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48 | S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 in memoriam FACULTY, STAFF & FRIENDS Rolf McMillan Gunnar, MS, MD, former director of cardiology at the College of Medicine, died on March 18. A renowned cardiologist, teacher, scientific author, medical leader, veteran and philanthropist, Gunnar attended Northwestern University as a member of the V-12 Navy College Training Program designed to produce young officers during World War II, earning an MS in pathology and his MD. His medical residency at Cook County Hospital paused while he served as a U.S. Army captain and battalion surgeon in the Second Infantry Division, earning battle stars at Bloody Ridge, Heartbreak Ridge and Iron Triangle in Korea as well as the Bronze Star with V Device for Valor. Upon returning to Cook County Hospital, Gunnar completed his residency, went into private practice in Berwyn, Ill., with his father until 1959, and then went on to a fellowship in cardiology at Harvard Medical School. Gunnar served as director of adult cardiology and the division of medicine at Cook County Hospital; the first Edmund F. Foley Professor of Medicine and director of cardiology at the COM; and professor of medicine, chief of cardiology and later chairman of medicine at Loyola University Medical Center. Nationally, he was chairman of the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians, president of the Association of University Cardiologists, and vice president of the American College of Cardiology. A member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, Gunnar was also a distinguished Master of both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Cardiology and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasgow). The recipient of the Stritch Medal from Loyola University's Stritch School of Medicine and the Physician of the Century Award for the Northern Illinois Region of the American College of Physicians, Gunnar and his co- authors published more than 400 scientific papers and abstracts. After his retirement, Gunnar was chair of the board of directors for BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding & Educational Center, a charity he co-founded with his second wife, Marge, which is dedicated to serving children with disabilities, and veterans and their families. Married to his first wife, Merian, for more than 55 years before she passed away, Gunnar had three children, seven grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter. Mark Lunde '66, MD '70, died on Aug. 20, 2016, in Chicago. One of the first fellowship-trained glaucoma specialists, Lunde spent the entirety of his medical career serving the Chicagoland community at the College of Medicine and the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary Glaucoma Service. After receiving his medical degree from the Urbana-Champaign campus of the COM, Lunde served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps for two years, returning home to complete his residency, cornea preceptorship and glaucoma fellowship at Rush University Medical Center. After almost 30 years in private practice, he once again served his country as the chief of ophthalmology at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. Lunde was a practicing ophthalmologist, surgeon and educator until his death. He remained close to his childhood farm in Cambridge, Iowa, where he and his family gathered frequently to enjoy motor sports and spend time together. Lunde and his wife of 18 years, Mary Lou, had two children and four grandchildren. Anjuli Seth Nayak, MD, died on Nov. 22, 2016, in Chicago. Born in Kanpur, India, Nayak moved to Bloomington- Normal, Ill., in 1987 to establish her medical practice. A specialist in the field of allergy, asthma and immunology, she appreciated the importance of translational clinical research. Nayak was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in 2010 and committed her own life to the research and treatment of this life-threatening disease. She volunteered to participate in many experimental treatment trials of ALL, including the first adult patient group with ALL to be re-treated with their own genetically engineered immune cells. Involved with the University of Illinois on many levels, Nayak created the Anjuli Seth Nayak Professorship in Pediatrics at the College of Medicine Chicago in 2015. She and her husband, Nicholas, were also members of the William W. Root Society, which celebrates the generosity of those who believe deeply in the critical mission of the College of Medicine. Two of Nayak's sons, David, MD '10, and Zachary, MD '11, also graduated from the COM. Though she resided in Chicago during her treatment of leukemia, Nayak always considered the Bloomington-Normal community her home. She drew hope from her family, church, patients and close friends. Her memoir is titled, "Plucked from a Mango Tree." Nayak is survived by her husband, her three sons, including Luke Nayak, MD, and two grandchildren. Antonio Scommegna, MD, of Chicago, died on March 26. An obstetrician- gynecologist with expertise in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, Scommegna trained more than 200 residents and 30 fellows during 30 years of heading residency programs and chairing the OB-GYN departments at Chicago's Michael Reese Hospital and the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System. While at the COM, he created the first in vitro fertilization program in Chicago, building the department from three full-time academic faculty to a total of 30. The inventor of the first progesterone- releasing IUD (Progestasert), he was also a Fulbright Fellow, NIH researcher and recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Medal for Population Research. Scommegna was the first to establish departmental guidelines for patient care at the COM, and he hired physician leaders to establish the divisions of general obstetrics and gynecology, maternal fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, urogynecology and family planning. In partnership with the School of Nursing, Scommegna established the UIC Nurse Midwifery Program. After receiving a medical degree from the University of Bari, Italy, at age 22, Scommegna interned at the New England Hospital in Boston and then moved to Chicago for a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Michael Reese Hospital, where he practiced medicine and conducted research for 34 years. He was a professor at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine from 1969 to 1989, and at the COM beginning in 1989. Scommegna retired as OB/GYN department head in 1999, becoming professor emeritus. Since Rolf McMillan Gunnar Mark Lunde Anjuli Seth Nayak Antonio Scommegna