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Martin Foster Hilfinger, Jr.

Martin Foster Hilfinger, Jr. '39

Aug. 3, 1918-Feb. 2, 2006

Martin Foster Hilfinger, Jr. ’39, a pathologist and medical educator, former county medical examiner, and a onetime trustee of the College, grew up in Syracuse, NY, where he was born on August 3, 1918. The eldest son of Martin F., a shoe company executive, and Rose Newcomb Hilfinger, he entered Hamilton in 1935, following his graduation from Nottingham High School. “Marty” Hilfinger soon drew attention as an athlete and student leader. He played varsity baseball and football, lettering in both sports, and was co-captain of the football team in his senior year. Elected to membership in all four class honoraries, Quadrangle, DT, Was Los, and Pentagon, he also served as president of the Executive Council and of the Interfraternity Council as a member of Psi Upsilon. In addition, his academic work in demanding premedical studies earned him election to Phi Beta Kappa. Highly popular with his fellow students and the recipient of the prestigious James Soper Merrill Prize, he left the College with his B.S. degree in 1939.

Marty Hilfinger thereafter went back to his hometown to enter the Syracuse University College of Medicine. After U.S. entry into World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Medical Corps Reserve. On December 19, 1942, while still a medical student, he was wed to Nancy Taylor in Syracuse. Upon receiving his M.D. degree summa cum laude in 1943 and completing an internship in Cleveland, OH, he went on active duty and was assigned to various military hospitals in the States and in France and Germany. Discharged as a captain in 1946, he returned to Syracuse’s medical college (which became the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center) and joined its pathology department. He would spend the next 17 years in teaching, doing research, and serving as attending pathologist at community hospitals.

In 1963, when the office of medical examiner was established in Onondaga County, Dr. Hilfinger left the Medical Center, where he was an associate professor of pathology, to become the county’s first full-time medical examiner. It was a post he would hold with great distinction for two decades until his retirement in 1983. With his attention to detail and dedication to his work, along with his gentle compassion in a “sometimes grizzly business,” he earned high professional respect as a forensic scientist.

A specialist in the pathology of cancer, Dr. Hilfinger conducted research in that field, which was recognized by the New York State division of the American Cancer Society with its annual award in 1956. He was also a member of the division’s board of directors and chaired its medical services and advisory committee. Among his community activities were leadership roles in the Boy Scouts of America and the Syracuse Boys Club as well as serving as a church deacon, trustee, and lay preacher. A deeply religious man, he was, especially in his later years, profoundly devoted to his evangelical Christian faith.

In addition, Dr. Hilfinger was for many years a highly active alumnus. He co-chaired the Friends of Hamilton Fund during the late 1940s and served as vice president of the Society of Alumni. In 1963, he was elected as an alumni trustee and served a six-year term on the College’s board.

Martin F. Hilfinger, Jr., a lifelong resident of the Syracuse area, died in Syracuse on February 2, 2006. In addition to his wife of 63 years, he is survived by a son, Martin F. Hilfinger III ’66; two daughters, Sarah Tomb and Johanna (Heidi) Wilson; seven grandchildren, including Martin F. IV ’95; and four great-grandchildren and a brother, Robert N. Hilfinger ’50. Dr. Hilfinger was predeceased by his brother Donald E. ’50 in 2005.

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Note: Memorial biographies published prior to 2004 will not appear on this list.



Necrology Writer and Contact:
Christopher Wilkinson '68
Email: Chris.Wilkinson@mail.wvu.edu

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