- Email: [email protected]
Gerard Vincent Yu, DPM (1954–2005)
Clin Podiatr Med Surg 22 (2005) xi – xii
Foreword
Gerard Vincent Yu, DPM (1954–2005)
Gerard Vincent Yu, DPM
No farewell words were spoken No time to say goodbye You were gone before we knew it And only God knows why —Author Unknown To teach is to touch lives forever. —Anonymous
Usually I take this opportunity to write a foreword that will, hopefully, suggest changes needed in our profession that I believe will make us stronger and better. This time, I would like to reflect on a great man who had a positive influence on our profession in many ways and whose sudden death has caused significant sorrow for many of us. On Monday, August 15, 2005, I received a phone call from a second-year resident at St. Vincent Charity Hospital and received the news that shocked our profession. The resident’s words still linger in my mind: bOur leader is gone.Q There was sadness and disbelief in his voice and for many minutes I questioned him over and over again, partly because I could not believe what I was hearing and partly because I wanted it to be false. Gerard Yu was gone, suddenly and 0891-8422/05/$ – see front matter D 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.cpm.2005.08.005 podiatric.theclinics.com
xii
foreword
unexpectedly taken from our lives. The way we look at life will never be the same again. I met Gerard when he was as student at Temple (then the Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine) and I was a fledgling teacher. I was impressed with him from the get-go. He had a drive and manner about him that was comfortable and yet impressive at the same time. Although I didn’t know it then, after 29 years of teaching, I now recognize those attributes as one of significant potential—and Gerard did not disappoint us. He became one of the most influential podiatrists in our profession, and more. Just one week before his passing, I received an e-mail from Gerard regarding his participation in our state seminar. He was so well received the year before that the state members requested a return visit. Gerard had an easy style of communication and topic simplification that made him a popular speaker. For all that he cared and all that he unselfishly gave, he was an easily recognized icon in our profession, and yet he never forgot his roots. Every time Gerard lectured where I was present in the audience, he would relate the story that he did his first surgery with me as a student at the Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine. He would remember that it was a bfifth toe arthroplasty,Q and he never tired of telling that story. In his last e-mail he referred to me as bmy friend, teacher, and colleague.Q So much has been written recently about Gerard Yu, and one need only read a few of the comments to get a feel for the man and his positive influence on us all. His smiling face, dynamic personality and drive, and humble opinion of himself will always be with me. When I think of Gerard, the tenets of courtesy, integrity, and self-confidence, combined with a gentle manner, come to mind. He was easy to respect and easy to like; it will be difficult to let him go. Our sympathy and prayers go to his family, his wife Barbara, and his children Jason, Ashley, Nicole, Cheryl, and Sandra. I have not had the pleasure of meeting you, but I have had the honor and pleasure of knowing your husband and father. To his parents, who I have had the pleasure of meeting many years ago, I offer my sympathy and respect; your son was a great man in many ways. No parent should ever have to bury a child, yet through the pain you need to know how much your son has touched so many of us. To Gerard, my friend, teacher, and colleague, farewell. You will never be forgotten. Vincent J. Mandracchia, DPM, MS Consulting Editor Broadlawns Medical Center 1801 Hickman Road Des Moines, IA 50314, USA E-mail address: [email protected]
Foreword
Gerard Vincent Yu, DPM (1954–2005)
Gerard Vincent Yu, DPM
No farewell words were spoken No time to say goodbye You were gone before we knew it And only God knows why —Author Unknown To teach is to touch lives forever. —Anonymous
Usually I take this opportunity to write a foreword that will, hopefully, suggest changes needed in our profession that I believe will make us stronger and better. This time, I would like to reflect on a great man who had a positive influence on our profession in many ways and whose sudden death has caused significant sorrow for many of us. On Monday, August 15, 2005, I received a phone call from a second-year resident at St. Vincent Charity Hospital and received the news that shocked our profession. The resident’s words still linger in my mind: bOur leader is gone.Q There was sadness and disbelief in his voice and for many minutes I questioned him over and over again, partly because I could not believe what I was hearing and partly because I wanted it to be false. Gerard Yu was gone, suddenly and 0891-8422/05/$ – see front matter D 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.cpm.2005.08.005 podiatric.theclinics.com
xii
foreword
unexpectedly taken from our lives. The way we look at life will never be the same again. I met Gerard when he was as student at Temple (then the Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine) and I was a fledgling teacher. I was impressed with him from the get-go. He had a drive and manner about him that was comfortable and yet impressive at the same time. Although I didn’t know it then, after 29 years of teaching, I now recognize those attributes as one of significant potential—and Gerard did not disappoint us. He became one of the most influential podiatrists in our profession, and more. Just one week before his passing, I received an e-mail from Gerard regarding his participation in our state seminar. He was so well received the year before that the state members requested a return visit. Gerard had an easy style of communication and topic simplification that made him a popular speaker. For all that he cared and all that he unselfishly gave, he was an easily recognized icon in our profession, and yet he never forgot his roots. Every time Gerard lectured where I was present in the audience, he would relate the story that he did his first surgery with me as a student at the Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine. He would remember that it was a bfifth toe arthroplasty,Q and he never tired of telling that story. In his last e-mail he referred to me as bmy friend, teacher, and colleague.Q So much has been written recently about Gerard Yu, and one need only read a few of the comments to get a feel for the man and his positive influence on us all. His smiling face, dynamic personality and drive, and humble opinion of himself will always be with me. When I think of Gerard, the tenets of courtesy, integrity, and self-confidence, combined with a gentle manner, come to mind. He was easy to respect and easy to like; it will be difficult to let him go. Our sympathy and prayers go to his family, his wife Barbara, and his children Jason, Ashley, Nicole, Cheryl, and Sandra. I have not had the pleasure of meeting you, but I have had the honor and pleasure of knowing your husband and father. To his parents, who I have had the pleasure of meeting many years ago, I offer my sympathy and respect; your son was a great man in many ways. No parent should ever have to bury a child, yet through the pain you need to know how much your son has touched so many of us. To Gerard, my friend, teacher, and colleague, farewell. You will never be forgotten. Vincent J. Mandracchia, DPM, MS Consulting Editor Broadlawns Medical Center 1801 Hickman Road Des Moines, IA 50314, USA E-mail address: [email protected]