Deceased August 13, 2014
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50th Reunion Book Entry
In Memory
I was saddened to hear that Dick Kozera died suddenly in August 2014. Dick and I were Chi Phi roommates; he was a chemistry major. Although he came across as serious-minded, he had both a sharp wit and a warm heart. Dick was an avid golfer and lover of classical music, especially when played by the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Dick was from Hadley, well within striking range on weekends, and I went home with him several times. His parents were wonderful people, and they took me in—I felt like they were almost my adopted parents; maybe they felt sorry for me, being a displaced Virginian. Dick’s father was a club manager.
Dick had an interesting career, starting with Yale Med School after Amherst. He reported to me in an email that “my class had only 80 students, so about one-third the size of Amherst’s class, but I sensed a certain professional distance from the faculty, although they were more than willing to carry on conversations related to education and career.” Following Yale and earning his M.D., Dick began his residency at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, then joined the U.S. Navy for a two-year stint; he was sent to Danang, Vietnam, then to Boston Naval Hospital, where he completed his residency in internal medicine, later specializing in endocrinology. Dick ended up as executive associate dean at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, focusing on administration and training of new doctors.
Dick married Virginia (“Ginny”), a lawyer, in 1972, and they had three children: Leslie, Brian and Matthew. Ginny died in 2002. Dick reported in 2012, “Have a friend Tina (platonic) who has been a physician, a dancer and now a therapeutic horticulturalist.”
Dick leaves behind three grandchildren: Paige, Josephine and Avery.
John Whitney ’61