Power of a mentor

In the late 1960s, Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple had a big brother program with Cleveland’s Glenville High School. That’s how a teenaged Leonard Curtis Uitenham (pronounced “U-ten-ham”) came to be connected with Dr. Daniel Weidenthal, a local ophthalmologist.

Their match spanned the rest of their lives. Uitenham ’75, MS ’81, PhD ’85, went on to earn three degrees from Case Institute of Technology, fly Navy jets and become an impactful professor at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. “Dr. Dan” was there, he says, coaching and cheering him on, every step of the way.

In November, their friendship became enshrined in the faculty ranks. With a $250,000 gift, Weidenthal created the Dr. Leonard C. Uitenham and Dr. Daniel T. Weidenthal Endowed Professorship at North Carolina A&T. It will be matched by the state and used to recruit and retain top faculty in the college of engineering.

“The real diamond in the rough, as far as I’m concerned, is that whoever gets that professorship will carry that title and honor Dan Weidenthal,” Uitenham said. “He was a big, big part of my life and my family.”

Weidenthal, 92, a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, said the honor is mutual.

“I have known Curtis for most of his life and he is a great source of inspiration and pride for me,” he said. “We hit it off. It was such a joy to be able to enjoy his success and contribute to it.”

As a mentee of Weidenthal, Uitenham gained insights into worlds beyond most teenagers. He recalls the doctor, a pioneering eye surgeon, having him scrub up to observe his surgeries at St. Luke’s Hospital. Weidenthal introduced him to Professor Eric Baer, who hired him into his polymer science lab. Scholarships from the Case Alumni Association helped Uitenham earn his bachelor’s degree in polymer science and engineering.

He joined the Marine Corps, became an officer and a naval aviator, and earned two more Case degrees before retiring a colonel. In 2000, he joined the faculty at North Carolina A&T, where he founded the nation’s first accredited biomedical engineering program at an historically black university.

Now an emeritus professor, Uitenham continues to teach courses in bioengineering, aircraft design, and drone technology. He does so knowing that his name and that of his mentor will be forever linked.