Merlin K. DuVal, 84; first medical dean at University of Arizona
Merlin K. DuVal, 84, founding dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine, died of a heart attack Tuesday, the Tucson Citizen reported.
“I would argue that he is the most important individual in the College of Medicine’s history,” Keith Joiner, dean of the Tucson college, told the Citizen.
DuVal began laying ground for the college in 1964, helping to raise $1 million in private donations that became the foundation for a $31-million building fund that included federal money, the Business Journal of Phoenix reported in 1988. The college opened in 1967 with 32 students.
In the early 1970s, DuVal was an assistant secretary with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. During his tenure, he was one of the first federal officials to formally warn the public about the dangers of smoking.
He was born in 1922 in Montclair, N.J. His father was a professional hockey goalie for Toronto who later became a stockbroker, and his mother was a figure skater, the Journal reported.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in music in 1943 from Dartmouth College, DuVal turned to modeling to help pay his way through Cornell University’s medical school.
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