Don Bienfang, MD (1938–2023)

We have lost a friend and colleague when Don Bienfang died on December 9, 2023, at the age of 84 years. Don was born in Elmhurst, IL, and attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he received a Bachelor degree in Mathematics. In 1965, he graduated from Harvard Medical School during which time he was influenced by David Cogan. Following medical school, Don worked for 2 years in the Laboratory of Clinical Physiology at the National Institutes of Health. He later completed a residency in Ophthalmology and a fellowship in Neuro-Ophthalmology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) during David Cogan's chairmanship of that program. In 1972, Don cofounded the Ophthalmology service at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where he served as interim director for 3 years. This service later merged with Harvard's Department of Ophthalmology/MEEI. Early in his career, Don was the principal investigator on an NIH grant to study the neuroanatomy of eye motion, which led to notable publications on ocular motor wiring within the brainstem. Don worked at the Brigham and Women's Hospital for 5 decades where he practiced Neuro-ophthalmology and general Ophthalmology. With patients, Don's strength was being a good listener and with students, Don a gentle and very generous teacher. For NANOS, Don served on 2 committees over a period of 12 years. Don was married to Denise for 60 years, and they had 2 sons, Matthew and Joshua, and 6 grandchildren. Not long after Don's death, Denise suffered an accidental fall and also died. Don was known for his warmth, gentleness, and understated humor. Don's children remarked that their father “was not a slave to convention” as he and Denise “lived off the land” and enjoyed numerous hobbies, including building a blacksmith's forge, raising chickens (and generously distributing eggs to friends) and maintaining a very large garden through which he joyously rode his tractor, often with his grandchildren. He also enjoyed playing the mandolin, painting, making root beer, cooking Italian food, and even an occasional ride on his motorcycle. Don ran the Boston marathon many times and was an avid tennis player. Don will be missed, but he left a very positive and lingering impact on those who knew him.