About Wendy Klag

1952 – 2006

Wendy Klag

Our center is named in honor of Wendy Schagen Klag, the first wife of Dean Emeritus Michael J. Klag, who was a devoted mother to their three children.

The Wendy Klag Center is named in honor of Dean Emeritus Michael J. Klag’s first wife, a woman who was known for her selfless devotion to children and family.

After Wendy Klag’s sudden death in 2006, friends, family, and the Johns Hopkins community contributed to a memorial fund, which has since been used to support doctoral students who study an array of topics related to developmental disabilities.

In the spring 2012 edition of Johns Hopkins Public Health magazine, Klag wrote movingly about their youngest child, Sarah, and her diagnosis of autism at age 5. He described the emotional toll, the couple’s search for answers, and how this private challenge has served as motivation to support the research into autism and developmental disabilities.

More recently, in an online preface to his article, Klag remarked that the magazine column was too brief to share the whole story: “I most regret leaving out the saddest and happiest parts. The saddest is that Wendy, Sarah’s mom and pillar of strength and my first wife, died suddenly when Sarah was 15 years old. The happiest is that my second wife, Lucy Meoni, has embraced Sarah, loves her and is an equally staunch advocate.”