[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18649-18650]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. WAYNE SOUTHWICK

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to an 
outstanding orthopaedic surgeon, mentor and friend. Dr. Wayne Southwick 
has had a remarkable career. The author of over 100 peer reviewed 
journal articles, he has also received numerous awards for his work as 
a professor and chief of orthopaedic surgery at Yale University's 
School of Medicine. I had the privilege of learning from Dr. Southwick 
during my time at Yale. Dr. Southwick's unending dedication to 
educating the next generation of physicians has had a lasting impact on 
the medical profession.
  Dr. Wayne Orin Southwick was born on February 6, 1923 in Lincoln, NE. 
He grew up in Friend, the same small town where his grandfather 
settled, just before Nebraska was admitted to the Union. Dr. Southwick 
attended high school in Friend, before entering the University of 
Nebraska, where he earned a B.A. in 1945 and an M.D. in 1947. During 
his time at the University of Nebraska, Dr. Southwick married the love 
of his life, Jessie Ann Seacrest.
  While the vast majority of my remarks will focus on Dr. Southwick's 
professional accomplishments, I know that what he is most proud of is 
his loving family. Together, Wayne and Ann raised three children, Fred, 
Steven and Marcia. Steven has followed in his father's footsteps as a 
physician and professor of psychiatry at Yale. Wayne would be the first 
person to admit that all of his accomplishments would not have been 
possible without the support of his wife and children.
  After graduation from medical school, the Southwick family moved to 
Boston, where Dr. Southwick completed an internship at Boston City 
Hospital and also served on the Harvard Surgical Service. He then began 
a residency in orthopaedic surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 
Baltimore, MD. This experience was interrupted when Dr. Southwick 
joined the Navy to serve his country during the Korean War. He was 
assigned to both the hospital ship Repose and Bethesda Naval Hospital. 
His experience in the Navy cemented Dr. Southwick's commitment to 
public service and helping the less fortunate. Over the course of his 
career, he made repeated trips abroad to provide health care to people 
in underserved locations.
  Dr. Southwick returned to Johns Hopkins after leaving the Navy and 
completed his residency in 1955. He worked as an assistant professor at 
Johns Hopkins before he was appointed as the first full-time chief of

[[Page 18650]]

orthopaedic surgery at Yale in 1958. It is from this position that Dr. 
Southwick made a truly indelible mark.
  Known as an innovative and creative surgeon, Dr. Southwick made 
tremendous contributions to the practice of medicine. In particular, he 
received recognition for his surgical management of slipped femoral 
capital epiphysis and approaches to the cervical spine. His name can be 
found in the index of most modern day surgery textbooks. However, what 
he probably will be remembered for most is his leadership of Yale's 
orthopaedic surgery residency program.
  Over his tenure, nearly 100 residents completed orthopaedic surgery 
training at Yale. The program created by Dr. Southwick became a model 
for the rest of the Nation. Specifically, Dr. Southwick ensured that 
his program welcomed students from all backgrounds. For example, he 
accepted the first African American surgical resident, Dr. Augustus 
White, who went on to serve as the first African American department 
chief at Harvard's teaching hospitals. Dr. Southwick also recruited the 
first female African American orthopaedic surgery resident, Dr. Claudia 
Thomas, in 1975.
  The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons recognized Dr. 
Southwick's commitment to diversity by awarding him AAOS's first 
Diversity Award in 2003. Dr. Terry Light, a former orthopaedic resident 
at Yale and president of the Academic Orthopaedic Society, described 
Dr. Southwick in this way, ``Dr. Southwick never saw himself as a 
champion of civil rights nor as one who was trying to do good. He 
simply and honestly did what he felt was fair.'' Dr. Southwick simply 
noted, ``I didn't take the approach that I was going to recruit a 
diverse group, rather I looked to gather an interesting, qualified 
group that would work well together. What I found was a highly capable 
group of people with diverse backgrounds.''
  Dr. Southwick remained as chief of orthopaedic surgery at Yale from 
1958 until 1979. He left the faculty in 1993 and was appointed 
professor emeritus. Retirement allowed Dr. Southwick to concentrate on 
another passion of his life, sculpting. Some may see medicine and 
sculpture as unrelated endeavors, but Dr. Southwick understands that 
they have much in common. His thorough understanding of human anatomy 
allowed Dr. Southwick to create numerous works of art, many of which 
can be found on Yale's campus.
  Dr. Southwick will be celebrating his 90th birthday with many of the 
surgeons whom he has trained. I could not let this event pass without 
recognizing his many accomplishments and impact on my own life. Over 
the years I have been lucky to call Dr. Southwick my mentor, colleague 
and friend. I know the entire Senate joins with me in commending Dr. 
Southwick on his remarkable career and wishing him a very happy 
birthday.

                          ____________________