- Email: [email protected]
Steven Dean Gray: A Remembrance
Steven Dean Gray: A Remembrance Marshall E. Smith Salt Lake City, Utah
Steve Gray passed away on September 29, 2002. It is not an understatement to say that the worlds of voice and voice science have suffered a great loss of both personal and professional proportions. To briefly discuss his work and accomplishments does not begin to adequately explain the personal impact Steve had on the lives of so many people. Steve brought a unique perspective to his career, which came from several directions. He grew up in the home of an otolaryngologist, and he grew to love the work that his father, Dean, loves and does so well. Steve received outstanding training at Iowa and Cincinnati that emphasized the value of excellence in research as well as patient care. His clinical practice blended both laryngology and pediatric otolaryngology, an uncommon yet well-suited combination in an academic setting. And, lastly, he was a patient with a voice disorder himself. He acquired a severe disease during his residency. Initially expected to live only a few years, he endured 18 years of major medical and surgical treatments, including many operations and multiple courses of immunosuppressive drugs. He personally understood what it means to be a patient with all its attendant uncertainty and vulnerability, and literal pain and suffering. He understood the effects of vocal scar, airway stenosis, chronic laryngitis, and impaired lubrication of the larynx. Eventually, the illness took away Steve’s ability to perform patient care, which he greatly enjoyed. He then plunged his energies into voice research full time. All of these combined in Steve to illuminate and refine his determination to help others with what he himself learned. In the professional realm, Steve was a scholar and a pioneer. He painted a broad brush in voice research studies, from proteins to patients. His interest in vocal fold physiology took our knowledge of the structure and function of the vocal folds to molecular dimensions. He described in more detail
Accepted for publication December 2, 2002. From the Division of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Marshall E. Smith, Division of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, 50 North Medical Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84132 USA. E-mail: marshall.smith@hsc. utah.edu Journal of Voice, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 1–2 쑕 2003 The Voice Foundation 0892-1997/2003 $30.00⫹0 doi:10.1016/S0892-1997(03)00024-9
1
2
MARSHALL E. SMITH
than anyone else the molecular and ultrastructural composition and structure of the basement membrane zone and the lamina propria (LP), and the key role of LP extracellular matrix proteins in phonation. His most recent work was in gene expression of these proteins in health and disease, and in groundwork studies on tissue engineering of lamina propria substitutes. This is laying the foundation for a line of research in voice science that will continue for decades. In the clinical realm, he documented and analyzed the vocal function of nodule and papilloma patients, school teachers, and other populations atrisk for voice disorders. He studied the pediatric voice, the aging voice, and vocal traits in families. He described several operations to treat various laryngeal and airway disorders. He could paint in perspectives from very close-up to broad sweeping landscapes. While having great passion for his work, he also did not take his own efforts too seriously. At Steve’s funeral, Ingo Titze remarked that Steve had a disarming way of speaking at professional meetings. He often began with a joke or self-deprecating expressions of inadequacy. As the talk progressed, the audience realized that, although he began his speech
Journal of Voice, Vol. 17, No. 1, 2003
as the court jester, by the end of the discourse he left the stage as the principle actor. Yet he never considered himself as such, and he graciously acknowledged the contributions of others. Those who heard Steve speak were aware that he had difficulty speaking due to problems with his own voice. It was effortful and tiring for him; yet he loved to share his work and did so in an enthusiastic way. His voice was an audible reminder of the price he paid for his passion. Steve was a team builder. This began in his home and family. He had the same open and friendly personality in all his relationships. He treated everyone, from medical students to visiting foreign scholars, with dignity and respect. This attracted others to him and, in voice research, resulted in many fruitful collaborations. He emphasized to me on several occasions that in our efforts to help others, to do research, to make progress against disease, we need each other and are all on the same team. He understood the value of the role of mentor in academic career building, and he enjoyed this work immensely in fostering the success of others. Many of us who benefited will attest that Steve was very good at it, and count it a great privilege to have been on his team.
Steve Gray passed away on September 29, 2002. It is not an understatement to say that the worlds of voice and voice science have suffered a great loss of both personal and professional proportions. To briefly discuss his work and accomplishments does not begin to adequately explain the personal impact Steve had on the lives of so many people. Steve brought a unique perspective to his career, which came from several directions. He grew up in the home of an otolaryngologist, and he grew to love the work that his father, Dean, loves and does so well. Steve received outstanding training at Iowa and Cincinnati that emphasized the value of excellence in research as well as patient care. His clinical practice blended both laryngology and pediatric otolaryngology, an uncommon yet well-suited combination in an academic setting. And, lastly, he was a patient with a voice disorder himself. He acquired a severe disease during his residency. Initially expected to live only a few years, he endured 18 years of major medical and surgical treatments, including many operations and multiple courses of immunosuppressive drugs. He personally understood what it means to be a patient with all its attendant uncertainty and vulnerability, and literal pain and suffering. He understood the effects of vocal scar, airway stenosis, chronic laryngitis, and impaired lubrication of the larynx. Eventually, the illness took away Steve’s ability to perform patient care, which he greatly enjoyed. He then plunged his energies into voice research full time. All of these combined in Steve to illuminate and refine his determination to help others with what he himself learned. In the professional realm, Steve was a scholar and a pioneer. He painted a broad brush in voice research studies, from proteins to patients. His interest in vocal fold physiology took our knowledge of the structure and function of the vocal folds to molecular dimensions. He described in more detail
Accepted for publication December 2, 2002. From the Division of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Marshall E. Smith, Division of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, 50 North Medical Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84132 USA. E-mail: marshall.smith@hsc. utah.edu Journal of Voice, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 1–2 쑕 2003 The Voice Foundation 0892-1997/2003 $30.00⫹0 doi:10.1016/S0892-1997(03)00024-9
1
2
MARSHALL E. SMITH
than anyone else the molecular and ultrastructural composition and structure of the basement membrane zone and the lamina propria (LP), and the key role of LP extracellular matrix proteins in phonation. His most recent work was in gene expression of these proteins in health and disease, and in groundwork studies on tissue engineering of lamina propria substitutes. This is laying the foundation for a line of research in voice science that will continue for decades. In the clinical realm, he documented and analyzed the vocal function of nodule and papilloma patients, school teachers, and other populations atrisk for voice disorders. He studied the pediatric voice, the aging voice, and vocal traits in families. He described several operations to treat various laryngeal and airway disorders. He could paint in perspectives from very close-up to broad sweeping landscapes. While having great passion for his work, he also did not take his own efforts too seriously. At Steve’s funeral, Ingo Titze remarked that Steve had a disarming way of speaking at professional meetings. He often began with a joke or self-deprecating expressions of inadequacy. As the talk progressed, the audience realized that, although he began his speech
Journal of Voice, Vol. 17, No. 1, 2003
as the court jester, by the end of the discourse he left the stage as the principle actor. Yet he never considered himself as such, and he graciously acknowledged the contributions of others. Those who heard Steve speak were aware that he had difficulty speaking due to problems with his own voice. It was effortful and tiring for him; yet he loved to share his work and did so in an enthusiastic way. His voice was an audible reminder of the price he paid for his passion. Steve was a team builder. This began in his home and family. He had the same open and friendly personality in all his relationships. He treated everyone, from medical students to visiting foreign scholars, with dignity and respect. This attracted others to him and, in voice research, resulted in many fruitful collaborations. He emphasized to me on several occasions that in our efforts to help others, to do research, to make progress against disease, we need each other and are all on the same team. He understood the value of the role of mentor in academic career building, and he enjoyed this work immensely in fostering the success of others. Many of us who benefited will attest that Steve was very good at it, and count it a great privilege to have been on his team.