U of T MD 50th Reunion: Love and laughter among lifelong friends
It was a celebration of enduring relationships at the 50-year reunion for the University of Toronto’s MD Class of 1975 (7T5), one of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s annual signature events recognizing the accomplishments and achievements of its alumni.
Classmates gathered on the patio at the Faculty Club for a pre-dinner reception where they shared hugs, laughs, photos and life updates, and swapped stories about time spent together as medical students.
A few had travelled to Toronto for the event, including Elizabeth Shane from New York City, Roman Dykun from Chicago and Lorne Direnfeld from Hawaii.
While there was ample proof of the many friendships launched during their studies, some evolved further — with two couples in attendance crediting their medical education for bringing them together as life partners.
Michael Weingert met his wife of 45 years Irene Hramiak at Sunnybrook Hospital during his cardiology residency. Hramiak had graduated from the MD program at Western University and was there for one year as a junior cardiology resident (she later went on to become an endocrinologist).
“We were on call two out of every three nights but still managed to date,” Hramiak says. “Our first date was ice cream at Baskin and Robbins.”
David White and June Carroll were MD 7T5 classmates and both trained in family medicine. They have now been happily married for 48 years.
Another fond med school memory for White was playing goal on the class intramural hockey team. He had brought a team photo to display and wrangled Art Hankey, who played centre, to help identify fellow teammates.
After the reception, guests headed into the dining room for a more formal program and dinner. Class president Michael Lawrie, dressed in a flamingo-festooned jacket, acted as the evening’s Master of Ceremonies. He and White co-organized the event with support from the Temerty Medicine Alumni Relations team.
Lawrie welcomed Cody Copeman Hubert, director of alumni relations and special events at Temerty Medicine, to the podium. Hubert warmly congratulated the class and underscored the faculty’s appreciation for its alumni.
“While the world around us continues to evolve, your commitment to physicians’ principles and ethics hasn’t wavered,” she says.
“Time and time again, we’ve seen you rise to challenges, push boundaries and, ultimately, help improve and even save lives.”
Former U of T dean of medicine and fellow 7T5 classmate Catharine Whiteside then delivered remarks on behalf of current Dean Lisa Robinson. She expressed gratitude to the attendees and emphasized the enduring value of staying connected — both with one another and with U of T.
The tone then shifted to a more reflective moment as Brian Silver led a heartfelt memoriam, paying tribute to classmates who had passed away. His late wife Shirley Epstein, who was also an MD 7T5 classmate, was among those memorialized in the tribute.
Later in the evening, White spoke about the class’s fundraising efforts to establish the U of T MD Class of 7T5 Award in support of U of T MD students with financial need.
At the outset of reunion planning, he and Lawrie set a class fundraising goal of $50,000. With this amount, they could endow the fund and offer an annual award in perpetuity. Their annual award amount would also be matched one-to-one by the university — forever doubling their impact. The class would also receive an annual report with information about their award recipient and the impact of the award on the student’s experience.
Not only did the class reach that goal, they “blew right by it,” says White. Then they set a new target goal of $75,000, which they also surpassed.
White hoped that in the days and weeks following the reunion, the class could reach $100,000. That would allow them to support multiple students every year through the award, a class legacy of generosity.
“After all, these are the people who are soon going to be taking care of us,” he says.
To help illustrate the impact 7T5 could potentially have, he introduced two MD students in attendance — Eunice Aluko, who was recently announced as the first recipient of the MD Class of 7T5 award; and Tasha Miller, a second-year medical student who has been the beneficiary of a different MD class award.
Miller, who is vice-president student engagement with the U of T Medical Society, shared her personal experience as a recipient and relayed how student awards and bursaries have benefited other learners at U of T.
The evening concluded with more mingling before everyone gathered for a class photo, which will no doubt appear alongside other memorabilia at the next 7T5 reunion.
