April 18, 2016
Dear Colleagues,
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The image above is a photo Dr. Josepha A. Cheong took during the APA 2009 in San Francisco of Ken with Joan and his daughter Barbara.[/caption]
Memorial donations made in honor of Dr. Kenneth Silk will support the Kenneth R. Silk, M.D. Endowment Fund. This fund will be used to help establish the Kenneth R. Silk, M.D. Lectureship in Psychiatry at the University of Michigan's Medical School. Learn more here.
Kenneth Silk, M.D. Obituary
Silk, Kenneth 5/27/1944 - 4/18/2016 Ann Arbor, Michigan
Dr Kenneth R Silk died on Monday April 18, 2016 in Laguna Hills, CA after a nearly one year fight with MDS. Born in Fall River, MA, the son of Nathan Silk and Esther Fine Silk, Ken attended Durfee High School where he held a state track record in the 100m sprint despite smoking cigarettes in the "off season". He continued both his education and his knack for causing trouble at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. A pre-med student, he still found time to be a political activist both on and off campus. He attended the Albert Einstein School of Medicine and completed his training in psychiatry at Yale University. Ken began his U of M career in 1975 as an instructor at the Ann Arbor VA Hospital. He transitioned to working within U of M's Department of Psychiatry in the early 90s, where he held various posts and garnered many accolades and awards until he retired in 2014. Notably, Ken created the Personality Disorders team at Michigan's Ambulatory Care Clinic to specialize in the care of patients with moderate to severe personality disorders, Ken's specialty. Ken's work impacted many - undergraduate and graduate students, medical students, nurses, community and UM patients, faculty, staff and their families. Ken will be remembered both locally and internationally as an outstanding clinician and an expert in the treatment of patients with Borderline Personality Disorder. When Ken wasn't working, he took great pleasure in his wife, Joan, his two children, David and Barbara, his two grandchildren, Hannah and Kate, cooking and baking pies, traveling, skiing and swimming at the Huron Valley Swim Club. He cherished all things Ann Arbor the Michigan Theater, the Ark, the farmer's market, and free meals on his birthday at Main Street Ventures restaurants. Throughout all of his roles as clinician, administrator, father, spouse, sibling, amateur travel agent, and researcher, Ken was the consummate cheerleader for those around him. He was fiercely loyal to those he believed in, unceasingly proud of his children, and continuously committed to strong ethics. He will be missed by the many who he loyally cheered for over the years. While Ken viewed his illness as a less than ideal way to spend retirement, at the point of Ken's diagnosis, he viewed his life as full, happy, and fortunate. Over the past year, he cherished the opportunity to connect and visit with so many that he loved and that loved him within the Ann Arbor and BPD communities. Both communities were sources of strength for him and for his family. Kenneth is survived by his wife Joan Margeson; one brother and one sister, Sandra Silk (New York, NY) and Gerald Silk (Philadelphia, PA), his children, David (Summit, NJ) and Barbara (San Clemente, CA), daughter in law Colleen Silk, Joan's children, Megan (Los Angeles, CA) and James (Los Angeles, CA); and two grandchildren, Hannah Silk and Kate Silk. A Memorial service in Ken's honor will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday May 7 at the League (911 N University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI). Throughout Ken's illness, he directed those offering to help to make blood donations. Ken benefited from many blood products throughout his treatment. Without these resources, his life would have been shorter. So, if you can find the time wherever you live, please give blood.
Published in Ann Arbor News on Apr. 24, 2016
