HERSHEY, Pa. — Dr. David Goldenberg, professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology ─ Head and Neck Surgery at Penn State College of Medicine and vice president of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery services for Penn State Health Medical Group, honored the life and legacy of his daughter in the inaugural Ellie Goldenberg Memorial Lecture on May 8.
In his talk, titled “From Cradle to Grave: The Lifespan of a Singer’s Voice,” Goldenberg described the evolution of a singer’s voice over their lifetime in the context of human voice as a science and singing as an art.
Goldenberg and his wife and former College of Medicine faculty member, Dr. Renee Flax-Goldenberg, created the endowed lecture to honor the life of their daughter, Ellie, who died in an airboat accident on May 13, 2017, while on a family trip celebrating her college graduation.
The Ellie Goldenberg Memorial Lecture endowment supports events on topics related to the intersection of medicine and the fine arts.
A passion for life and singing
The day before her death, Ellie had graduated magna cum laude from the University of Miami’s prestigious bachelor of fine arts program, and she was the only student in her class to be awarded the Friends of the Theatre Award by the program.
An accomplished actor and singer, Ellie showed early promise as a performer while a young student at Beth Tfiloh Dahan school in Baltimore. By the end of high school Ellie had performed in at least 23 productions, many of which she starred in. She also performed in community theater. After high school, she traveled to Israel for a gap year, working with underserved immigrant populations and victims of domestic abuse.
In addition to her musical and theatrical gifts, Ellie was known for her passion, dedication, loyalty and work ethic, said her father.