Paul E. Sapir, MD, P’01, 96, died Dec. 24, 2024. He was a clinical assistant professor emeritus of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown.
Born in Chicago and raised in New Haven and New York City, Dr. Sapir earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees at Harvard. He trained in psychiatry at Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and completed psychoanalytic training at the New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute.
Dr. Sapir began his medical career on the staff of Montefiore Hospital in New York before relocating to Providence in 1974. There he served on Brown’s clinical faculty and practiced psychotherapy and psychoanalysis until his retirement in 2012. He was past president of the Rhode Island Psychiatric Association, contributed to several committees of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society & Institute, and served on the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline for the State of Rhode Island. He was also a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
An enthusiast of baroque and classical music, Dr. Sapir enjoyed sailing in his younger years. His family farmhouse in Alton, NH, remained a cherished retreat throughout his life.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sylvia; twin sons, including Cass Sapir ’01; a daughter-inlaw; two grandsons; two sisters-in-law; and many loving nieces, nephews, and extended family members. Donations in his memory may be made to The Miriam Hospital.
Calvin “Cal” Oyer, MD, 97, died March 1. He was a clinical associate professor emeritus of pathology and laboratory medicine at Brown.
Born in Fort Wayne, IN, Dr. Oyer grew up on a farm and earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees at Indiana University. He met and soon wed his wife, Alice, during medical school; they were married until her death in 2006.
After internal medicine residency and serving on an Air Force base in Maine, Dr. Oyer was the head of the cardiac care unit and chief of medicine at the former Saint James Hospital in Newark. He then shifted to pathology; after his pediatric pathology fellowship he took a position at Women & Infants Hospital and joined Brown’s faculty. He continued to teach until 2012, receiving many accolades.
Dr. Oyer enjoyed tennis, skiing, hiking, and opera. He is survived by four children, 10 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and his companion, Jane Roberts. Donations may be made to the Alice Cinader Oyer Memorial Scholarship in Occupational Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine.
