BBB's story of a wonderful physician & friend

A truly unique physician and dear friend of mine died last month. Out-living your friends is one of the difficulties of growing old.

I met my friend, Gene, while I was organizing the doctors working for the state of California in the 1970s for the Union of Physicians and dentists (UAPD). I had organized the doctors in the states hospitals and prisons and negotiated their contracts.

I then turned my attention to the doctors working in the 23 State University Student Health Centers.

Gene worked at the San Luis Obispo Center, better known as the Cal Poly Student Health Center located below Santa Barbara's coastline. He loved working in the student environment and was a favorite among the them, not only for his medical care, but for his understanding and support of student needs.

Gene was a standout when I visited Cal Poly to organize them. He became the staff's shop steward and, after successfully organizing the 23 Centers, Gene was the lead physician on my contract negotiations team.
Gene eventually was elected to the Board of Directors of the national UAPD.

We became friends and I learned more about his life before we met. Gene served in the Army in WWII and was on his way to join the invasion Japan when the war in the Pacific ended.

In the 1960s, Gene spent several years as medical director for the Hospital Ship HOPE. This mercy ship traveled trough the pacific, off the coast of South and Central America, and off the coast of Africa. What he saw on those trips broke his heart even though they were saving lives. It brought home to Gene the huge difference between the quality of life of Americans and other parts of the world.

http://www.projecthope.org/ourmission/history.asp

Gene later worked part time at the nearby Atascadero prison hospital for the criminally insane. They were the most dangerous patients in the State system and it was a tough job trying to provide medical treatment for them. Gene never took the easiest path to help sick people.

Gene and his wife, Charlotte, lived in Atascadero's countryside areas. Gene build a large two-storey A-frame house of redwood, inside and out. Gene designed and built many of the furnishings for their home. Charlotte is a weaver and it was fun to watch her at work in her "loom room" making clothing and adornments for their home. The house was open and airy, with a view of their horses in their barn. They loved riding their horses on the country lanes. They had four Siamese cats who ruled the house. Charlotte created a wild bird sanctuary for the area's birds, whom you can watch from most of the home's windows. Their two son's drove down from San Francisco as often as possible to enjoy their parent's haven.

Thank you for your friendship, Gene, and thank you for your medical service to human kind.

BBB