William Keve Ehrenfeld

b. 11 October 1934, d. 27 October 2005
  • William Keve Ehrenfeld was born on 11 October 1934.
  • William Keve Ehrenfeld died on 27 October 2005 at age 71.
  • The following appeared on 11 November 2005 in the San Francisco Chronicle: A 2005 Sotheby's auction catalog described San Francisco's Dr. William K. Ehrenfeld as a man who "led a double life" -- an appropriate description of someone who earned renown not only as a pioneering vascular surgeon but as a leading collector of Indian art. /P/ He died Oct. 27 -- at the age of 71 -- after an extended illness. /P/ "He was a brilliant man of broad interests and extraordinary spirit," said Sidney Luscutoff, his attorney and a friend. /P/ Born in New Jersey, Dr. Ehrenfeld studied for four years at the Art Students League of New York before earning his bachelor's degree at Dartmouth College, then his medical degree at New York Medical College. After an internship and residencies in New York hospitals, he arrived at UCSF for a fellowship in vascular surgery. /P/ He stayed at UCSF, helping establish the university's vascular surgery division, a leader in training vascular surgeons. Dr. Ehrenfeld also developed innovations in vascular surgery, including new methods to improve the diagnosis and management of diseases in the carotid arteries and to reduce the risk of strokes in the elderly. /P/ He helped found the nonprofit Pacific Vascular Research Foundation, participated in a number of professional organizations and was author or co-author of about 200 articles in medical journals. /P/ Dr. Ehrenfeld's work made him a popular lecturer and panelist, which led to many trips around the world. His journeys exposed him to Indian culture and to the art of India and Southeast Asia, which became his passion. /P/ Over the next three decades, he became a collector of Indian art, making frequent trips to India and London to expand his collection. It eventually became known around the world as the Ehrenfeld Collection. /P/ The collection led to several exhibitions at San Francisco's M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor and touring exhibitions in North America and Europe in 1985 and 1998. /P/ Dr. Ehrenfeld donated the majority of his collection to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, with the rest going to other Bay Area museums, including UCSF, the Berkeley Art Museum and the Mills College Art Museum in Oakland. /P/ "Dr. Ehrenfeld was profoundly generous to Mills College," said Stephan Jost, director of the Mills College museum. "He gave over 800 works of African art to our collection. He put together a collection not only so our students could have it to study, but so the people of Oakland could have an African art collection." /P/ After retiring from UCSF in 1995, Dr. Ehrenfeld turned his full attention to art, working not only on his collection but delving into theater production as a co-producer of "Epic Proportions" on Broadway, a London production of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," and "Menopause the Musical." /P/ "He was eclectic, you could say, but he was a very focused person always," said his wife, Trudy Ehrenfeld. "Bill had an idea on his mind -- and he was going for it no matter what anyone else said." /P/ Dr. Ehrenfeld was buried Nov. 1 in Marin County after a private family service. A memorial service is planned for January. /P/ In addition to his wife, he is survived by a sister, Elaine Roberg of Baltimore; daughters Lisa Breheney of Novato, Lauren Ehrenfeld of Venice (Los Angeles County) and Lesley Ehrenfeld of Stinson Beach; and one grandson. /P/ His family asks that contributions in his memory be made to the Pacific Vascular Research Foundation, 400 Oyster Point Blvd., South San Francisco 94080.
  • The following appeared on 16 November 2005 in UCSF Today: William K. Ehrenfeld, MD, an internationally recognized pioneer in vascular surgery, professor emeritus of vascular surgery at UCSF since 1994, world-renowned collector of Southeast Asian and Indian art, and award-winning author of Indian art texts, died on Oct. 27, 2005, after an extended illness. He was 71. /P/ After a long and distinguished career, Ehrenfeld retired from UCSF in 1994 and devoted his time to indulging in his longtime passion: his esteemed art collection dedicated to preserving Indian culture. /P/ A native of New Jersey, William Keve Ehrenfeld studied for four years at the Art Students League of New York before going on to receive his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College. He attended the New York Medical College, where he received his medical degree in 1960. Ehrenfeld served his internship at Beth Israel Medical Center, NY, and his residency at both Beth Israel Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital before serving his fellowship in vascular surgery under Edwin Jack Wylie at UCSF. /P/ In the years that followed, Ehrenfeld was instrumental in establishing the UCSF Vascular Surgery division that became worlds leader in training for vascular surgery. Beyond his training of many noted vascular surgeons, he continued to expand this field with his ongoing, innovative achievements in improving the diagnosis and management of diseases of the carotid arteries (in the neck). His landmark monograph, titled The Diagnosis and Management of Cerebrovascular Disease, was a work celebrated by those aiming to reduce the risk of strokes in the elderly. /P/ He was co-founder of the nonprofit Pacific Vascular Research Foundation and served as chairman of the Society for Vascular Surgery, founding editor of the Journal of Vascular Surgery and referee for the Western Journal of Medicine. He authored or co-authored some 200 published medical journal articles. /P/ Ehrenfeld was a noted lecturer and panelist, traveling around the globe as a guest professor at hospitals, colleges and vascular societies. These trips introduced him to the magic of Indian culture and to the Southeast Asian and Indian art that would become his passion for more than 30 years. /P/ A once-aspiring artist and medical illustrator, Ehrenfeld thought he knew about art. However, he said, When I saw Indian art for the first time, it was like a booming wake-up call. /P/ He would go on to become an enthusiastic collector of Indian art, often traveling to India and London to expand his ever-growing collection, which would become known all over the world as the Ehrenfeld Collection. As time passed, his collecting expanded to include other subjects, but the core of his collection remained the art of Southeast Asia and India. /P/ Indian writer Ratna Rao Shekar praised the artistic eye of this collection: Dr. Ehrenfeld is a die hard lover of India and its art. He has sought out the unusual and the beautiful wherever it could be found. /P/ The Ehrenfeld Collection eventually was showcased in several extraordinary exhibitions at San Franciscos M.H. deYoung Museum and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. In 1985 and 1998, selected works from the Ehrenfeld Collection successfully toured museums in both North America and Europe. Three acclaimed scholarly publications accompanied Ehrenfelds museum exhibitions. /P/ Ehrenfeld chose to enrich the holdings of the museums of the San Francisco Bay Area by donating the majority of his Indian collection to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the balance of his collections to other local institutions, including UCSF Laurel Heights, where a group of works - including those by artist Raoul Dufy - was recently installed. Ehrenfeld had steadily gifted items to Bay Area museums throughout his life. /P/ Ehrenfeld is survived by his beloved wife Trudy, his three daughters and their families. He was buried last week in a simple grave in Marin County during a private family service. A memorial service celebrating Ehrenfelds life is being planned for January 2006. . . .
  • Last Edited: 11 Mar 2010