Dr. Firmon E. Hardenbergh, M.D., F.A.C.S.
July 9, 1931 – Nov. 2, 2025
Firmon E. Hardenbergh, MD, a beloved father and grandfather, friend to many, highly respected ophthalmologist, Navy veteran, musician, and community servant, passed away peacefully at his home in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Nov. 2 at the age of 94.
Firmon was a curious, creative, industrious, humble and dedicated individual who loved learning and discovery. He planned amazing family vacations and experiences, taking every opportunity to broaden his and his family’s horizons through world travel, the performing arts, academic discourse and social interactions, while contributing to his community and never complaining. He embodied the tenet of living life to the fullest.
Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Hardenbergh graduated from Ensley High School in 1948, cum laude from Harvard College in 1952, and Harvard Medical School in 1956. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, one of the nation’s premier centers for eye care. Subsequently, he proudly served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps as an ophthalmologist with the Severn River Naval Command at the U.S. Naval Academy and Hospital in Annapolis, where he refined his clinical training and deepened his lifelong commitment to public service.
In 1962, he and his wife, Jane Slaughter Hardenbergh, moved to Boulder, Colorado, where he founded the Boulder Valley Eye Clinic PC. As the sole founder and director of the practice for more than 30 years, he became one of the region’s most trusted and respected physicians.
Dr. Hardenbergh was a founding member of the American Intraocular Implant Society and served on its Scientific Advisory Board. He was a member of the International Intra-Ocular Implant Club and was in the delegation from that organization that traveled to China in 1978, working with Chinese ophthalmologists to expand the global advancement of intraocular lens implantation. He served on Project Orbis in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Yugoslavia. Dr. Hardenbergh established the first freestanding ambulatory surgery facility in the Rocky Mountain region in 1979 when he received the first certificate of need issued by the state of Colorado for such a facility. The Rocky Mountain Surgery Center changed the landscape of modern surgical health care. The center was accomplished under the surety of the Rocky Mountain Eye Foundation, which Dr. Hardenbergh founded and for which he served as President Primus. Dr. Hardenbergh was a member of the board of directors of the Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society, as well as the Governmental Relations Committee and the board of directors of the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association, serving as program chair for the 14th annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in 1988. Additionally, he was a surveyor of facilities for the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.
Dr. Hardenbergh was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and was a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the International Eye Foundation, the Royal Society of Medicine (Great Britain), the Pan American Association of Ophthalmology and the International College of Surgeons.
Later in his career, he returned to Massachusetts as a clinical ophthalmologist and served as chief of ophthalmology for the Harvard University Health Services, where he cared for faculty and students with the same grace and thoroughness that defined his practice in Boulder.
After retiring to Birmingham, he remained active in the medical community as director of technical services and board member of the Alabama Eye Bank, supporting corneal transplant programs and vision preservation across the state.
A pianist and organist, Dr. Hardenbergh was a lifelong champion of organ and sacred music, funding the restoration of the organs in Harvard University’s Memorial Church, Samford University’s Reid Chapel (Birmingham) and the University of Richmond Chapel Organ (Virginia), and in doing so, established a shared legacy of music, scholarship and spiritual generosity at these three universities. He and Jane supported and made contributions to education and the arts throughout their lives. Among the many institutions they supported were the Convent of St. Walburga in Virginia Dale, Colorado; Harvard College and Harvard Medical School; Samford University Arts; University of Richmond (Virginia); Alabama Symphony; Beacon Hill Friends House (Boston); and UAB Historical Society and UAB Arts, among many others.
Dr. Hardenbergh is survived by his daughter Esther Jane Hardenbergh Sidener and her husband, Whitney; his son Gordon Slaughter Hardenbergh and his wife, Patricia; his daughter Mary Ann Hardenbergh Wall; his son Firmon Stinson Hardenbergh and his wife, Vicki; as well as his seven grandchildren, Phillip and Lawrence Wall, Hannah, Dylan, Ian and Katy Jane Hardenbergh, and Jackson Hardenbergh. He was preceded in death by Jane, his wife of more than 50 years.
Graveside services and interment will be at Alabama Military Cemetery in Montevallo, Alabama.