Robert D. Gongaware ’59

Bob Gongaware, a much beloved pediatric and general surgeon in Savannah, Ga., died Feb. 18, 1999, following a courageous battle with brain cancer. Connect Savannah reported his death with a full page story titled "Savannah Says Goodbye to Charming Dr. Bob."

A native of Rhode Island, Bob prepared at Phillips Exeter. At Princeton, he joined Colonial Club and roomed with Tony Barr, George Beall, Dick Furman, Jim Jennings, Fred Mosher, Ted Robbins, and Ramsay Vehslage.

Bob earned his MD at the U. of Pennsylvania. He did his internship at Columbia Presbyterian in N.Y., where he met and trained with his wife-to-be, Theodora, known to us as "T". Following Bob's service as a Navy lieutenant commander during the Vietnam War, the doctors Gongaware settled in Savannah in 1972. "T" began a practice in internal medicine, and Bob became Savannah's premier pediatric surgeon. His reputation led to surgical teaching appointments at hospitals in Savannah, Augusta, and Macon. He was a member of the AMA and 10 surgical organizations in Georgia, three of which he served as president, and was on the boards of the Savannah Symphony Society and Savannah Country Day School.

Bob is survived by "T", his children Hartford '94, Teddy '96, and Andrew, his mother, and two sisters. He will be sorely missed by his many friends at Princeton and beyond.

The Class of 1959