Kenneth P. Gorelick

GORELICK Dr. KENNETH PAUL GORELICK (Age 67) Looking back I feel my life has been right No second-guessing that this or that might have been better, No ache that I might have climbed higher mountains. I am in a generous leisurely mood with myself Filled with gratitude and awe for what has been, The gifts, the luck, the love. Dr. Kenneth Paul Gorelick, 67, of Washington, DC, passed away on June 8, 2009. Dr. Gorelick was born in Paterson, NJ, on April 16, 1942, to the late Irving and Sylvia (Glassman) Gorelick. Dr. Gorelick, a psychiatrist, educator, writer, and poet succumbed to brain cancer peacefully at his residence. In May 2009, the Washingtonian magazine featured Dr. Gorelick in an article entitled "The Doctor as Patient." From his unique perspective as a medical doctor, psychiatrist, and patient, he continued to teach to inform medical students and physicians to bring knowledge and sympathetic treatment to patients, and to make always the human connection. Dr. Gorelick graduated first in his class at Rutgers College, was Phi Beta Kappa, won a Fulbright Scholarship to France, and graduated from Harvard Medical School, where he also did his psychiatry residency. On the psychiatry faculty of St. Eliza- beths Hospital/DC Commission on Mental Health Services, Dr. Gorelick was Chief of Continuing Medical Education and Vice-Chair for the Residency Training Program. He was a Board Certified Psychiatrist in private practice, a Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School, and a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at George Washington University, awarded Professor Emeritus status. Dr. Gorelick was president of the National Association for Poetry Therapy, lectured at numerous national and international psychiatric conferences, as well as in graduate programs. On the editorial boards of several professional journals, he is widely published in diverse fields including the history of psychiatry, Jung and Kafka, and the uses of literature in therapy. An expert historian on St. Elizabeths, he presented the keynote address at its 150th anniversary celebration. Dr. Gorelick is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and a Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Gorelick was a recognized scholar and a generous mentor, colleague and friend, blessed with a superb wit and an appreciation for the human condition. He possessed deep wisdom and insight into human nature, and showed exceptional levels of kindness, compassion, and gentleness. Dr. Gorelick was intellectually brilliant and professionally accomplished, a man of renaissance interests. He was a philanthropist, particularly dedicated to the arts, and served on the Opera Board, The Chautauqua Institution. Dr. Gorelick is survived by his wife, Cheryl Opacinch Gorelick of Washington, DC, a sister, Arlene Taub and her husband Joseph Taub of Englewood, NJ, a niece, Michelle Taub Tesser and her husband, Scott of Norwood, New Jersey, a nephew, Marc Taub and his wife, Karen of Chappaqua, New York, great-nieces, great-nephews, and other relatives. Condolences may be extended at the family residence on Tuesday, June 9 and Wednesday, June 10 from 4 to 8 p.m. A minyan will be held at 7:30 p.m. Donations may be made to the Drs. Kenneth & Cheryl Gorelick Fund, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, 1201 15th Street, NW, Suite 420, Washington, DC 20005.