Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Synapsis Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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MEMORIAM There is in each of us the charlatan, the entrepreneur, the bigot and the selfish, and we differ in these respects merely quantitatively. The truly great, the dedicated, the inspired amongst our niidsts possess only trace elements of these characteristics, and furtlier devote much of their energies in thoughts and deeds directed towards the expunging and quelling of such inherent traits whenever they might inately become manifest. Dr. Earl Riceman will be remembered as a truly great physician, inspired and dedicated. Charlatan? — Who amongst us was more intellectually honest than he; entrepreneur? — Here he was a rank amateur; bigoted? — He abliored the concept and shrank from its ugliness; selfish? — He placed his family, friends, patients and students above all, for he w as an emblem altruist. No one ever understood the student better, ever appreciated their ravenous academic yearnings more keenly, ever treated them with more professional and personal dignity than did Dr. Riceman. No wonder! For he was himself the eternal student. Medicine was his love, but his scope and spirit were kept lofty by a generous and wholesome interest in all sports. He was posessed of excep- tional professional versatility and he masterfully expressed these talents in his field of Oncology. Interested in a new syndrome? Perk up at a description of some esoteric disorder? Care to wrestle with a baffling CPC? Earl Riceman always was! Of such stuff was he made, and this is how he shall be remem- bered. We have suffered a great loss with his passing; the loss of an academic hero here at PCO. He would, however, not have taken kindly to our mourning him today, but rather, would be comforted in the vision of a perpetuation of his ideals, of his love for fellowship and for the quest for intellectual attain- ment and integrity. So shall he live on in our hearts and minds, forever!