Dintzis Van Gelder Holiday Blog: Holiday Blog 2014

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.