Richard ("Dick") Clemens Karldied peacefully at home in Etna on June 24, 2012. Born in New York and raised in Pelham, he graduated from Columbia University in 1940 and Cornell University Medical College in 1944. After an abbreviated internship in medicine at the New York Hospital, he served in the United States Navy in the Pacific. Dr. Karl did his residency training in Surgery at Cornell-New York Hospital and held a number of positions at New York Hospital, Bellevue Hospital and North Shore Hospital, where he played a key role in developing residency training programs. These assignments were interrupted by an additional two years of service in the Navy during the Korean War.

In 1970 Dr. Karl became the Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Dartmouth. His role a clinical leader as the medical school expanded from a two year program to a degree granting traditional medical school was significant for his clear thinking and advocacy for medical students and residents. Dr. Karl served as chair for ten years and continued in a clinical capacity until his retirement in 1990.

He also was able to devote even more time to his vegetable garden, which was his passion. He became a Master Gardener through the New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Program, and was ever willing to give gardening tips and advice.

New Hampshire particularly suited Dick Karl. He and his wife, Lucy, held frequent dinners and gatherings at their house in Etna for residents and faculty. He loved to cut wood and garden; his sugar house is among the most impressive in the upper valley. After retirement, Karl became a master gardener and expert cabinet maker, while continuing to sugar and grow a wide variety of vegetables. Dick became an avid member of S.C.O.R.E. There he enjoyed his time with fellow mentors and his mentees. He developed lasting friendships that sustained him throughout his retirement.

He was happiest on his knees in his garden on Ruddsboro Road in spring, summer and fall, and planning that garden in front of the kitchen fireplace in the winter.

Dr. Karl is survived by his wife of 67 years, Lucy Rogers Karl; his sons Richard and Stephen and his daughter Lucy, and their spouses, Cathy, Rhonda and Steven; nine grandchildren, 2 bonus grandchildren, 6 grandchildren-in-law and 5 great-grandchildren. He saw each of these in the last month of his life. Dick Karl will be missed for his hearty welcome (HiYa!, HiYa! -which sometimes startled his New England neighbors), warm friendships, persistence and his perspective.

A private celebration of Dick Karl's life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the Karl family hopes that you will make a contribution to your own life, take time to smell the flowers, enjoy your own gardens and savor time with your loved ones.

Arrangements were under the direction of the Rand-Wilson Funeral Home of Hanover, NH.