Michael B. Sporn

The fall has brought memories of Michael and what a kind, interesting and compassionate person he was. I still miss seeing him at DHMC in his green volunteer jacket. He gave so much to the world.

To the family of Michael Sporn,
I am so sorry about your loss. A few years ago, Dr. Sporn took me under his wing as an undergraduate research student. It was my first research position and he was one of the only investigators so generous and compassionate to take an inexperienced student under his wing. Dr. Sporn taught me so much; he would print scientific articles for me and then would give me an opportunity to discuss them with him. I would often ask Dr. Sporn many questions and instead of responding directly, he asked: "what do you think?" He pushed me to think critically and seek answers myself. He talked with me at length about applying to medical school. This past spring, I asked him to write me a letter of recommendation. I recently found out that I got accepted and I wrote to him today to later find this post. Thank you, Dr. Sporn, for your guidance, mentorship, compassion, and curiosity. You are so inspiring.

To the family of Michael Sporn,
Frank and I were so sorry to hear about his death. I only happened to see his obituary in the Valley News quite a while after it appeared in the paper and thus we sadly missed his memorial service in Strafford. We would love to have gone. We met Michael and Kitty when we moved to Tunbridge in 1978. They were our neighbors across the street from our 1850 "little red schoolhouse". They were open and welcoming and shared the history of their house as the residence of the local midwife (or midwives?) in "the old days". All three of our kids were born (within three and a half years) while we lived there and Michael and Kitty were wonderful cheerleaders as we struggled with jobs, expensive childcare and very little sleep. It was always fun to tell the kids we were going over to the Sporn´s barn to explore. I will also never forget Michael´s amazing collection of peonies (including tree peonies). We always knew when he had been at the house because when he weeded the peony beds, he would toss the weeds into the driveway!
We were so lucky to get to know both Michael and Kitty. Our very best to your family.

I first met Michael a few years ago in his capacity as a volunteer for Palliative Care Program at DHMC. I was struck by his compassion and caring for the patients whom he visited. As a therapeutic harpist at DHMC our paths frequently crossed and we shared our mutual love of Bach and other classical music. It was only later that he told me about his impressive academic background and some of the research projects he was working on. He was a kind and caring human being who wanted to improve the health and well being of all people. He will be missed.

I am so saddened by your loss. I was a grad student in the Dept of Pharmacology & Toxicology at Dartmouth. We had several projects collaborating with Dr Sporn's lab, including chemoprevention and rexinoids study. Dr Sporn is a great scientist and scholar. His big smile is always in my memory.

I am so saddened by your loss. Dr. Sporn was such a wonderful man! I worked for him in the Pharmacology Department at Dartmouth. He was always such a busy man yet he never hesitated to pause from what he was doing to listen. His welcoming smile and his sincere kindness I will always remember. A great man!!

Tom and Paul,

I was saddened to see that your Dad had passed away. I remember him well when we were kids. He was always so friendly to your friends and that says a lot about him. That big smile in the photo is how I remember him. My condolences to your family.

Clay Kingsley

What a consequential life.
His contributions will live well beyond his years. May his memory be a blessing.
Denise and Seth Sporn