Samuel E. Menaged – 50th Reunion Essay

Samuel E. Menaged

209 Roberts Road

Ardmore, PA 19003

smenaged@renfrewcenter.com

Spouse(s): Pamela Hudspith (44 years as of 2018)

Child(ren): Rachel (1978); Vanessa (1981); Daniel (1985); Anna (1991)

Grandchild(ren): Jacob and Naomi (2010); Sarah (2016)

Education: B.A. Yale 1969; J.D. NYU Law 1972

Career: Law Clerk, Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Entertainment, Criminal and Health Care attorney-6 years; Founder, President and CEO of The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders, 35 years

Avocations: Travel, reading, music, Jewish practices and Israel advocacy

College: Berkeley

My Yale experience opened my eyes to a new world. I came into Yale an Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn, a pretty insular world. Non-Orthodox and non-Jewish classmates as well as the Yale environment certainly broadened my horizons. With the advent of the counterculture I became immersed in an alternative universe that changed me politically, socially, and spiritually.

After Yale graduation I entered NYU law but spent most of my time at the Fillmore East. I was also active in antiwar activities (e.g., marching on Fort Dix to free all political prisoners), and was tear gassed many a time. I managed to graduate in June 1972 but did not seek employment as an attorney. In September I flew to Istanbul and backpacked through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. I trekked in Nepal, lived on the beach in Goa and on a houseboat in Kashmir, yet the highlight of my trip was meeting Pamela, my British wife, coming out of a Ravi Shankar concert in Bombay. Returning to the United States, culture shock hit, so in short order we traveled to South America, where we went overland for six months through Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Those years abroad made me feel like a citizen of the world—one with no boundaries. I realized that I was too unstructured to participate in a traditional work life. As an entertainment lawyer for some years, I indulged in my passion for music and in the creativity of my clients. Yet I still felt unfulfilled. Some dabbling in health-care law led me to my present career. I founded The Renfrew Center, the country’s first residential eating disorder facility in 1985. I had no personal experience with the disorders but the idea of creating something never done before and one that saved peoples’ lives was very appealing. I felt like a pioneer.

Over the past 35 years I feel as if in effect I was performing a daily mitzvah. The positive feedback from patients and families has sustained me despite the continuing challenges of working in the evolving health-care system. I’m as enthusiastic about the business today as I was the first day, and I’m happy to say that one of my daughters is my “heir-apparent.” Working with a creative and warm team dedicated to the mission has also inspired me. Coming from a male-dominated family and religious life, I’ve done “penance” by working mostly with, and treating only, women. Over the years we’ve treated over 75,000 women, and created The Renfrew Center Foundation in 1990, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the education, prevention, advocacy, research, and treatment of eating disorders. This has been my way of giving back to the professional community and the people they care for.

My family is my pride, joy, and anchor. Pamela and I have made our family home in Philadelphia and we are fortunate to have children and grandchildren nearby. Seeing the world anew through their eyes continues to remind me of the wonders and beauty of this world. We’re blessed.

I look forward to our reunion, as Yale was a formative part of my life, exposing this Brooklyn boy to the world at large, to a life of active learning, and to the endless possibilities of giving back.