More than 110 alumni and friends came back to Harvard School of Dental Medicine on Alumni Day, Friday, June 3, to celebrate with their fellow classmates and mentors. The day featured a special tribute the School’s oldest living alumnus Walter Guralnick, DMD41, on his 75th reunion. Attendees included graduates of the reunion classes of 1956, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006.
Lawrence Gettleman, DMD66; Nadeem Karimbux, DMD91, MMSc93, PD93; and Sheila Riggs, DMSc91, PD91 were presented with Distinguished Alumni Awards in honor of their work in as educators, clinicians, administrators, inventors, researchers, and advocates.
“The purpose of the Distinguished Alumni Awards is to identify and recognize individuals who have made significant contributions that honor the mission of the School, in addition to supporting HSDM with the generosity of their time, talent and philanthropic commitments,” said Dean Bruce Donoff, DMD67, MD73.
Following the alumni awards, Leonard Kaban, DMD69, MD73 served as master of ceremonies for the tribute to Walter Guralnick, DMD41.
“Dr. Guralnick has been my teacher, mentor, professional colleague, and friend for more than 45 years. He is such a huge legend and giant figure in the specialty of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS),” Dr. Kaban said.
He remarked that at nearly 100 years of age Dr. Guralnick still goes to work three days a week and continues to be sought after for his advice and judgment.
Dr. Kaban introduced a panel of colleagues, fellow surgeons, friends, and a Guralnick family member, who each spoke fondly about Dr. Guralnick (affectionately known as Wally).
“I’ve been at MGH for last 61 years…in my view there has been no one as outstanding as Walter Guralnick. He’s a great surgeon, a great innovator, a great mentor, a great leader, an extraordinary and thoughtful and sensitive advisor, and a wonderful friend,” said Dr. W. Gerald Austen, Chairman of the Chiefs’ Council, Massachusetts General Hospital. “We thank you so much for all you have done for OMFS worldwide,” he said.
“Of all those achievements for which he’s been singled out today, all of those remarkable elements of a life that continues to be well lived, both personal and professional, are the very ones that we’ve always recognized from the time we were little kids,” said his son Peter Guralnick, speaking on behalf of the family.
“All of us wanted to grow up to emulate our father’s principled life, his dedicated service, not just to the community, but to a future that he was always pointing us towards, he said.
At the end of the tribute it was Dr. Guralnick himself stole the show with his closing remarks.
“I’m sure that many of you are sitting here with insatiable curiosity thinking, ‘What is Wally going to do with his next century?’ Well, I have a secret and I think its time to reveal that secret,” Dr. Guralnick said. He divulged that when he was applying for college he sent one application to the Harvard Law School and received a letter from the dean granting him admission.
“I wrote back a very cordial note of thanks for their admission and told them that I appreciated it, I just wasn’t quite ready to come, and would they grant me a deferral. They responded, ‘Yes you just let us know when you’re ready.’ A few weeks ago I wrote back and said ‘I’m ready.’”
Watch the tribute to Dr. Guralnick.
