CLASS OF 5T1
For this issue, we asked members of the 70-year class to provide notable memories from their lives and time in medicine.
Dr. Drew (James) ALLIN obtained a surgical fellowship in obstetrics and gynecology, joined the staff at Wellesley Hospital, and became an assistant professor at U of T. “One of my greatest joys in life has been downhill skiing,” he writes. “I started at age 12 and skied until age 91. It’s a great family sport. I skied with my wife, Marian, my son, two daughters, and five grandchildren in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Email Drew at drew.allin037@sympatico.ca
Dr. Wilford ANDERSON recalls the highlight of a trip to Ireland he took with his wife in 1976. “We attended medical meetings in Dublin,” he writes. “At the end of the week, there was a golf tournament at Portmarnock Golf Club, which I happened to win. I received a beautiful crystal decanter for first prize.” Email Wilford at lesley.anderson@ymail.com
Dr. James BOONE recalls that at med school, classmate Gord Cameron was “a champion, writing, acting in, and directing our annual Daffydil productions. They were always the hit of the show.
“John McIlwraith was another champion. John realized that the poor attendance at the end of the four hours of Friday afternoon lectures in third year was a tragedy. He arranged for a 20-minute break between the third and fourth lecture for his entertaining athletic committee report. The attendance rose to 90% plus.
“Academically, I always enjoyed the competition between Sam Bogoch and Eddie Kline to see which one would stand second to Sylvia Ramcharan, who always stood first.”
Today, he considers amalgamating the pediatric services in London, Ontario, his “professional achievement.” Under Jim’s leadership, pediatrics went from being scattered across the city to being centralized at the new Victoria Westminster location. Based in this one facility are Children’s Hospital, Thames Valley Children’s Centre rehabilitation facility, the Children’s Health Research institute, Ronald McDonald House, and the Children’s Hospital Foundation.
What James is proudest of, though, are the academic achievements of his three sons. He recalls a trip in 1986 to celebrate his wife, Joan’s, 60th birthday, in which they visited each son at the university where he was studying. First, they visited Tom in Ithaca, New York, where he was completing a PhD in structural engineering at Cornell. Then they visited Peter in Boston where he was working on a PhD in economics at Harvard. From there, they travelled to Montreal where Charlie was completing a PhD in yeast genetics at McGill.
Dr. Gordon CAMERON explains that this photo is of his “new persona since retiring.” He writes, “I am now Gord Cameron, Master Digger (MD). Note the well-used shovel, which provides me with exercise as I move dirt from A to B and then return it from B to A at a rural property near my retirement home in Dundas, Ontario, where I am overprotected and overfed.”
At med school, he remembers Dr. William Boyd inviting him to come forward and present a five-minute dissertation on tumours of the pancreas. Gord writes, “I froze and blurted out, ‘But sir, we haven’t yet taken that!’ Boyd then patiently led me through the process of problem solving.
“‘What do you know already that might help?’ he asked. I knew anatomy and histology of the organ.
“What types of tumours could occur in those tissues?’ he prompted. And so on until I was able to finish. We were so lucky to have such great teachers!”
He recalls, “A happy career highlight was when Dr. John Evans started McMaster Medical School in Hamilton, and I joined the full-time faculty. This brought great excitement, challenges, and the pleasure of working with young students and residents.” Email Gord at camerongord@yahoo.ca
Dr. Jim COLQUHOUN, after two years of an internal medicine residency at Sunnybrook Hospital, moved to Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay), Ontario, to join the Port Arthur Clinic. When he started his family practice, he did house calls, staffed the emergency room, did obstetrics, and assisted in surgery. Jim says he never minded getting up in the middle of the night to help deliver a baby. He practised in Thunder Bay for 60 years, saying he had “the best job in the world.” Email Jim at capjim@tbaytel.net
Dr. Eleanor DAVIES, née Setterington, counts travelling as one of her greatest joys. In 1961–’62, she took a world trip that included New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and India. In the 1970s, she headed off to Central America, seeing Mexico and Panama. In 1975, she visited Peru. And in the 1980s, Eleanor basked in the Hawaii sunshine.
Dr. William HICK practised family medicine on the northern coast of British Columbia for 40 years. For the first four years, Bill cared for patients in the isolated villages of Stewart, B.C., and Hyder, Alaska. Then for 36 years, he practised in Prince Rupert, B.C.
“My, how general or family practice has changed,” writes Bill, who now lives in Surrey, B.C. “Shed a tear for the old ‘Green Book’ method of reaching a diagnosis, when there was no pressure from a clinic administrator to get patients (known primarily by their insurance number) in and out of the examining room in 10 minutes maximum – albeit clutching a sheaf of requisitions for lab work, X-rays, imaging, etc.” Email Bill at wbmhick@shaw.ca
Dr. Lorne LAING has four children, 10 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. But somehow, he always finds time to play one of his favourite sports: tennis. Lorne has been a member of the Badminton and Racquet Club of Toronto since 1973.
Dr. Fred MOFFAT writes, “Molly and I were married in Des Moines, Iowa, shortly after graduation, and three of my classmates, Bob Smith, Bill Johnson, and Bob Hadden, drove down to be ushers. Unfortunately, Bill got an expensive speeding ticket in his father’s car, which caused family problems on his return.
“After a junior internship at Toronto General Hospital, I practised for six months with my father in Port Colborne and was accepted into the U of T surgical course. In 1957, I received the FRCS. I practised general surgery at Humber Memorial Hospital for 20 very enjoyable years.” Fred worked closely with classmates David Storey and John Mcllraith. “John would often visit late Christmas Eve and have a few until 2 or 3 a.m.,” recalls Fred.
“At age 50 we moved to Sarasota, Florida, where I changed my career to emergency medicine. I boarded by examination at age 56. A year later, I joined another Canadian and in a few years it grew into a multi-specialty clinic with over a hundred doctors.
“I retired at age 66. By age 70, I was missing medicine and returned as an outpatient surgeon. For 13 years, I practised one day a week in a community clinic for indigents.” Email Fred at fredandmollymoffat@outlook.com
Dr. William MONK reminisces about his years at med school, writing, “1945. The war had ended, the veterans had returned and for the first time, high school students did not graduate into a uniform.
“Fortunately for our class, the Faculty of Medicine had designed a new two-year pre-med course but kept the one-year pre-med course for veterans, leaving the new course to be filled mainly by high school grads. I suspect that I wasn’t the only one whose grades didn’t meet the Faculty’s criteria. Some of us were in because the Faculty, like theatre today, had to put bums on seats.
“I don’t remember the dean’s welcoming address, but as he looked at this bunch of freshly groomed, shirt-and-tied, jacketed bunch he must have recoiled a bit. Kids! Kids who were thrilled, awed, and proud (smug?) to be there.
“A few weeks later, Meds conducted ‘The Initiation,’ and yes, the class of veterans was exempt. I had been recently vaccinated, and that scab saved me not only from smallpox, but humiliation. More than a few stayed home that day, pre-warned somehow.
“I suspect that after initiation, those who were there felt some pride and believed that, now fully accepted into the Medical Tribe, it was now OK to strut.” Email William at Wilmo@vianet.ca
Dr. John ZELDIN enjoyed being the physician for Team Canada in the famous 1972 World Series Hockey Series with Russia, and returning from the European trip as world champions. Another memorable moment occurred on the golf course, when he hit a hole in one. Email John at johnzeldin@hotmail.com
CLASS OF 6T2
(6T2) Dr. Peter BERNDT, after interning at St. Joseph's Health Center, was a general practitioner in Toronto and Oakville. In 1979, he started a psychiatric residency in San Antonio which he completed in 1982. Since then Peter has worked in various parts of the United States and is now in private psychiatric practice in The Woodlands, which is north of Houston. Primarily using psychotherapy rather than medication management, Peter focuses on the treatment of anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic illness. Email Peter at berndt2003@comcast.net
CLASS OF 6T9
Dr. Jerry FRIEDMAN continues to create driftwood sculptures in his studio/workshop near Algonquin Park, Ontario. COVID-19 permitting, there will be a studio tour of the Artists of the Limberlost on August 21 and 22. The tour is along historic Limberlost Road and will include seven studios and 14 guest artists. The road is 12 kilometres east of Huntsville. For updates, directions, or to arrange a studio visit, visit the artists’ website. http://www.artistsofthelimberlost.ca or email Jerry at jerryfriedman@rogers.com
Dr. Alvin PETTLE is celebrating over 60 years of friendship with classmate Dr. Sheldon Berger. In this 2013 photo, they’re at Alvin’s grandson’s bar mitzvah in Israel.
Photo from left: Carol and Alvin Pettle, Shelly Berger and his wife, Rita Koo
CLASS OF 7T1
Dr. Dafna GLADMAN has been inducted into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences as a Fellow, one of the highest honours in Canada’s academic community. The honour recognizes Dafna’s research on psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which has changed how rheumatologists manage it. Dafna found that PsA is more common and severe than previously thought, and identified the factors that lead to the development of PsA among patients with psoriasis and the factors associated with more severe PsA. She also alerted the medical community to the fact that PsA is associated with important comorbidities, including coronary artery disease, diabetes, obesity, and depression.
Dr. Michael GREEN, after 50 years of taking “call,” is ready to announce his retirement a week before his 75th birthday. After completing a fellowship in obstetrics and gynecology in 1976, he learned diagnostic ultrasound. “I was fortunate to move out to Cobourg-Port Hope in 1982, a beautiful place to raise a family and practise,” he writes. “I plan to continue assisting in the operating room and travelling with my wife, Jennifer, and hopefully keep windsurfing and snowboarding.” Now that he’s retiring, Michael says he’ll let his daughter, Jessica (Class of 1T1), carry the torch. Dr. Jessica Green practises in Orillia, Ontario.
Dr. Barbara KEE is practising one day a week in well woman care.
CLASS OF 7T6
Dr. Shale BLANE, following a recent health scare, has decided to retire. “Time to smell the roses, and do more golfing and eventually travelling,” he writes. Email Shale at shaleblane1@gmail.com
CLASS OF 8T5
Dr. Joseph GASSER has been a comprehensive ophthalmologist at Michael Garron Hospital (formally Toronto East General) for 31 years. Joseph and his wife, Catharina, who just celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary, are thrilled that their eldest son, Alexander, has been accepted in U of T’s physiatry residency program. Matthew, their second son, earned a geography and environmental management degree at the University of Waterloo. Joseph is looking forward to his daughter, Natasha, who is studying optometry at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, joining him in his eye care practice next year. Email Joseph at jgasser@rogers.com
Photo: Dr. Alexander Gasser (2T0) with his father Dr. Joseph Gasser (8T5)
CLASS OF 8T9
Dr. Paul THISTLE graduated in obstetrics and gynecology at U of T in 1994. He is the new Medical Director of Karanda Mission Hospital in rural Zimbabwe. This 152-bed medical surgical institution serves 100,000 people annually. Paul has practised for 26 years in Zimbabwe with his wife, Pedrinah, a midwifery educator. They have three sons: James, Alexander, and Andrew. The oldest, James, has returned to Toronto to study at his father’s alma mater. In Zimbabwe, Alexander is teaching his brother Andrew how to watch out for snakes and scorpions in the backyard.
CLASS OF 0T2
Dr. Stephen MILONE is now in his 15th year of family practice and anesthesia. He works with his wife, Dr. Stephanie Milone (0T2), at Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville, Ontario. Stephen has a growing interest in business and is an advisor to several startup companies. He’s especially excited about being a director of Blue Pier, a new multi-employer pension plan that is Canada’s first pension solution for self-employed, incorporated physicians. Email Stephen at sdmilone@bluepier.ca
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