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

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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.

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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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The History of the West Virginia University School of Medicine EDWARD J. VAN LIERE, M.S., M. D. , Ph. D. , Liu. D. , Dean Emeritus On February 3, 1867, the State Legislature created an Agricultural College of West Virginia. This institution opened its doors in September, 1868. The following year the name was changed to West Virginia Uni- versity. One year later, namely, in 1869, a distinguished Morgantown physician, Hugh Workman Brock, M. D. , taught a course in Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene. Since that time, that is, for 94 years, there has always been at least one man on the faculty who held the M. D. degree. In the early nineties the medical classes were held in Woodburn Hall. From 1893-1904 dissection was done in a small building which rejoiced in the name of the Hick House. It was located in Falling Run just north of Woodburn Hall. In 1904, a building known as Fife Cottage was acquired and was occupied for 12 years. It stood where the University cafeteria now stands. In 1916, a three -story building was erected on Beechurst Avenue, opposite to where the Field House now stands, at a cost of $18, 000. It served a most useful purpose for 41 years although it became inadequate shortly after it was built. It was demolished in the summer of 1957. A two-year School of Medicine was formally organized in 1902. It remained a two-year school until 1960. Through- out the years many serious attempts were made by the University administration to create a four-year curriculum, but none of these was successful. On March 9, 1951, however, the State Legislature passed a bill (House Bill No. 477) which read in part: The Board of Governors is hereby authorized, and, as soon as funds shall be available for the purpose, is directed to establish and main- tain in the university a four-year school of medicine, dentistry and nursing . . . The development of a four-year medical school was favored by many citizens. It must always be remembered, how- ever, tha t the most active group was the West Virginia State Medical Association. Aid was given by other health groups, such as dentists, nurses, and pharmacists. Many lay groups, too, helped. At the time the enabling act was passed by the State Legislature, the population of the state was somewhat less than 2,000, 000. The Medical Center was developed on a 145 acre tract, and was financed by a tax on soft drinks, the so-called Pop tax. In essence, this amounts to a penny on each bottle of soft drink (soft drink syrups are also taxed). The first year the tax was in effect, it produced a revenue of $2,939,674. During the past several years, the net income from the tax has averaged about 3. 5 million dollars annually. „,--■ -« ' ' j H. ' ti K jj, i ' ;, -» .-y lit, CPgf t B ' ., ...