Walter B. Goldfarb ’55

Walter B. Goldfarb ’55, of Portland, Me.; Oct. 13. He met and married Marcia Finberg ’55, who predeceased him. After receiving his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine and completing his surgical residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., where he was an instructor in surgery from 1963 to 1965, he moved his family to Portland and began a surgery practice at Maine Medical Center and Mercy Hospital. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served at Fort Sam Houston (Tex.) and then became chief of surgery at Ireland Army Hospital at Fort Knox (Ky.). He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and was commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel during his tenure there. He and his family returned to Portland to resume his surgical practice, from which he retired in 2003 as chief of general surgery at Maine Medical Center (MMC). During his tenure, he served in a variety of leadership positions, including president of the medical staff, trustee, and founding trustee of MaineHealth. He took pride in his involvement in the growth and development of MMC’s surgery department and was twice recognized as Teacher of the Year by surgical students. In retirement, he remained active for 10 years teaching third-year medical students in weekly surgical seminars. He was clinical professor of surgery at the University of Vermont and then at Tufts University School of Medicine when MMC changed its medical school affiliation. He was a member of several medical and surgical societies, including serving in leadership roles. He was also active in the Boston Surgical Society, serving on the executive committee for six years and as vice president in 2005. He wrote 40 articles and two book chapters in surgical literature. He served as a trustee over the years for the Portland Concert Association, Portland Chamber Music Festival, and Maine chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. He was a trustee of the Portland Museum of Art, serving as vice president in 2011, and donated major American paintings to the museum. He enjoyed fly fishing and playing squash. He is survived by three children, including daughter Miriam Goldfarb ’85 and son Adam ’82; and six grandchildren, including grandson Jonathan Aronson ’13.