Dr. Russell Van Gelder and his wife, Dr. Suzanne M. Dintzis, sold their three-bedroom, 3.5 bath at 11928 Claychester Dr. in Des Peres for $550,000 to John E. Grant Jr. and his wife, Diane, on May 7.

Van Gelder and Dintzis paid $157,500 for the home in March 1996. The home was built in 1956.

Stacie Fryrear of Coldwell Banker Gundaker was the agent for the sale. The home was listed for $575,000.

Dr. Gelder is a professor and the chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle. He joined the faculty there earlier this year, and also currently sees patients at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

He previously spent eight years in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Washington University Medical School in St. Louis. He rose from an assistant professor when he joined the faculty in 1999 to a professor before his departure. He also spent the last three years as the director of education for the department.

He's seen patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Luke's, St. Mary's and St. Anthony's hospitals while in St. Louis.

He received both his Ph.D. in neuroscience and his M.D. from the Stanford University School of Medicine (1994).

Dr. Dintzis is an anatomic and clinical pathologist who has practiced in Chesterfield. She earned her M.D. from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Home sales in Des Peres have risen 49.7 percent thus far in 2008. The median sale price, however, has dropped from $356,000 in 2007 to $345,000 so far this year.

Address: 11928 Claychester Drive
Buyer(s): John E Et Ux Grant Jr
Seller(s): Gelder Russell Van (and Wife)
Sale date: May. 7, 2008