Dintzis Van Gelder Holiday Blog

Holiday Blog 2014

Greetings from Seattle! We hope your family is enjoying the holiday season as much as we are.

2014 has been another busy and exciting year for the Dintzis/Van Gelder clan.

Max turned 16 and got his driver's license. He is a sophomore at Mercer Island High School. Although a stress fracture in his leg slowed him down this spring and summer. Max continues to bike (mountain and road), and is in the process of helping found his high school's biking team. He is currently dancing his snow dance waiting for the ski areas to open. Max plays bass in the high school Jazz Ensemble (and had the thrill of sitting in with Oscar Peterson's drummer at a gig at a club recently), as well as in the school orchestra. Max is looking forward to touring Australia this spring with the jazz ensemble.

As a Swiss Guard in Lima

Culinary artisan near Cusco

Spiffy at Rachel's graduation

Rachel is now 19. In June she graduated as one of the valedictorians of Mercer Island High School, and in September started college at Dartmouth, where she completed a very successful first quarter. She loves Dartmouth, getting to explore the Northeast, and living college life. She continues to run and play piano in her spare time.

Rachel before prom

Graduation day

Suzy had an excellent year as well. She continues to serve as Chief of Surgical Pathology at University of Washington Medical Center, as well as director of the reference laboratory at UW. Suzy presented a number of papers at national meetings, and was named to the College of American Pathologists practice management committee. Suzy ran her first half marathon in Seattle in November and has plans on more in 2015.

Suzy and her Avatar

Art in our Peruvian hotel room

Kathy Scholten comes to visit

Russ stayed busy as always. He finished his 7th year as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at University of Washington. His laboratory remained very active and was featured in a nice article in the UW Medicine Magazine. Highlights of the year included giving the inaugural David C. Beebe lecture in St. Louis in honor of mentor Dave Beebe, being awarded the Harry Hirsch Leiter award for best paper at the Ocular Microbiology and Immunology Group meeting, and giving the inaugural Jones-Smolin named lecture at the Academy. Russ served as President-Elect of the American Academy of Ophthalmology this year, and looks forward to serving as President in 2015. Russ ran two half-marathons this year as well as joining his department in running the 200 mile Hood to Coast relay in August in Oregon.

Presidents Past and Future of the AAO

Dropping Rachel off at Dartmouth

The family found time for play as well, having a great ski trip to Big Sky in February, visiting Arizona and the Grand Canyon in April, Richmond, Virginia in June, and making a fantastic trip to Peru in July. Suzy and the kids did a spectacular backpacking trip in the Copper Ridge in North Cascades in August, when we also had the chance to visit San Francisco as a family. Suzy and the kids had the chance to visit Grandma and Grandpa, Uncles Bill and Jim, Cousin Marlin, and Aunt Joanne in Baltimore. Aunt Leslie made a very nice visit to Seattle as well.

Hanging with TJ

Machu Picchu

In a market in Cusco

Max & friends

Grand Canyon 1

Grand Canyon 2

Kendall Katwalk

Near Prescott, AZ

We look forward to another exciting year in 2015. From our family to yours, we wish you all the best for the new year!

December 2013

Season's greetings from the Van Gelder/Dintzis family! We have had a terrific year, and hope your and your family's year has been wonderful too. Here is our year in review:

Max

Max turned 15 this year, and graduated from Islander Middle School in June. Max is enjoying his freshman year in high school; he just got his learner's permit and lost his braces. Max played tennis in the fall and plans to play soccer in the spring this year. Max continues to play piano and bass, and made All-State for bass in the winter. He is also playing in the Jazz Ensemble in high school with his sister Rachel.

Too cool for words

At 8th grade graduation

The ace of bass makes his bass-face

Rachel

Rachel turned 18(!) this year and is a Senior at Mercer Island High School. She spent the summer doing research on Alzheimers disease at UW. Rachel plays piano in the Jazz Ensemble, and ran varsity Cross Country in the fall. Rachel was named a National Merit semi-finalist this year. Her autumn has been filled with college applications.

Rachel atop Mailbox Peak

Classic Rachel

Suzy

Suzy had a great year as well. Suzy is currently Associate Professor of Pathology, Director of Laboratory Operations for UW Medicine, chief of the Breast Pathology service at UW, and chief of Anatomic Pathology at UW Medical Center. She is currently co-authoring a web-based curriculum for medical student pathology under contract from Elsevier. She continues to go to boot camp at 5:30 am several mornings a week.

In the Snoqualmie river valley

Suns out, guns out in British Columbia

On the lawn at Lake Quinalt Lodge,

Russ

Russ finished his sixth year as chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at University of Washington. Russ had a good year, work-wise, earning an 'Audacious Goal' award from the National Eye Institute, having a large R24 grant funded, becoming Trustee of the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology and being elected President of the American Academy of Ophthalmology for 2015. Russ continues to run, finishing the Mercer Island Half Marathon in March and logging over 500 training miles this year.

Hanging with Max near Fernie, BC

Clocksclub reunion with Paul Taghert and Erik Herzog in November

Friends and family

We had some terrific opportunities to spend time with friends and family this year.

In February, we took a ski vacation with Russ' high school buddy Mike Galow and family Vicky, Daniel, Emily, and Thomas at Big Sky, MT

30+ years since we first skiied together in high school!

In April, Uncle Gordon paid a brief visit

We also had the chance to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Dintzis, Aunt Joanne and Uncle Jim, and cousin Marlin in Baltimore

We also had the pleasure of attending Katie Bender's wedding and seeing Michael and Alice. Russ' good college buddy Reggie Kellum visited Seattle in July with his wife Lynn and kids Bryce and Mallory. Russ was saddened at the passing of one of his mentors, Dr. Bernard Becker, but enjoyed the chance to see many of his old St. Louis colleagues at his memorial service. Russ also had the chance to visit with cousins Caren and Dale in Chicago. And the whole family had the pleasure of Thanksgiving with the Thomas cousins in Tucson.

With the Thomas Clan in Tucson

Other fun

We had lots of chance to have fun this year, including a number of ski trips to Crystal Mountain, our week at Big Sky, and two backpacking trips (one to the Enchanted Valley in Olympic National Park, the other to Goode Ridge from Stehekin in North Cascades National Park). We also had a great week's vacation driving to Montana to enjoy Glacier National Park, then driving through southern British Columbia.