Dreams, Determination, and Legacy: Honouring Dr. Geraldine Kurz

Her story began in the now-abandoned Saskatchewan village of West Bend. Born into a family that valued play and curiosity, she said her father delayed sending her to school until she was seven years old. “My father didn’t believe in sending kids to school early; he wanted me to be free to play as long as possible,” she said. Geraldine’s first day of school in the two-room school, which she describes as her first true memory, was the catalyst that sparked a lifelong passion for reading and learning. 

The school did not have a library. A box of loaned books would be shipped from Foam Lake, SK, on the first day of each month. Geraldine eagerly awaited these shipments and made it her mission to read each book from cover to cover, regardless of whether she was interested in the topic.  

The West Bend School only offered a syllabus to Grade 8, but Geraldine’s father recognized her passion for education and arranged for her to board with a distant relative in Foam Lake, 20 miles away, where she could attend high school.  

“My father only went to school until grade 8,” she said, “but he saw how much education meant to me.” A favourite teacher at Foam Lake High School encouraged her to continue her studies after graduation, which led to her first University of Saskatchewan degree, a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics, in 1964. 

While the responsibilities of adult life followed, something unexpected happened that helped her discover her true calling. Her then husband, a dentist, had a stack of anatomy books in the house. “One day, I picked one up, and I couldn’t put it down,” she recalled. Intrigued, she worked her way through several volumes, and emerged with a newfound goal of studying medicine. 

After being denied entry to the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine on her first application, Geraldine ingeniously discovered a backdoor route. Enrolling in the College of Arts and Science, she was able to take the first-year medicine classes and, while studying, she reapplied. “It didn’t feel sneaky, but I guess it was now that I think about it,” she conceded.  

This time, she earned an admissions interview. “During my interview, one of the panellists asked, ‘Who will clean your house while you’re off being a doctor?’ Without thinking, I blurted out, ‘Well, I’ll hire a house cleaner, of course!’” she laughed. “I still can’t believe I said that, but it was true. A messy house wasn’t going to be what stopped me.” 

While Geraldine was writing her last exam of the semester, her professor came and stood beside her. “He grabbed my exam and said, ‘I think you can hand that in now.’ Then he replaced it with an envelope.” Inside was a letter; she had been accepted into the second year of the Doctor of Medicine program. That moment, she said, was one she would never forget. 

Graduating from the College of Medicine set the stage for a fulfilling career as a board-certified dermatologist in California. Despite her success, she never forgot her Saskatchewan roots or the institution that shaped her path.  

Prior to her passing, Dr. Geraldine Kurz made a significant donation to the College of Medicine’s Alumni and Community Program that will fund initiatives that connect students, residents, alumni and faculty with one another and with opportunities to help them thrive, just as she did. 

“I wish I could have come back home along the way,” she said. “I miss Saskatchewan.” Geraldine’s legacy will forever be intertwined with the College of Medicine, encouraging others to dream big, work hard and give back. 

By sharing Geraldine’s story, it is the Alumni and Community Program’s hope that others will be inspired to share their own path that led them to the USask College of Medicine in pursuit of becoming a physician.   

This interview was conducted in August 2024.