Temple University School of Medicine - Skull Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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dedication

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William N. Parkinson, B.S., M.D., M.Sc., F.A.C.S., LL.D. Dean Temple University School of Medicine To the members of the Senior Class: My advice to the Class of ‘51 can be expressed in four words: “Make time for read-ing.” I would not have any of you in the position of the Harrisburg physician who, a few weeks ago, wrote a letter of protest to the editor of a medical journal because among the assistant editors was listed the name of a well-known pharmacologist, often quoted in the medical literature, which unfortunately happened to be the same as that of a chemist convicted not long ago of espionage. The Harrisburg physician thereby showed his ignorance of medical literature and also his lack of more than a superficial knowledge of events reported in the daily newspapers. Whether we like it or not, to the majority of people the doctor is the one symbol of royalty which they consciously or unconsciously retain, be they residents of Park Avenue in New York or the hilltops of the South. The doctor has spent more years in acquiring “book learning” than anyone they know. That is why he is so often chosen as an advisor (and not medical) to various cultural groups. That is why his patients ask his opinion on every public question —the worthwhileness of the new city charter, the choice of a presidential candidate, the probable outcome of the World Series. You and I know that no human being could live up to these expectations. Yet we must do our best not to disappoint our public by keeping ourselves as well informed as possible. How does one find time, in a world clamoring for doctors, to read anything except the progress in one's field of medical practice? you ask. One makes time for it, and one forms the habit early in one's career. A clergyman I know with a full round of activities seven days a week reserves the time from 10 p.m. to I a.m. for reading. Perhaps some such plan could be adopted by the beginning physician. Radio news casts and phonograph recordings of the world’s best literature and music and of lessons in foreign languages provide additional ways of widening one's horizon. Your choice of subject matter must, of course, be limited. You can build up reading lists and group the titles under “Must” and “Desirable. Professional material will, of course, be placed under “Must.” You should also place there a generous portion of cultural material— literature, music, art. Don't fall into the error of thinking that the few required English courses that you took reluctantly as an undergraduate covered the essentials of world literature. They merely grazed the surface. With your habits of concentration you can make yourselves masters of arts without benefit of diplomas from universities. I do not need to remind you that culture is not limited or even assured by attendance in classrooms. It is the end result of a life time spent in practicing the precept that it is man's moral duty to be intellectual. With best wishes for a successful professional career and much happiness, I am Cordially yours, William N. Parkinson Dean 7

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J. Robert Willson, A.B., M.D. The Class of 1951 first met Dr. J. R. Willson, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in a brief series of lectures in the sopho-more year. Our firs: impression was that of a man with an orderly mind who was capable of an informal and easy delivery of a large amount of factual information. Our respect for his teaching ability grew during the junior course, when his stamina amazed us and his lectures remained as interesting at the conclusion of three consecutive hours as they were at the start. During the third and fourth years his reputation for being a perfectionist was justified in the example he set as a true leader, willing to assume any task he demanded of others. His qualities as a teacher are apparent in his belief that the importance of imparting knowledge to students is second only to the welfare of the patient; and this attitude has permeated the entire department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. James Robert Willson was born in Flint, Michigan, on October 1, 1912 of Scotch-Canadian ancestry. The elder of two boys in the family, J. Robert attended public school in Flint, where his father had an insurance business. His education was furthered at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he was enrolled in the pre-medical curriculum for three years. He continued as a medical student in this university, and was graduated in 1937. While at the medical school he studied under many well-known professors, including Dr. G. Carl Huber, in Anatomy; and it was during this period the decision to make Obstetrics and Gynecology his chcsen field was made. The summer between the junior and senior years in medical school Dr. Willson spent as a research assistant in the Department of Pharmacology, determining the effect of caffeine on metabolism and muscular activity. Another activity in medical school was membership in the Galen Society, a service organization devoted to raising funds foi occupational therapy for children in the hospital. This organization he served as president during his senior year. It was in 1935, during his student days, that he was married to Margaret Starr, a girl from his home town whom he had known most of his life. She, too, had attended the University of Michigan, and after graduation taught English in a junior high school in Flint. His professional training continued with an internship in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan Hospital, followed by a