Class of ’54: Changing the Lives of Medical Students

David Kluge (MD ’54) and his classmates have been getting together regularly since their 30th reunion in 1984. At breakfast following that reunion, Kluge and his peers talked about setting up an endowed scholarship fund for a medical student to attend the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD). This scholarship would be their way of thanking the school for the lives and careers it made possible, while also helping a deserving student.

The initial class goal was to offer a scholarship by their 35th reunion. They accomplished that goal by raising $50,000, but wanted to do more. Every year since 1989, they have been resetting and increasing their fundraising goals. “It was apparent that by our 50th reunion we might reach $1 million,” says Kluge, a retired Rochester-based surgeon who has been spearheading efforts along the way. “What seemed like a dream became our new goal.”

The group’s dedication paid off. At their 50th reunion in 2004, the class presented a check for $1,180,000 to David S. Guzick, MD, who served as the school’s dean from 2002–2009. Today, the Class of 1954 Scholarship fund is the largest of its kind at SMD. Worth more than $1.4 million, it has helped more than 100 medical students.