In memoriam — Special Issue 2020
Remembering recently deceased alumni, including Glenn Barquet, MD ’97, who passed due to COVID-19 complications
The UF College of Medicine extends its deepest sympathies to loved ones of recently deceased alumni, including 1997 graduate Glenn Barquet, MD, who passed away due to COVID-19 complications in May.
Dr. Glenn Barquet
“A genuine person.” “A gentle giant.” “A wonderful physician.” These are just a few of the ways patients and loved ones described Glenn Barquet, MD ’97.
The beloved South Miami cardiologist died of complications from COVID-19 May 2. He was 50.
Barquet spent two decades practicing cardiology and interventional cardiology at Mercy Hospital in Miami. He left a deep impact on the lives of countless colleagues and patients, as evidenced by the outpouring of support on a GoFundMe page created in his memory. The fund, established by his colleagues Alfredo Hernandez, MD, and Ricardo Calonge, MD, to help Barquet’s wife and three children, tripled its fundraising goal.
“Glenn was hardworking, intelligent and humble; He had a lot of the attributes patients search for in doctors: confidence, knowledge and the ability to give peace and reassurance even during times of a difficult diagnosis,” Hernandez and Calonge wrote. “We wanted to show his family a small token of our condolences for their loss and remind them that we have all been touched by his spirit.”
A Catholic Mass that was attended by immediate family held May 8 was streamed on YouTube and has been viewed more than 5,000 times. Barquet was not treating COVID-19 patients when he became ill.
Kay Buchanan, MD '60
A board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist in the ranching town of Torrington, Wyoming, Kay Buchanan, MD ’60, performed more than the necessary examinations and procedures for her patients. Her compassion and medical skills drew patients from Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. Women braved long drives through snowy winters to see Dr. Buchanan. She cared for farmers, ranchers, and citizens of all ages, treating many at their homes.
Buchanan passed away on June 1, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. She is remembered by her husband, Wade, and family, as a unique woman possessing unwavering Christian faith, compassion and exceptional medical skills.
“She had a reputation that was unreal,” Buchanan recalls of his wife. “There’s not a doctor in this country that couldn’t have learned proper bedside manner from her. Her empathetic nature was so deep and broad that it almost became sympathy.”
In 1960, Buchanan became one of the first three women to graduate from the UF College of Medicine, along with Jean Bennett and Betty Robinson. She was a great ambassador for the college.
Buchanan served at the United States Air Force Academy. In Operation Desert Storm, she served as a flight surgeon and hospital commander, setting up a hospital in England to triage British and American troops. Prince Charles personally thanked her for her service. She had a stellar Air Force career, attaining the rank of Colonel.
“She was such a unique, competent, intelligent person,” Wade Buchanan recalls. “From delivering babies at the hospital, calves at the ranch, to playing the piano and completing the New York Times crossword puzzles with a fountain pen, she excelled at anything she did. Kay was a tremendous mother, wife, and grandmother. She was very supportive and extremely proud of her family.
Always seen with a contagious smile, Dr. Buchanan set the bar high.
View a full list of recently deceased graduates:
Glenn Barquet, MD ’97
Cardiology
Miami, Florida
May 2, 2020
Kay M. Buchanan, MD ’60
Gynecology
Scottsbluff, Nebraska
June 1, 2020
Rudolph Frei, MD, HS ’65
Child & Adolsecent Psychiatry
Pompano Beach, Florida
Dec. 16, 2019
Donald Hall, MD ’65
Cardiology
Charlotte, North Carolina
May 28, 2020
Maria Irwin, MD, HS ’09
Anesthesiology
Gainesville, Florida
April 30, 2020
Myron Mass, MD ’70
Allergy and Immunology
Jacksonville, Florida
June 22, 2020
Stanley Moles, MD, HS ’61
Cardiology
Belleair, Florida
Jan. 1, 2020
Michael Proctor, MD ’76
Surgery
St. Pete Beach, Florida
July 6, 2020
Richard Shugarman, MD, HS ’69
Ophthalmology
West Palm Beach, Florida
May 20, 2020
Suzanne Spanier, MD ’69
Pathology
Gainesville, Florida
June 30, 2020
Roosevelt Stallings, MD ’76
Surgical Oncology
Augusta, Georgia
Dec. 26, 2019
Robert Steele, MD, HS ’76
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Tallahassee, Florida
April 5, 2020
Martin Steiner, PhD ’88
Physiology
Malvern, Pennsylvania
Dec. 24, 2019
Thomas Wells Sr., MD, HS ’62
General Surgery
Ponce Inlet, Florida
Dec. 25, 2019
Kenneth Wood, MD ’70
Orthopaedic Surgery
Denver, North Carolina
Jan. 7, 2020
