Pediatric and Developmental Pathology 17, 165-168, 2014 DOI: 10.2350/14-02-1442-PB.1 © 2014 Society fo r Pediatric Pathology
Founders o f Pediatric Pathology: Remembering Dr M arie Valdes-Dapena M . D a r ia H a u s t 1
and
E n id F. G ilbert-B arness 2
'Department of Pathology, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada 2Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Florida 33601, USA
For us, the two remaining friends of the “ Three Graces” (“ The Three Golden Girls” ) [1] to have the opportunity to pay homage to Dr Marie (Molly) Valdes-Dapena on the first anniversary of her passing on Saturday, September 29, 2012, is a sentimental and a loving journey. This homage addresses succinctly Molly’s professional achievements, provides examples of her deep devotion to the family, accounts briefly the final years of her life, and devotes the remaining memorial notes to reflections of her personality that endeared her to so many people. For a considerably detailed report on Molly’s professioal and personal life, the interested reader is referred to a 2006 report [1]. THE BRIEF ACCOUNT OF MOLLY'S PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY Dr Marie (Molly) Valdes-Dapena was bom July 14, 1921, in Pottsville, PA. Upon high school graduation with a BSc in 1941, she enrolled in Medicine at the Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM), obtaining the MD degree in 1944. Thereafter she studied and practiced pathology at several medical centers in Philadelphia and held an appointment at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (UPSM). In 1959, she left UPSM to begin a new chapter of her life by joining Dr James Arey at St Christopher’s Hospital for Children (“ St Chris” ), also in Philadelphia. Dr Arey was a giant in, and one of the founders of, pediatric pathology. At TUSM, she was rapidly promoted, becoming Professor in two depart ments, Pathology and Pediatrics. In 1976, Molly and family moved to Miami, FL. She spent the next 20 extraordinary and productive years in education, service, and research at the Jackson Memorial Medical Center and the University of Miami School of Medicine. She held the rank of Professor until her retirement in 1994. Molly returned to the northeast in 1996 to be close to her family in Media, PA. Whereas the full range and impact of Molly’s gifts to observe, investigate, and report became effective and recognized following her years at St Chris and the “ Miami time” , her inherent talents were evident early in her career. In 1957, 2 years before joining Dr Arey, Molly published An Atlas o f Fetal and Neonatal Histology
Figure 1. The Three Graces at the last reunion— Spring m eeting o f th e Society fo r Pediatric Pathology, San A ntonio, TX, February 26-27, 2005. Left: Dr Enid G ilbertBarness; center Dr Marie Valdes-Dapena; right. Dr M. Daria Haust.
(“ The Atlas” ) [2]. The Atlas was far ahead of other much-needed resources for the study of perinatal diseases. It was augmented in 1975 with her book Histology o f the Fetus and Newborn [3] before leaving for Miami. Molly had an illustrious career in Pediatric Pathol ogy. She authored or co-authored 75 publications in peerreviewed journals, 7 books, 22 chapters in scientific books, and 14 other writings. Of the 118 publications, the majority related to the field of her specialty, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). She pioneered this field and began reporting some observations in 1958 [4], She became a leading researcher and the chief “ debunker” of various SIDS theories, chairing ultimately the Board of Trustees of the National SIDS Foundation and earning the title of “ First Lady of SIDS” [5-8]. While known best for her pioneering work with SIDS, she had an impact on, and was an expert in, broader fields of pediatrics. She was ahead of most physicians recognizing the signs of battered children, and speaking out about child abuse. Her daughter, Chris, recalled that, “ She fought for mothers to be allowed to hold their [dead] child and grieve.”
Molly served on editorial boards of several scientific journals. In 1980 she was elected President of the Pediatric Pathology Club (PPC) later the Society for Pediatric Pathology (SPP). Molly served on many other national and international boards and professional com mittees. She was the recipient of numerous honors and awards and devoted much of her time to a number of her own community’s services. THE DEEP DEVOTION TO THE FAMILY Molly’s daughter Chris commented admiringly, “ She was a pioneer in the study of SIDS, [and was] a leading pediatric pathologist, amongst the first to recognize what is now known as child abuse, and a working mother of eleven children in an era when few women worked and far fewer were doctors” [D. Sapatkin, personal commu nication], Molly raised and educated all of her children. They have been successful in life, and three followed her in the profession. On one occasion, Enid referred lovingly to Molly, “ There was a young woman who lived in a castle, she had so many children, but she always knew what to do.” Indeed, Molly always knew what was best for her children. Dr Cyril D’Cruz, while working at St Christopher’s Hospital with Molly, recalls her devotion to the family and the care for her young children. Their upbringing was remarkably wide and disciplined. On a Saturday, Molly would bring her children to the hospital, settle them down in the library for reading, head to her office for work, and collect them thereafter. At home the children were divided into three rotating teams that took over the household chores of cooking, washing, and cleaning, “ running the place with an efficiency that would be the envy of any corporation” [C. D’Cruz, personal commu nication] And, when on duty Saturday mornings, while her husband slept, she would drive her “ VW-bug home to serve him breakfast in bed,” recalls Dr Sarah Long, a resident at St Christopher’s Hospital in 1970. “ Molly was intensely involved in her children’s school projects,” remembers Dr D’Cruz [C. D’Cruz, personal communica tion]. Molly’s love for, and devotion to, the children remained for life and exceeded the dedication to her profession. Daria recalls one of the examples of that touching priority. In the summer of 1975, the Pediatric Pathology Club conducted a several-day-long symposium on “ Tumors of Infancy and Childhood” upon the invitation of the International Academy of Pathology at the Given Institute in Aspen, CO. In addition to intensive teaching programs, there were attractive social events. It just happened that the visit of Molly’s beloved daughter Chris (married and living in Bermuda) coincided with the symposium; therefore, she came to see her mother in Aspen. Molly participated in the symposium but spent most of her free time with Chris—and cherished every minute of that reunion.
166
M.D. H aust and E.F. G ilbert-B arness
Molly’s daughter Victoria commented in a recent interview, “ I don’t know how long I thought to myself that she wasn’t a mother first, she was a doctor first. But as a mother, in retrospect, she must be remarkable.” And Victoria added, “ It’s kind of awesome” [D. Sapatkin, personal communication, 9], Indeed, Molly was awesome. THE PERSONALITY Molly was already admired as a young medical student, recalls Dr Lewis (Lew) Bamess, Enid’s husband. He was attracted to Molly at the time when they were both interns at the Philadelphia General Hospital and regretted that she was committed already to Dr Antonio Valdes-Dapena, her future husband [L. Bamess, personal communication]. Dr D’Cruz, who was trained by Molly at St Christopher’s Hospital remembers her as a friendly loyal and one who was never known to say an unkind word about anyone. She was eternally cheerful and nothing would get her down. She was truly the “ UNSINKABLE Molly Brown” [C. D’Cruz, personal communication]. She was kind and generous and there were almost always students and residents from other countries who would stay with the Dapenas until they could find their own housing [C. D’Cruz, personal communication]. There was something very special about Molly’s personality that attracted people to her. In some instances, she was singled out from a group of her colleagues for a special status or special hospitality. For example, at the “ creation” of the first ever journal of pediatric pathology by Dr William Blanc (then the president of the Pediatric Pathology Club), he appointed Molly as his Assistant Editor although several other members of the Editorial Board were more senior and more experienced scientific writers than Molly in the field of pediatric pathology. Similarly, Molly was the only member of the PPS-group attending the Interna tional Paediatric Pathology Association meeting in Capetown, South Africa (1991) who was offered hospitality by the host, Dr ROC Kaschula. Somehow, people were truly protective of Molly. Daria recalls one of these protective gestures. In the course of the many professional meetings with both our involvement, we attended a Holy Mass on a Sunday morning, just prior to the earlier scheduled scientific presentation. In some cities the nearest church had to be reached by a subway. In the darkness of this particular time, the travel through a specific segment of the city was considered unsafe and since Daria, committed to an early obligation of the meeting, could not accompany Molly, she urged her not to travel to the church. This conversation was overheard by two colleagues who offered to accompany Molly on that dark morning. They attended the church service with Molly, bringing her safely home—and they weren’t even Catholic! One of the most remarkable characteristics of Molly was her spontaneous offer of help and assistance. It always seemed as if she could sense or anticipate a need of
assistance of a person or a given situation. One was not required to ask for it, because she offered it upon learning of a problem. There are too many examples of this particular feature of Molly, but 3 are chosen, as each represents a different circumstance. 1) To help celebrate her wedding to Lew in Philadephia on July 17, 1976, Enid invited her close friends of the PPC. To facilitate the attendance of some, Molly arranged for their stay at Dr Arey’s house. 2) Upon learning of Daria’s troubled eyesight and her difficulty in securing appropriate expertise for help, Molly arranged spontaneously for her appointment with a world authority in ophthalmology at Philadephia’s center. She facilitated personally the transpor tation, and following the consultation with the expert, she hosted the Canadian friend in her new home (Media, PA). 3) When her husband Antonio was hospitalized in his final stages of life, Molly, knowing that he and Daria had become friends, proposed that she visit him in Miami, FL, interrupting her journey to Costa Rica for a Pediatric Pathology meeting. Molly met Daria (with husband Heinz) for an emotional, brief, and final visit with Tony (who died in 1992). Molly ensured that Daria arrived at Costa Rica as scheduled. THE LATER YEARS OF LIFE
We continued attending the annual events of the SPP with Molly into the early 2000s. In planning our reunion with her at San Diego’s activities in 2002, Molly declared that she would no longer attend the SPP meetings because she had not kept up with the newest knowledge and of late, did not follow the scientific presentations of our programs. We missed Molly’s company at the SPP activities and kept in touch with her in writing and telephone conversations for several years. In early 2005 we developed a plan for an annual reunion with her. When approached by us with the suggestion of assisting Molly to join us at the SPP annual meeting, her son, Mr Daniel Valdes-Dapena, and his wife, Jane, replied and acted with a most admirable generosity of time and spirit, to accompany her to San Antonio for the February 26-27, 2005, meeting. Thus they, as well as Molly’s grandson and his young family, accompanied her for a visit and reunion not only with the two of us, but also with her many other friends and former students present at that spring meeting. These were memorable events, lasting 2 days. Surprisingly, the “ Three Graces” were as close together as they had been throughout the many years. Whereas neither of us missed any aspect of Molly’s personality, some changes were noticed recently by her close family. We are most obliged to her son, Daniel, for providing us with an account of Molly’s final decade and permission for this verbatim publication: “ Due to her
gradually increasing dementia, by early 2002, my mother could no longer manage in her own home. Jane and I took her to visit several assisted living facilities in the area. Based on her reactions and our own assessments we oversaw her move into a facility that was called Chancellor Park, though a few years later it was bought by another company and renamed to Rose Tree Place. There she was provided with three meals a day and management of her medications. For most of that time she had a professional companion service for four hours each weekday afternoon. There were two who were with her for significant periods of time over the years. They would make sure she had clean clothes and would remind her when it was time for the organized activities she enjoyed (eg, bingo and exercise classes). In her last year, of course, she required even more support and ceased to participate in the activities. My siblings agreed on a schedule and each day of the week one or more of them would call her, to make her feel less alone (since she would forget any call or visit soon after it happened). I handled all of her finances and coordinated her medical care. I would visit her once or twice a week to make sure she had whatever supplies she needed (eg, snacks, toiletries) and, when circumstances allowed I would take her out to lunch. I always made sure to take her to hear my wife’s choral group sing every spring and summer. She always loved music and had long enjoyed singing in various amateur groups. Every Christmas we would have her, and Jane’s father, over to our house for dinner and presents.” On Wednesday, September 18, 2012, Daria tele phoned Molly for the last time but she did not come to the telephone. Her companion stated that she was not well. Surrounded by her family, Molly passed away quietly in her Media, PA, home on Saturday, September 29, 2012. A memorial service for Dr “ Molly” Marie ValdesDapena was scheduled for October 20 at 10:00 am at Nativity B.V.M. parish, 30 #, Franklin Street, Media, PA. Molly lives on in our hearts and remains a model for human beings for generations to come. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We wish to express our gratitude to Mr Daniel ValdesDapena and his wife Jane of Media, PA, who provided most generously their time and effort to keep us abreast of Molly’s condition, and contributed the important account of her last years of life. We wish to thank Mr Don Sapatkin, the Public Health Reporter Deputy Health and Science Editor of the Philadephia Inquirer for kindly sharing with us the contents of his interviews with Molly’s family members and providing us with copies of several publications about her life and work. We are indebted to Dr Cyril D’Cruz of the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, for sharing his memories about his time with Molly at the St Christo pher’s Children Hospital in Philadelphia. F ounders
of
P ediatric P athology
167
The photograph of the “ The Three Graces” united at the Spring Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Pathology in San Antonio, February 26-27, 2005 was kindly provided by Dr Maria Rodriguez of Miami, FL. Mrs Elizabeth J. Haust of Toronto, Canada, devoted much time and dedication to maintain contact between the authors and the Editor-in-Chief. She was assisted by Mrs Kathy Lonkey, Dr Enid Gilbert-Barness’ executive secretary, Tampa, FL. REFERENCES 1. Haust MD, Gilbert-Barness EF. Founders of pediatric pathology: Marie Valdes-Dapena. Pediatr Dev Pathol 2006;9:345-352. 2. Valdes-Dapena MA. An Atlas of Fetal and Neonatal Histology. Philadelphia, PA: J.P. Lippincott Co, 1957.
168
M .D . H
aust and
E .F . G il b e r t - B a r n e s s
3. Valdes-Dapena MA. Histology of Fetus and Newborn. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Co, 1975. 4. Valdes-Dapena MA. Crib deaths and focal fibrinoid necrosis of the infant larynx. J. Forensic Sci 1958;3:503-509. 5. Valdes-Dapena MA. Sudden death in infancy: a report for pathologists. Persp Pediatr Pathol 1975;2:1-14. 6. Valdes-Dapena M. SIDS: A review of the medical literature 19741979. Pediatrics 1980;66:597-614. 7. Valdes-Dapena M. A half century of progress: the evolution o f SIDS research. In: Rogrum TO, ed. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: New Trends in the Nineties. Oslo, Norway: Scandinavian University Press, 1995:3-10. 8. Valdes-Dapena M, Gilbert-Barness E. Sudden and unexpected death in infants. In: Gilbert-Barness E, ed. Potter’s Pathology of the Fetus and Infant. St Louis, MO: Mosby-Year Book, Inc, 1997. 9. Sapatkin D. Marie Valdes-Dapena, pathologist, pioneering researcher on SIDS, and mother of 11 children. The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 1, 2012: Section/B2-B6.
Copyright of Pediatric & Developmental Pathology is the property of Allen Press Publishing Services Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
Founders o f Pediatric Pathology: Remembering Dr M arie Valdes-Dapena M . D a r ia H a u s t 1
and
E n id F. G ilbert-B arness 2
'Department of Pathology, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada 2Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Florida 33601, USA
For us, the two remaining friends of the “ Three Graces” (“ The Three Golden Girls” ) [1] to have the opportunity to pay homage to Dr Marie (Molly) Valdes-Dapena on the first anniversary of her passing on Saturday, September 29, 2012, is a sentimental and a loving journey. This homage addresses succinctly Molly’s professional achievements, provides examples of her deep devotion to the family, accounts briefly the final years of her life, and devotes the remaining memorial notes to reflections of her personality that endeared her to so many people. For a considerably detailed report on Molly’s professioal and personal life, the interested reader is referred to a 2006 report [1]. THE BRIEF ACCOUNT OF MOLLY'S PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY Dr Marie (Molly) Valdes-Dapena was bom July 14, 1921, in Pottsville, PA. Upon high school graduation with a BSc in 1941, she enrolled in Medicine at the Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM), obtaining the MD degree in 1944. Thereafter she studied and practiced pathology at several medical centers in Philadelphia and held an appointment at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (UPSM). In 1959, she left UPSM to begin a new chapter of her life by joining Dr James Arey at St Christopher’s Hospital for Children (“ St Chris” ), also in Philadelphia. Dr Arey was a giant in, and one of the founders of, pediatric pathology. At TUSM, she was rapidly promoted, becoming Professor in two depart ments, Pathology and Pediatrics. In 1976, Molly and family moved to Miami, FL. She spent the next 20 extraordinary and productive years in education, service, and research at the Jackson Memorial Medical Center and the University of Miami School of Medicine. She held the rank of Professor until her retirement in 1994. Molly returned to the northeast in 1996 to be close to her family in Media, PA. Whereas the full range and impact of Molly’s gifts to observe, investigate, and report became effective and recognized following her years at St Chris and the “ Miami time” , her inherent talents were evident early in her career. In 1957, 2 years before joining Dr Arey, Molly published An Atlas o f Fetal and Neonatal Histology
Figure 1. The Three Graces at the last reunion— Spring m eeting o f th e Society fo r Pediatric Pathology, San A ntonio, TX, February 26-27, 2005. Left: Dr Enid G ilbertBarness; center Dr Marie Valdes-Dapena; right. Dr M. Daria Haust.
(“ The Atlas” ) [2]. The Atlas was far ahead of other much-needed resources for the study of perinatal diseases. It was augmented in 1975 with her book Histology o f the Fetus and Newborn [3] before leaving for Miami. Molly had an illustrious career in Pediatric Pathol ogy. She authored or co-authored 75 publications in peerreviewed journals, 7 books, 22 chapters in scientific books, and 14 other writings. Of the 118 publications, the majority related to the field of her specialty, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). She pioneered this field and began reporting some observations in 1958 [4], She became a leading researcher and the chief “ debunker” of various SIDS theories, chairing ultimately the Board of Trustees of the National SIDS Foundation and earning the title of “ First Lady of SIDS” [5-8]. While known best for her pioneering work with SIDS, she had an impact on, and was an expert in, broader fields of pediatrics. She was ahead of most physicians recognizing the signs of battered children, and speaking out about child abuse. Her daughter, Chris, recalled that, “ She fought for mothers to be allowed to hold their [dead] child and grieve.”
Molly served on editorial boards of several scientific journals. In 1980 she was elected President of the Pediatric Pathology Club (PPC) later the Society for Pediatric Pathology (SPP). Molly served on many other national and international boards and professional com mittees. She was the recipient of numerous honors and awards and devoted much of her time to a number of her own community’s services. THE DEEP DEVOTION TO THE FAMILY Molly’s daughter Chris commented admiringly, “ She was a pioneer in the study of SIDS, [and was] a leading pediatric pathologist, amongst the first to recognize what is now known as child abuse, and a working mother of eleven children in an era when few women worked and far fewer were doctors” [D. Sapatkin, personal commu nication], Molly raised and educated all of her children. They have been successful in life, and three followed her in the profession. On one occasion, Enid referred lovingly to Molly, “ There was a young woman who lived in a castle, she had so many children, but she always knew what to do.” Indeed, Molly always knew what was best for her children. Dr Cyril D’Cruz, while working at St Christopher’s Hospital with Molly, recalls her devotion to the family and the care for her young children. Their upbringing was remarkably wide and disciplined. On a Saturday, Molly would bring her children to the hospital, settle them down in the library for reading, head to her office for work, and collect them thereafter. At home the children were divided into three rotating teams that took over the household chores of cooking, washing, and cleaning, “ running the place with an efficiency that would be the envy of any corporation” [C. D’Cruz, personal commu nication] And, when on duty Saturday mornings, while her husband slept, she would drive her “ VW-bug home to serve him breakfast in bed,” recalls Dr Sarah Long, a resident at St Christopher’s Hospital in 1970. “ Molly was intensely involved in her children’s school projects,” remembers Dr D’Cruz [C. D’Cruz, personal communica tion]. Molly’s love for, and devotion to, the children remained for life and exceeded the dedication to her profession. Daria recalls one of the examples of that touching priority. In the summer of 1975, the Pediatric Pathology Club conducted a several-day-long symposium on “ Tumors of Infancy and Childhood” upon the invitation of the International Academy of Pathology at the Given Institute in Aspen, CO. In addition to intensive teaching programs, there were attractive social events. It just happened that the visit of Molly’s beloved daughter Chris (married and living in Bermuda) coincided with the symposium; therefore, she came to see her mother in Aspen. Molly participated in the symposium but spent most of her free time with Chris—and cherished every minute of that reunion.
166
M.D. H aust and E.F. G ilbert-B arness
Molly’s daughter Victoria commented in a recent interview, “ I don’t know how long I thought to myself that she wasn’t a mother first, she was a doctor first. But as a mother, in retrospect, she must be remarkable.” And Victoria added, “ It’s kind of awesome” [D. Sapatkin, personal communication, 9], Indeed, Molly was awesome. THE PERSONALITY Molly was already admired as a young medical student, recalls Dr Lewis (Lew) Bamess, Enid’s husband. He was attracted to Molly at the time when they were both interns at the Philadelphia General Hospital and regretted that she was committed already to Dr Antonio Valdes-Dapena, her future husband [L. Bamess, personal communication]. Dr D’Cruz, who was trained by Molly at St Christopher’s Hospital remembers her as a friendly loyal and one who was never known to say an unkind word about anyone. She was eternally cheerful and nothing would get her down. She was truly the “ UNSINKABLE Molly Brown” [C. D’Cruz, personal communication]. She was kind and generous and there were almost always students and residents from other countries who would stay with the Dapenas until they could find their own housing [C. D’Cruz, personal communication]. There was something very special about Molly’s personality that attracted people to her. In some instances, she was singled out from a group of her colleagues for a special status or special hospitality. For example, at the “ creation” of the first ever journal of pediatric pathology by Dr William Blanc (then the president of the Pediatric Pathology Club), he appointed Molly as his Assistant Editor although several other members of the Editorial Board were more senior and more experienced scientific writers than Molly in the field of pediatric pathology. Similarly, Molly was the only member of the PPS-group attending the Interna tional Paediatric Pathology Association meeting in Capetown, South Africa (1991) who was offered hospitality by the host, Dr ROC Kaschula. Somehow, people were truly protective of Molly. Daria recalls one of these protective gestures. In the course of the many professional meetings with both our involvement, we attended a Holy Mass on a Sunday morning, just prior to the earlier scheduled scientific presentation. In some cities the nearest church had to be reached by a subway. In the darkness of this particular time, the travel through a specific segment of the city was considered unsafe and since Daria, committed to an early obligation of the meeting, could not accompany Molly, she urged her not to travel to the church. This conversation was overheard by two colleagues who offered to accompany Molly on that dark morning. They attended the church service with Molly, bringing her safely home—and they weren’t even Catholic! One of the most remarkable characteristics of Molly was her spontaneous offer of help and assistance. It always seemed as if she could sense or anticipate a need of
assistance of a person or a given situation. One was not required to ask for it, because she offered it upon learning of a problem. There are too many examples of this particular feature of Molly, but 3 are chosen, as each represents a different circumstance. 1) To help celebrate her wedding to Lew in Philadephia on July 17, 1976, Enid invited her close friends of the PPC. To facilitate the attendance of some, Molly arranged for their stay at Dr Arey’s house. 2) Upon learning of Daria’s troubled eyesight and her difficulty in securing appropriate expertise for help, Molly arranged spontaneously for her appointment with a world authority in ophthalmology at Philadephia’s center. She facilitated personally the transpor tation, and following the consultation with the expert, she hosted the Canadian friend in her new home (Media, PA). 3) When her husband Antonio was hospitalized in his final stages of life, Molly, knowing that he and Daria had become friends, proposed that she visit him in Miami, FL, interrupting her journey to Costa Rica for a Pediatric Pathology meeting. Molly met Daria (with husband Heinz) for an emotional, brief, and final visit with Tony (who died in 1992). Molly ensured that Daria arrived at Costa Rica as scheduled. THE LATER YEARS OF LIFE
We continued attending the annual events of the SPP with Molly into the early 2000s. In planning our reunion with her at San Diego’s activities in 2002, Molly declared that she would no longer attend the SPP meetings because she had not kept up with the newest knowledge and of late, did not follow the scientific presentations of our programs. We missed Molly’s company at the SPP activities and kept in touch with her in writing and telephone conversations for several years. In early 2005 we developed a plan for an annual reunion with her. When approached by us with the suggestion of assisting Molly to join us at the SPP annual meeting, her son, Mr Daniel Valdes-Dapena, and his wife, Jane, replied and acted with a most admirable generosity of time and spirit, to accompany her to San Antonio for the February 26-27, 2005, meeting. Thus they, as well as Molly’s grandson and his young family, accompanied her for a visit and reunion not only with the two of us, but also with her many other friends and former students present at that spring meeting. These were memorable events, lasting 2 days. Surprisingly, the “ Three Graces” were as close together as they had been throughout the many years. Whereas neither of us missed any aspect of Molly’s personality, some changes were noticed recently by her close family. We are most obliged to her son, Daniel, for providing us with an account of Molly’s final decade and permission for this verbatim publication: “ Due to her
gradually increasing dementia, by early 2002, my mother could no longer manage in her own home. Jane and I took her to visit several assisted living facilities in the area. Based on her reactions and our own assessments we oversaw her move into a facility that was called Chancellor Park, though a few years later it was bought by another company and renamed to Rose Tree Place. There she was provided with three meals a day and management of her medications. For most of that time she had a professional companion service for four hours each weekday afternoon. There were two who were with her for significant periods of time over the years. They would make sure she had clean clothes and would remind her when it was time for the organized activities she enjoyed (eg, bingo and exercise classes). In her last year, of course, she required even more support and ceased to participate in the activities. My siblings agreed on a schedule and each day of the week one or more of them would call her, to make her feel less alone (since she would forget any call or visit soon after it happened). I handled all of her finances and coordinated her medical care. I would visit her once or twice a week to make sure she had whatever supplies she needed (eg, snacks, toiletries) and, when circumstances allowed I would take her out to lunch. I always made sure to take her to hear my wife’s choral group sing every spring and summer. She always loved music and had long enjoyed singing in various amateur groups. Every Christmas we would have her, and Jane’s father, over to our house for dinner and presents.” On Wednesday, September 18, 2012, Daria tele phoned Molly for the last time but she did not come to the telephone. Her companion stated that she was not well. Surrounded by her family, Molly passed away quietly in her Media, PA, home on Saturday, September 29, 2012. A memorial service for Dr “ Molly” Marie ValdesDapena was scheduled for October 20 at 10:00 am at Nativity B.V.M. parish, 30 #, Franklin Street, Media, PA. Molly lives on in our hearts and remains a model for human beings for generations to come. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We wish to express our gratitude to Mr Daniel ValdesDapena and his wife Jane of Media, PA, who provided most generously their time and effort to keep us abreast of Molly’s condition, and contributed the important account of her last years of life. We wish to thank Mr Don Sapatkin, the Public Health Reporter Deputy Health and Science Editor of the Philadephia Inquirer for kindly sharing with us the contents of his interviews with Molly’s family members and providing us with copies of several publications about her life and work. We are indebted to Dr Cyril D’Cruz of the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, for sharing his memories about his time with Molly at the St Christo pher’s Children Hospital in Philadelphia. F ounders
of
P ediatric P athology
167
The photograph of the “ The Three Graces” united at the Spring Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Pathology in San Antonio, February 26-27, 2005 was kindly provided by Dr Maria Rodriguez of Miami, FL. Mrs Elizabeth J. Haust of Toronto, Canada, devoted much time and dedication to maintain contact between the authors and the Editor-in-Chief. She was assisted by Mrs Kathy Lonkey, Dr Enid Gilbert-Barness’ executive secretary, Tampa, FL. REFERENCES 1. Haust MD, Gilbert-Barness EF. Founders of pediatric pathology: Marie Valdes-Dapena. Pediatr Dev Pathol 2006;9:345-352. 2. Valdes-Dapena MA. An Atlas of Fetal and Neonatal Histology. Philadelphia, PA: J.P. Lippincott Co, 1957.
168
M .D . H
aust and
E .F . G il b e r t - B a r n e s s
3. Valdes-Dapena MA. Histology of Fetus and Newborn. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Co, 1975. 4. Valdes-Dapena MA. Crib deaths and focal fibrinoid necrosis of the infant larynx. J. Forensic Sci 1958;3:503-509. 5. Valdes-Dapena MA. Sudden death in infancy: a report for pathologists. Persp Pediatr Pathol 1975;2:1-14. 6. Valdes-Dapena M. SIDS: A review of the medical literature 19741979. Pediatrics 1980;66:597-614. 7. Valdes-Dapena M. A half century of progress: the evolution o f SIDS research. In: Rogrum TO, ed. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: New Trends in the Nineties. Oslo, Norway: Scandinavian University Press, 1995:3-10. 8. Valdes-Dapena M, Gilbert-Barness E. Sudden and unexpected death in infants. In: Gilbert-Barness E, ed. Potter’s Pathology of the Fetus and Infant. St Louis, MO: Mosby-Year Book, Inc, 1997. 9. Sapatkin D. Marie Valdes-Dapena, pathologist, pioneering researcher on SIDS, and mother of 11 children. The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 1, 2012: Section/B2-B6.
Copyright of Pediatric & Developmental Pathology is the property of Allen Press Publishing Services Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
