William S. Watson

ERIC SAILER and some other friends were waiting on the evening of Feb. 18 at a cabin in the Dartmouth College grant for the arrival of their classmate, DUD WEIDER, for the weekend when someone stopped by to say he had just noticed a body on the ski trail into the grant. Eric and the others sped to the scene, but it was too late to revive DUDLEY J. WEIDER, one of the most prominent members of the Class of 1960. He was 66.

An autopsy showed Dud had died, probably instantaneously, of a massive heart attack and may have had a small heart attack he didn't notice a week before about the time he had skied 60 miles in the Canadian Cross Country Marathon.

Dud, an otolaryngological (ear, eye, nose and throat) surgeon and a member of the Dartmouth Medical School faculty since 1989, was one of the most respected medical authorities in the Hanover area. He was known not only for having served as a president and trustee of the Grafton County Medical Society, but for his dozens of innovative articles in medical publications and his hundreds of lectures, as well as being a compassionate, hardworking surgeon.

Class President RICK ROESCH said,"Dud would have been on my list of the last five guys left standing in our class. When we spoke, Eric Sailer recalled their ski across Greenland trip, when Eric backed out from fatigue and cold, but Dud pushed on despite a frozen foot and finished the traverse. Just last weekend, Dud had completed a ski marathon in Canada. As Eric said, he died as he would have wanted, with his skis on."

Our former class president, JIM ADLER, declared, "We are blessed to be part of a Dartmouth class that boasts a great many men (and women) who have led fully productive lives and made remarkable contributions to their families, friends and communities. But even in that rich assembly, Dud Weider was nearly without peer. Oh my, how we will miss him."

Dud, the president of the Hanover Lions club and the Church of Christ at Dartmouth, got his medical degree at Tufts and worked several years in Alaska and near where he grew up in Ohio, before coming to Hanover to practice at the Hitchcock Clinic and ultimately two other hospitals as well. There were many testimonials to his warm treatment of patients and his many favors to people, inside the class and out, who needed quick medical treatment.

He was a doctor's doctor, and the member of countless medical groups, but, also, he was known as a remarkably enthusiastic sportsman and athletic endurance participant. As the Valley News was to record in its lengthy obituary, Dud performed alpine, telemark and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, mountain climbing, fishing, speed skating, inline skating, biking and running. Three times, the first time when he was a Dartmouth student, Dud biked from Hanover to Cleveland, He ran in the Boston Marathon and the first marathon ever run in Antarctica, among others, and he climbed Mt. Mckinley, the highest peak in North America, in 1996 and Mount Rainier in 2001, rescuing lost hikers during the McKinley climb. For 31 years, Dud was a member of the Geriatric Adventure Society and he used to mow his lawn carrying a backpack full of rocks to keep himself in condition.

DICK CHASE thanked him for helping to find doctors and timely medical care in cases of sudden need, and said, "I count myself lucky to have been able to get to know him a little bit over these several years."

JOHN MITCHELL remembered, "He saved my life, rushing me past the gate keepers to Hitchcock for a heart fixup. We became fast frients. His generousity knew no bounds...The wit says nature abhors a vacuum. But the God who made us all will be hard pressed to fill the space he occupied with such vigor and love of life."

And GERRY HUTTRER messaged from Colorado, "On behalf of all the skiing Dartmouth :60s in Vail please extend our very sincere condolences to Dud's wife and family...His unexpected death will serve as a reminder to all of us to continue doing things we enjoy...to smell the roses, as it were, while we are lucky enough to continue to do so."

Dud Weider is survived by his wife Joan, of 41 years, a son, David, two daughters, Mary Feia and Heidi Nichols, and five grandchildren. The family suggested contributions in his memory to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the Norris Cotton Cancer Center or the Church of Christ at Dartmouth..

Obituary from the Valley News:

Hanover - Dr. Dudley Johnston Weider, 66, died suddenly on Friday, Feb. 18, 2005, while skiing into the Dartmouth Grant. He was born in Norwalk, Ohio, on July 20, 1938, a son of Mary Janet ( Johnston) Rogers and Nathaniel Rogers. He graduated from Bay Village High School in Ohio, where he was a member of the undefeated football team and competed in speed skating. He received an undergraduate degree in 1960 from Dartmouth College, where he was a member of Delta Upsilon Fraternity and joined Church of Christ his freshman year. He received a medical degree from Tufts University Medical School in 1964. On June 15, 1963, he was married to Joan Downing of Akron, Ohio.

After the completion of medical school and a rotating internship at St. Lukes Hospital in Cleveland, he was a staff physician and then a service unit director at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in Kotzebue, Alaska. He completed his residency in otolaryngology at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland. At the end of his residency, he returned with his family to Alaska as a staff physician at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, where he became the chief of otolaryngology.

In 1974, he returned with his family to the Upper Valley, where he joined the Hitchcock Clinic. He was a member of the Dartmouth Medical School faculty, becoming professor of surgery in 1989. He was a member of Mt. Ascutney Hospital staff from 1988 to the present, and of Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital staff from 1992 to the present.

He was a physician dedicated to his patients, giving tirelessly of his time providing compassionate care. Whether he was easing the fears of young children by wearing bear claw slippers into surgery or meeting patients in need at all hours of the day or night, he consistently shared his warmth and concern for all who came under his care.

Dr. Weider was a member of the American Academy of OtolaryngologyHead & Neck Surgery, the American College of Surgeons, The Triologic, the A.M.A. Centurion ClubDeafness Research Foundation, the Reserve Commission Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service, the New Hampshire and Grafton County medical societies, the New England Otolaryngological Society, the New Hampshire Foundation for Medical Care, the New Hampshire Society of Otolaryngology and Maxillo-Facial Surgery, the Society of University OtolaryngologistsHead and Neck Surgeons, the Hitchcock Foundation, SENTAC, the American Otological Society, the American Neurootological Society, the American Rhinologic Society, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Societas Baranyensis, Neurootological and Equilibriometric Society Reg, and the New England Medical Association.

He was secretary and treasurer of the Grafton County Medical Society from 1978 to 1984, vice president in 1984, and president in 1985. He was secretary of the New Hampshire Medical Society from 1984 to 1988, vice president in 1989, president in 1990, and a trustee from 1988 to the present. He was president of the New Hampshire Society of Otolaryngology and Maxillo-Facial Surgery in 1983. He was a member of the American College of Surgeons Nominating Committee. He was a delegate to the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery Inc. from 1985 to the present, a member of the Prosper Meniere Society from 1994 to present, and a councilor to the executive committee of the New England Otolaryngology Society from 1998 to present.

He published dozens of professional papers, was a contributor to several chapters in books and gave hundreds of lectures in his field.

He was the current president of the Hanover Lions Club and a member of Church of Christ at Dartmouth College. Dr. Weider was a deeply spiritual man, and his involvement in the church was an important and fulfilling part of his life. He was a member of the Lake Mitchell Trout Club, the Montshire Speed Skating Club, and for 31 years an enthusiastic member of the Geriatric Adventure Society.

He had a great love of life. The activities he enjoyed included alpine, telemark and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, mountain climbing, fishing, speed skating, in-line skating, biking and running. He competed in numerous marathons, including the Burlington, Keene, Boston and Marine Corps marathons, and the first marathon held in Antarctica. For many years, he participated in the Canadian Cross Country Ski Marathon, most recently on Feb. 12 and 13, when he skied 60 miles.

In 1996, he climbed Mount McKinley, where he was responsible for saving the lives of several climbers who fell. In 1988, he received honorable mention for the Denali Pro Mountaineer of the Year outdoor ethics award from ENN Daily News for rendering medical services at the ranger camp at 14,200 feet on Mount McKinley. He climbed Mount Rainier in 2001. He participated in the Iditaski, Nordic skiing a 200-mile race in Anchorage, Alaska. He skied across the Greenland ice cap and along the Haute Route in the French Alps. In preparation for his adventures, he often mowed the lawn with a pack filled with rocks on his back.

While at Dartmouth College, he biked from Hanover to Cleveland. He repeated the trip when his son, David, was in high school and when his daughter, Heidi, was in middle school. He and his son rode through England and Scotland, meeting up periodically with his wife and daughters. He participated in the Audrey Prouty Century Ride every year. Two years ago, he purchased a folding bike so he could take it with him wherever he went, including the lake region of Italy. One of his great joys was going on long in-line skating excursions with his daughter, Mary. In the last few years, he participated in Dartmouth track events, competing with the weight and hammer. He was always eager and willing to join any activity, from soccer with his children and grandchildren to headstand contests. Dr. Weider was an avid reader and also enjoyed playing the piano.

Dr. Weider enjoyed his world travels with his wife at his side. He loved being able to see different cultures, meet and learn about new people and try different things, including bungee jumping in New Zealand at age 60. He also enjoyed going to Sanibel Island, Fla., each year with family and friends. Despite his professional commitments, he always managed to support his children and grandchildren in their activities. A member of the Mixed Nuts Supper Club, he loved having people over to his home for dinner.

He is survived by his wife of Hanover; a son, David Weider of Thetford; two daughters, Mary Feia of Menomonie, Wis., and Heidi Nichols of Lyme; a sister, Nathalie Bridegam of Amherst, Mass.; five grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his mother, Mary Janet Weider; his adoptive father, Roger Weider; and his father, Col. Nathaniel Rogers. Calling hours will be held Friday, Feb. 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Rand-Wilson Funeral Home in Hanover. A funeral will be held Saturday, Feb. 26, at 10:30 a.m. at Church of Christ at Dartmouth College in Hanover. A reception will follow, with burial immediately thereafter at Pine Knoll Cemetery in Hanover. There will be a sign language (ASL) interpreter for the service.

February 20, 2005 Dudley Weider

Obituary from the Valley News: