West Virginia University School of Medicine - Pylon Yearbook (Morgantown, WV)

Page 8 text:

i US MEMBERS OF THE WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE GRADUATING CLASS OF 1963: The traditional message of the Dean to the Graduates has always seemed to me a little redundant. Whatever medical school has meant to you, and what it will mean in the future, has already been deter- mined by your experiences of the past four years. Your every contact with a teacher, a patient, another student, or any member of the complex group which makes up a living medical center has had its effect upon what you are now and what you will be as a physician. As you pass from the status of undergraduate medical student to that of the graduate Doctor of Medi- cine, it is my fondest hope that you will cultivate the practice of looking upon every life experience as an opportunity for learning. The granting of a degree is truly a commencement. The decision is now yours, to a much greater extent than ever before possible, as to whether you consciously and diligently continue the pursuit of knowledge or whether you follow a less exacting course. In receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine, you join a profession which is justly proud of its an- cient, continuing and ever-expanding, ever-changing stream of knowledge applicable to improving the lot of man. May each of you live your life with humility in the face of what is unknown, and practice your art with that diligence which will make those physicians who follow you strive to be truly your successors. u4

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You are familiar with the four pylons which stand before our school, and we are proud to introduce the fifth. Traditionally great scenes of medicine have been made permanent in white marble columns, and we hope that these years of training and friendship can be made permanent in the pages which follow. It has been a sincere pleasure to prepare this yearbook of nineteen sixty-three: the first volume of THE FIFTH PYLON. Title Foreword Dedication Medical School History Faculty Seniors Underclassmen Social Organizations Sponsors Advertising

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Dedication The year 1963 is symbolic for West Virginia residents. It is the year during which West Virginia celebrates its one-hundredth anniversary of state- hood, a year in which tribute is given those who have appreciably benefited the state by their serv- ice. For those of us associated with the medical profession, 1963 is doubly significant, for it is also representative of the era during which medical education in the state has grown to maturity. It is fitting, then, that we, the second graduating class of physicians at West Virginia University, dedicate this first edition of THE FIFTH PYLON to one who has been of significant benefit to the state by being an integral part of the growth and development of West Virginia medical education. Such a person is the Dean of the Medical School, Clark K. Sleeth, M.D. Dr. Sleeth was born, reared and received most of his education in West Virginia. After attaining AB and BS degrees from WVU, he joined the Physi- ology Department, being absent during the interim 1935-1938 while working toward an M.D. degree at the University of Chicago. Following graduation from medical school. Dr. Sleeth returned to WVU as a member of the Department of Pathology. During World War II he served in the Air Force and at the end of the war, he joined the Department of Medi- cine. In 1958, he was appointed Assistant to the Dean of the Medical School, and in January, 1961, he succeeded Edward J. Van Liere, M. D. , as Dean. To the state of West Virginia, Dr. Sleeth has been more than the Dean of their Medical School, as was attested to by the West Virginia Medical As- sociation when they awarded him their ' Presidential Citation, ' for devoted public service to his com- munity and State. To this graduating class, he has also been more than a Dean. He has been our teacher, advisor, and friend. We are therefore proud to dedicate this yearbook to Dr. Clark K. Sleeth.