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Obituary for Bernard P. Lane
Bernard P. Lane had a full, rich, productive life in teaching, medical research, public
service, music and raising a family on Long Island.
Lane, known as “Bernie,” was a founding faculty member of the medical school at Stony
Brook University, his family and associates say, as well as a professor of pathology
there — who authored or co-authored more than 100 scientific research papers; was
a former president of the faculty senate; head of a number of university, state and
national medical organizations; an expert trumpet player; and a devoted family man.
A native of Brooklyn, Lane received an undergraduate degree from Brown University,
a medical degree from New York University and a master of science degree in management
from Stony Brook in 1992.
As a professor of pathology, Lane taught at Stony Brook from 1971 until he retired
in 2014. Before coming to Stony Brook, he taught for several years at New York University
Medical School.
Lane was director of the pathology residence program for 25 years, “mentoring scores
of pathologists who have gone on to positions in hospitals and academic medical centers
both locally and nationally,” his wife, Dorothy Lane, associate dean for Continuing
Medical Education at Stony Brook, said in a statement. The couple were married 53
years.
He was also director of the Electron Microscopy Laboratory and the founding chairman
of the board of directors of the Clinical Management Plan at Stony Brook University
Hospital.
Outside of the university on Long Island, Lane was at times president of the Suffolk
County Medical Society, the Suffolk County Pathology Society and the Long Island Division
of the American Cancer Society.
Nationally, he was chairman of the National Group on Faculty Practice of the Association
of American Medical Colleges.
In the early days of the medical school, Lane “felt rewarded by the pioneering spirit
of these first students . . . and by the successes of the thousands he taught in the
decades that followed,” his wife said.
In addition to his extensive medical and public service, Lane also had time for his
family and for cultural life on Long Island. Lane “greatly enjoyed raising a family
on Long Island, spending countless hours at West Meadow Beach [in Stony Brook] and
making day trips to South Shore beaches in the summers,” his wife wrote. He also regularly
attended concerts and theatrical performances at Stony Brook, Bellport and Westbury,
she said.
“My Dad enjoyed many things in life,” recalled his daughter, Erika Neil, of Chantilly,
Virginia, in remarks prepared for his funeral service. “He was a gifted trumpet player
who loved music. I have fond memories of him playing Herb Alpert on the record player,
and of him playing trumpet while I accompanied him on the piano.”
In addition to his wife and daughter, Lane is survived by two sons: Andrew Lane of
Baltimore and Matthew Lane of Los Angeles; and four grandchildren.
A graveside funeral service was held July 7 at Washington Memorial Park Cemetery in
Mt. Sinai. In lieu of flowers, his family requested that donations be made either
to the Stony Brook Cancer Center or the American Cancer Society.