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Family, friends pay tribute to ophthalmic pioneer Charles D. Kelman, MD
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 Mourners gathered outside the St. James Theater in Manhattan for a special memorial service for Charles D. Kelman, MD. |
NEW YORK — Family members and friends of the late Charles D. Kelman, MD, gathered at the St. James Theater on Monday to celebrate the life and career accomplishments of “the father of phaco” — one of ophthalmology’s most influential contributors of the 20th century. Dr. Kelman died of lung cancer on June 1; he was 74.
Among his many achievements: being inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame earlier this year, receiving the national Medal of Technology from President George H.W. Bush in 1992 and receiving the American Academy of Achievement Award in 1970.
The memorial, sponsored by the Dr. Charles and Ann Kelman Family Foundation Inc., was not a somber reverie, but a jubilant celebration of the life of a modern-day renaissance man — a man whom friend and television journalist Frank Field, MD, called “a man for all seasons.”
Manus C. Kraff, MD, who also spoke at the memorial, said the magnitude of Dr. Kelman’s accomplishments “is difficult to comprehend.”
“Charlie was one of those rare multifaceted people who you meet in life,” he said.
Other orators who shared personal remembrances of Dr. Kelman included H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., MD; William Tasman, MD; Robert J. Stevens, vice president of surgical products at Alcon; Dr. Kelman’s wife, Ann; and Dr. Kelman’s children.
Not just a renowned ophthalmologist and innovator, Dr. Kelman was also an accomplished saxophonist, singer/songwriter and composer. His credits included appearances on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson, “The David Letterman Show” and “The Merv Griffin Show” as well as performances in Carnegie Hall and Las Vegas. He performed with musical greats Dizzy Gillespie and Glen Campbell and comedian Regis Philbin.
The memorial service was accented by musical interludes and video performances by Dr. Kelman, as well as live musical performances of songs he wrote and composed for his theater productions, “The Marrano” and “The Right Pair of Shoes.”
At the end of the memorial, attendees praised the man who gave sight to millions and put music in the hearts of many. The tribute culminated with a standing ovation for his life’s works in the way that “Charlie” would have wanted it – on Broadway.