As medical students begin their fourth year, questions and stress about the future can weigh on the aspiring physicians’ minds. But when Amy Komure looked around the room at the California Club and saw the faces of dozens of Keck School of Medicine of USC alumni, she was reassured that upon graduation, she will be in good company.

From left, Phil Manning, Amy Komure and Henri Ford are seen before the 50 Year Fellows Luncheon. (Photo/Steve Cohn)

“We students stand on the shoulders of all those who came before us, proudly carrying on the tradition of excellence that you built for this school,” said Komure, an MD/MPH student at the Keck School who begins her fourth year in the fall. “As I begin my residency applications I am thankful to all of you who have shaped and represented this school, putting me in the excellent position that a Keck degree provides.”

Komure was the student speaker at the 50 Year Fellows Luncheon held May 19 in honor of the Keck School alumni who are celebrating their 50-year reunion. Henri Ford, MD, MHA, professor of surgery and vice dean for medical education, welcomed the guests and introduced Class of 1948 alumnus Phil Manning, MD, who helped announce 26 new inductees to the 50 Year Fellows Society from the Class of 1967.

“It really is a pleasure to see some of the faces I knew so well many years ago,” said Manning, who retired in 2002 after 48 years as a Keck School faculty member and who has emceed the event for more than two decades. “Most people held up pretty well, I think.”

Manning asked the assembled crowd what they remembered of their graduation year, listing the president at the time, Lyndon B. Johnson, and one of the most popular songs of the time, “Strangers in the Night” by Frank Sinatra.

Phil Manning smiles as the Trojan Marching Band plays Happy Birthday for him. (Photo/Steve Cohn)

Also in attendance were members of the Class of 1957, who marked 60 years since receiving their medical degree, as well as several emeriti faculty members.

“You are our legacy,” Ford told the newest 50 Year Fellows. “You are the role models that we invite Keck students to emulate every day as we strive to educate the next generation of physician leaders.”

The event concluded with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” by the Trojan Marching Band for Manning, whose 96th birthday was just days prior.

— Melissa Masatani

Members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC Class of 1957 smile during the 50 Year Fellows Luncheon, held May 19 at the California Club. (Photo/Steve Cohn)