Dr. Bernice Sigman, a pediatrician who became the associate dean of student affairs at the University of Maryland Medical School, died of complications of heart, kidney and lung disease May 23 at Tampa General Hospital in Florida. She was 87.
Born in Baltimore, she was the daughter of Anna and Edward Sigman, who were members of the family who owned the B. Green wholesale grocery business.
She was a graduate of Forest Park High School and attended Martha Washington University. She was a 1960 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and was one of three women in her class.
In a 1977 article in The Baltimore Sun, she recalled that as a child she knew she wanted to be a doctor but had no interest in becoming a nurse.
From 1963 to 1964 she was chief resident in pediatrics at the University of Maryland Medical Center and earned a master’s degree in genetics at the University of Washington in Seattle.
She returned to Maryland as an assistant professor in pediatrics in 1966 and was named associate dean for student affairs in 1972.
“She had a natural instinct for students,” said Larry Pitrof, director the Maryland Medical Alumni Association. “She was a well-loved figure and the kind of person who kept a box of Kleenex on her desk and had toys ready for the children of students who came by for counseling.”
Mr. Pitrof recalled that Dr. John M. Dennis, the former dean of the medical school, often referred to Dr. Sigman as “our Mother Superior.”
She was a former chair of the Group on Student Affairs for the Association of American Medical Colleges.
In the 1990s she was a leader in development of the Electronic Residency Application Service, an early digital medical residency placement service.
Within her family, Dr. Sigman was known as Aunt Niecie.
“She never let any barrier stand between her and the people she loved,” said her grandnephew, David Sigman. “She always found a way to overcome any limitation, physical or otherwise, so that she could always participate in the adventure.”
“Whether that was sharing her love of fishing and being out on the water, wondering about the endless aisles of Bass Pro Shops, taking me to the hobby store for my birthday, or staying up until 1 a.m. watching the cheesiest of knife infomercials,” her grandnephew said.
She was the wife of Dr. M. Ann Clevenger. They met 29 years ago and married 14 years ago.
“Bernice was good at her job in student affairs because was approachable and she conveyed a gentle confidence that no problem was too big to overcome,” her wife said. “At the same time, she was straightforward, realistic and pragmatic.”
Dr. Clevenger said her wife had a great sense of humor and fun no matter the occasion.
“Bernice was a good storyteller,” Dr. Clevenger said. “She had a natural way of infusing wit and humor into just about anything.
“She could recall how she and a friend from med school, between their first and second years, toured Europe, staying in youth hostels. They rented a tiny Citroen and drove it up the Alps and had mishaps along the way. She just had a way of maximizing the humor of it.”
The couple enjoyed the pleasures of summer and seafood.
“While in Maryland in the summer we fished and crabbed. Sunday dinner was steamed crabs harvested from a trap at the dock,” her wife said.
They traveled to the Galápagos Islands, Greenland, Canada, Europe, Israel, Greece, Central America and Alaska.
They had season tickets for the University of Maryland women’s basketball before moving to Florida in 2015.
“Bernice really liked it here. She liked the sunshine, natural beauty, our home, the water, of course, and the lack of snow and ice,” her wife said.
Dr. Sigman owned dogs named Leo, Daisy and Toby over the years. She was a supporter of no-kill shelters.
In 2000, she received the Maryland Medical Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award.
She is survived by her wife; a sister-in-law, Lois Sigman of Baltimore; a nephew, David Sigman of Baltimore; a niece, Stacy Bergman of New York City; and grandnieces and grandnephews.
Services were held Thursday at Har Sinai Cemetery.