarded 486 degrees in May in its nine programs – 230 by the College of Osteopathic Medicine; 44 by the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery; and 212 by the College of Health Sciences.
Medallion alumni don graduation garb rather than white coats and await their call to lead the Commencement processional.Time to lead a special march: DMU’s medallion alumni, including Class of 1963 members Earl Walters and Harry Stenzel, prepare to lead the DMU Class of 2013 in the Commencement processional.Gold medallion alumni include reunion attendees and Class of 1963 members Roger Monsour, K.P. McCaffery, Carolyn Stockdale Bailey, William Stanley and Earl Walters.
Above beam Gale-Leesa Jurczenko and Victor Jurczenko, D.O.’63.
