Franklin & Marshall College

Dr. Robert Falk, Jr., M.D. ’67 and his impact on the Franklin & Marshall squash teams can be traced back to the program’s very first days when he was a part of the first varsity team. Since his undergraduate days, “Dr. Bob” as he is more commonly known around the Mayser Center Squash Courts, continues to support the program and help the Diplomats to remain one of the top teams in the country even with college squash being a single division sport where F&M competes against the nation's best, including all of the top Ivy League programs. After his graduation from Franklin & Marshall in 1967, Dr. Bob went on to graduate from Thomas Jefferson University's medical school in 1971. A one-year internship at Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital was followed by two years of active duty in the US Navy as the base physician at the Naval Aviation Supply Office in Philadelphia where he was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal. After completing his anesthesia residency and Cardiovascular Anesthesia fellowship at the Milton S. Hershey Medical School, Falk joined Anesthesia Associates of Lancaster where he practiced anesthesia for almost 40 years. During that time, he served as Chairman of the Anesthesia Department, President of Anesthesia Associates, and was a member of the Lancaster General Hospital Board of Trustees. He was additionally inducted into the Societas Generalis at Lancaster General Hospital for excellence in medicine.

Staying in the local community throughout his professional career, Falk continued to be a steadfast supporter of the Diplomats. Just prior to his retirement in 2014, one of Falk's most notable contributions came when he established the Squash Endowment Fund. In 2022, Falk received Franklin & Marshall's Nevonian Medal for his extraordinary and sustained dedication to the College. Dr. Bob has also brought great national respect to F&M and the Lancaster area with his instrumental role in coordinating the Lancaster International Piano Festival and Hamilton Open on campus. The Hamilton Open – a professional squash tournament held annually in the Mayser Center – has attracted professional women's squash players from 15 different countries to campus. Falk continues to be a mentor to current Franklin & Marshall squash players as he has served as an assistant coach with both the men's and women's squash programs since his retirement in 2016.