Deceased August 16, 2019
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In Memory
The class has lost one of its superstars with the death of Don Lindberg after a fall on Aug. 16, 2019, only months after he was with us for our 65th reunion.
Don was a native of Brooklyn, where he attended Poly Prep. At Amherst, he was a biology major and a member of Phi Gam. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated magna cum laude.
Don attended Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, graduating in 1958, and continued his training in pathology. He moved to the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he became the forefather of computer applications to medicine and the founding president of the American Medical Information Association.
In 1984 he became the director of the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health and served until 2015. He embraced the Internet early, and he told us at our 60th reunion panel “The Playing Field Has Changed” how he facilitated access to the medical literature for both professionals and the public through PubMed, PubMedCentral and MedlinePlus. He also served in a number of appointed capacities in the Bush and Clinton administrations.
Over the years, our paths crossed as colleagues in the world of medical education, and I was embarrassed to be the individual certifying some of his programs for credit. But Don took it in good stride!
Don’s awards and recognition are too numerous to list here, but most memorably his honorary degree from Amherst in 1979 must be mentioned.
In 1956, Don met Mary Musick, a nurse at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and they were married the following year. They had three sons, one of whom predeceased him. In addition to Mary, sons Donald A.B. Lindbergh and Jonathan E.M. Lindberg, and grandchildren Christopher M.J. and Frances M.M. Lindberg survive him.
Hank Tulgan ’54