It is the saddest aspect of our coming of age as a medical school, now 45 years since our founding in 1964, that we say goodbye to many men and women who founded this College and helped to bring us to where we are today. It is our hope that these messages do not burden all of you, but rather give you a moment to write a note, make a call, or simply reflect on what these people have meant to you in your own professional and personal life. Some of us who were touched personally by David put together our remembrances to share with you.
David Kallen PhD died April 20. David was our trusted colleague and friend. He always brought to us a point of view that we had not considered, and perhaps had not wanted to consider. He was passionate in his ideals and his desire to create a system of medical education that would result in better doctors and better health for all. Dr. Kallen was a sociologist who joined the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development at its inception and was a founding member. He was an active researcher and administrative guru for the Department. One of his proudest moments was winning the Proxmire Golden Fleece Award for an NIH study on the Sexual Behaviors of College Students, a seminal study.
Although he retired in 2000, Dr. Kallen continued to be very active serving the Department and Sparrow Hospital in different capacities. Among his many interests, Dr. Kallen had a strong interest in history and had started working to archive some of the history of the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development prior to his death. He is known lovingly for his excellent sense of humor, including the wit with which he wrote the early Department Annual Reports. He will be missed by all of us who were fortunate to know him.
Dr. Kallen is survived by his wife of 17 years, Sandra, and three children, Hugh of Kalamazoo, Nina of Boston, and Ben of Los Angeles, plus several grandchildren and stepchildren. The funeral was Friday, April 24 at 11:00am at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 201 E. Jefferson in Grand Ledge. Donations may be made to the church or to Congregation Kehillat Israel, 2014 Forest Road, Lansing MI 48910.
Marsha D. Rappley, MD
Dean, College of Human Medicine
To Lansing State Journal obituary