FA L L 2 0 1 4
I n d i v i d u a l s a n d g i f t s t h at a r e t r a n s f o r m i n g U C F
From Tragedy, Renewal
In the spirit of an extraordinary young doctor tragically killed in 2002, and with assistance from a fund established to carry on his legacy, UCF students help and heal in the Dominican Republic
O
ne day in the early summer of 2002, a young Winter Park doctor named Don Diebel Jr. stopped on the side of a stormsoaked highway in Sumter County to help at the scene of a rollover accident. As he and another good Samaritan, 26-year-old Oviedo firefighter Shane Kelly, worked to extract a young couple from the wreck, a passing tractor-trailer lost control and careened into the site of the accident, killing both men instantly. For Diebel’s wife and three young children, his siblings and parents, his many friends and colleagues, even the broader Central Florida community, it was an almost unspeakable tragedy. Diebel had been not only a father and a doctor and a friend to many; he had also been uniquely generous with his time and his talents, his final selfless act perfectly in character. That generosity played out not just in big, visible ways — like a long history of medical missions to developing countries — but also in smaller,
more personal ways, quietly helping where he was needed in his own community. It wasn’t until after his death, in fact, when those he had helped began to share their stories, that even his family began to understand the extent of his generosity. At the time, it must have seemed inconceivable that any good could ever come from such a tragedy. But, as the weeks passed, something new emerged from the grief and loss — a galvanizing resolve to honor Diebel by furthering his deep commitment to using his medical training to serve less fortunate members of his own community and the world beyond. Out of that resolve was born the Diebel Legacy Fund, established by Diebel’s family and friends to honor and celebrate the good Samaritan and the value of service. The best way to create more caring, community-minded doctors like Diebel, the fund’s leaders believe, is to help expose medical students to the same kind of profound need Diebel found on his
Lockheed Martin Gives Patient Simulators Three high-fidelity mannequins given this summer by Lockheed Martin will expand simulation training in the College of Nursing, allowing students to practice physical exams, history-taking and diagnostic and communication skills in a safe environment without risk to a patient. Now an integral part of nursing education, simulation also enables instructors to stage a wider variety of scenarios than students are likely to see during their clinical rotations. “We are proud to be a long-standing partner with UCF in advancing training and innovation,” says Jon Rambeau, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager for Training and Logistics Solutions.
trips abroad and during his volunteer work at home. That belief played a central role this summer in supporting a team of nearly 40 UCF medical, nursing, pharmacy and engineering students and faculty on a service-learning trip to the Dominican Republic to render badly needed care, counseling and aid in some of the country’s most impoverished villages. It was the fourth year for the now annual trip and the second year the Diebel Legacy Fund funded scholarships to help students — 20 of them this summer — with expenses. Diebel would have loved to see them coming home, said his brother Pete after a reception at the College of Medicine for the returning students, weary but proud and changed for good, with a renewed sense of service and responsibility. In fact, Pete said, “I like to think that he would have been on the trip with them. I think he would want to be a part of this.” Which, in a very real way, he is.
THE BIG NUMBER
3.9
Mean high school gradepoint average of UCF’s freshman class this fall, up from 3.8 last year
Yes, UCF is getting bigger, with enrollment topping 60,000 this fall, but more importantly the university is also getting better — markedly so. This year’s entering class not only boasted an enviable average high school GPA, but also included 79 National Merit Scholars — roughly the top one-third of 1 percent of the country’s high school graduates. That figure is up an astonishing 30 percent over last year, landing UCF second among all Florida colleges in National Merit Scholar enrollment and among the top 40 nationally.