Brandeis Magazine

Rebecca Caplan ’80, of Lexington, Mass., died on Sept. 1. She leaves her father, Aaron; a sister, Neysa; a nephew, David Nash ’08; and a niece, Dina. Kenneth Dressler ’81, P’15, of Harrison, N.Y., died of cancer on June 28 at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conn., where he had served as chief of hematology and medical oncology since 2007. At St. Vincent’s and at Medical Specialists of Fairfield, he brought research trials of novel agents and treatment strategies to the community, as well as a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care. He also taught medical residents the complexities of cutting-edge cancer care. He won numerous awards, including the Charles A. Dana Research Fellow Award, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Clinical Scholars Award and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Fellowship Award. His clinical and academic posts included Memorial Sloan-Kettering, the Yale University Department of Medical Oncology and the Columbia University School of Physicians and Surgeons. Most recently, he was named St. Vincent’s Physician of the Year. He also served as the internal medicine physician for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers minor-league hockey team, and was an avid hockey player himself. He leaves his wife, Nancy; two daughters, Danielle ’15 and Jillian; and a son, Andrew. He is also survived by a cousin, Marion Hecht ’80. David Silverstein ’82, of Corona, Calif., died on July 25 after a struggle with cancer. He leaves his wife, Maggie; a son, Jason; two daughters, Helen and Whitney; his parents, Sara-Fay and Sheldon; and his brother, Mark. Rodger Hebert ’84, of Shirley, Mass., a standout pitcher for the Brandeis baseball team during the 1980s, died of cystic fibrosis on July 30. He did not lose a game as a relief pitcher during his four years at Brandeis and was named Most Valuable Player at the inaugural MIT Tournament in 1984. He later played in the Boston Park League and was selected to play for the league’s all-star team in an exhibition game against the 1984 U.S. Olympic team at Fenway Park. At the time of his death, he was director of quality assurance at Bridgewell Co. He previously worked as director of quality enhancement at the Barry L. Price Rehabilitation Center and as a compliance officer at the Fernald School. He leaves his wife, Justine, and three sons, Ryan, Reid and Tyler.