 . . . March 1995
SERVICE, KINDNESS AND CONCERN FORGE STRONG TIES WITH MICHIGAN
By Judith W. Malcolm People become attached to the University of Michigan for all sorts of reasons. They come to school here and meet a professor or fellow student who makes a difference. They go to all the football or basketball games even though they've never been a student. They receive superb care at one of our hospitals or clinics. They subscribe to concerts. And sometimes those experiences change their lives.
That's what happened to these people.
Frederick G.L. (Fritz) Huetwell never wanted to go to anyplace else except Michigan, even though as a lifelong resident of Detroit he had many other local schools to choose from. He graduated in 1937, but his relationship with the U-M was just beginning.
Although the cerebral palsy that afflicted him throughout his life made traveling difficult, he went on over 18 Alumni Association tours and frequently came back to campus to attend sporting and musical events and especially to visit his many friends.
As generous with his financial contributions as his time, Mr. Huetwell provided ongoing support to medical research in such areas as cystic fibrosis, eye disease, kidney and bladder disease, hypertension, birth defects, and arthritis. He also made gifts to provide materials for the University's blind students and its Shady Hills Camp for children with communicative disorders.
In addition to medical research, Mr. Huetwell funded four four-year Frederick G. L. Huetwell Scholarships in the Office of Financial Aid. They are awarded on the basis of financial need, and have enabled more than 35 students to attend Michigan. One scholarship is designated for a disabled student.
When asked about his scholarships, he explained, "I have no children or relatives that depend on me, so I created the Huetwell Scholarships to give others the opportunity for an education."
When Mr. Huetwell died this past fall the University lost a generous friend, but his support over the years created a lasting legacy of this devoted Michigan fan.
Another student who came and remained a U-M fan for life is Dr. Duncan 0. Poth who, with his wife, Ella M. Poth, traveled from Texas to the University for a residency in dermatology in 1931.
What he remembers most is the wonderful reception he received from Dr. Udo Wile, who chaired the dermatology department from 1912-1947 and is credited with establishing the nation's first formal residency training program in dermatology.
"At the University of Texas, where I received my medical degree, they scared us to death with the thought of failure," Dr. Poth recalled. "It was horrible. But when I came to Michigan, Udo Wile said to me, 'You're the first man we've ever taken from outside the University, and we don't know you, but we're going to do the best we can to make the best dermatologist possible out of you.' He filled me with confidence and hope."
Clearly, Dr. Wile succeeded. Dr. Poth practiced in San Antonio for his entire career, carrying on the family medical tradition established by his father, a general practitioner in a town east of San Antonio. Dr. Poth still goes to the office.
Over the years the Poths have created the Duncan O. Poth and Ella M. Poth Endowed Fellowship for Clinical Research in Dermatology to support a postgraduate researcher, and the Poth-Wile Research Fund in Dermatology.
In 1994, with a $2 million Charitable Remainder Unitrust, the Poths created a Distinguished Professorship, the most prestigious endowed professorship and the first in the Medical School. (A charitable remainder unitrust is a way of making a gift to the University while receiving income from the money during the donor's lifetime. At the donor's death, the funds are transferred to the University.)
Although Colleen DiMattia graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, the special devotion to the U-M that she and her husband, Frank, share comes by another route. When son, Robert, was 13, they noticed something was wrong with his eyesight. An avid soccer player was having trouble kicking the ball squarely. The Dimattias took him to several ophthalmologists trying to determine why his eyesight had suddenly deteriorated. He was diagnosed as having a rare ailment called juvenile retinoschisis (RS), a degenerative genetic disease of the retina and leading cause of blindness.
Dr. Sieving is working with families through the United States and eight countries to isolate the gene responsible for retinoschisis. The gene for the disease is passed from a father to his daughters, who do not develop the disease, but who pass it on to their sons.
Mrs. DiMattia's father had lost much of his central eyesight over time beginning when he was Robert's age. The DiMattias began assisting Dr. Sieving with his research by locating their relatives who live in the Southwest and Mexico to donate blood samples for genetic research. They paid for the tests and for some family members to travel to Ann Arbor for testing.
From their efforts to search for help for their child, the DiMattias have ended up helping future generations. As Dr. Sieving explains, "It's wonderful when a family such as the DiMattias understands the bigger implication of research and then gets involved to help others." MT
Judith W. Malcolm is U-M Director of Development Communication
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After graduation, Mr. Huetwell was associated with his family's company, Calvert Lithography, in Detroit. When the company ceased operations in the '50s, his love for the University showed as he put all his energy into promoting the University of Michigan Club of Greater Detroit as its executive director. Along with keeping records related to club memberships, arranging trips to athletic events and publishing a newsletter, Mr. Huetwell would make that personal, persuasive phone call to a club member who might be undecided about whether to go on a trip or join a committee.
The Poths still consider the four years they spent in Ann Arbor "a highlight of our lives," he said. Equally strong is the gratitude they feel for the professor who reached out and made a difference in a young student's life more than six decades ago.
The DiMattias were then referred to 
In an even more generous act, the DiMattias have developed an interesting and unusual fund-raiser to assist the retinoschisis research. They own the Mexican Town restaurant in Detroit. For one week in October they held a "Feast For The Eyes" and donated the gross proceeds to support research in Dr. Sieving's laboratory. During October 1994's kickoff of what they intend to be a five-year commitment, they raised approximately $57,000.