Penn students, faculty and alumni gathered to honor the late Jonathan Rhoads yesterday afternoon at a memorial service in Irvine Auditorium.
Rhoads died due to gastric cancer on Jan. 3 in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Coincidentally, he was a patient in the Jonathan Evans Rhoads ward, which was dedicated to him in 1994.
Rhoads began his career at Penn as a junior doctor in 1932. Seven years later, he joined the faculty of the School of Medicine.
In 1956, Rhoads became Provost of the University, and he served in that position for three years. He spent the next 13 years -- from 1959 to 1972 -- as the chairman of the Department of Surgery.
"We gather here today not to grieve but to celebrate the excellence of this man, who lived his mortal life committed to excellence, dedicated to humanity and with unlimited compassion," said R. Scott Jones, professor of Surgery at the University of Virginia and the President of the American College of Surgeons who spoke at Rhoads' memorial service.
"As long as there is a Philadelphia and a University of Pennsylvania, Jon Rhoads lives on. As long as friends meet, Jon Rhoads will live. As long as teachers teach and as long as surgeons heal Jon Rhoads lives," Jones added. "With wisdom and confidence, he was, is and will always be my teacher until the day [that] I die."
In 1966, Rhoads' life-long research in perioperative nutrition came to fruition when it was realized that a person could be solely sustained intravenously.
After his retirement at the age of 65, Rhoads remained extremely active in all aspects of the hospital and medical field.
Larry Kaiser, the John Rhea Barton Professor and Chairman of Penn's Department of Surgery, welcomed everyone to the memorial service and introduced the speakers.
The first speaker was University President Judith Rodin, who recognized Rhoads as someone who constantly challenged himself and consistently succeeded in those challenges.
An "image which captures the essence of Jonathan Rhoads... [is] a picture which shows a young, strapping athlete at Haverford College clearing the bar on the pole vault. Throughout his career and exemplary life, Dr. Rhoads kept setting the bar higher and higher for himself," Rodin said.
"The image is the perfect metaphor for his life, which compiles the remarkable track record of his success in meeting so many difficult challenges," she added.
C. Everett Koop, former surgeon general of the United States, also spoke in remembrance of Rhoads.
Rhoads "was a friend and a mentor," Koop said. "He was a man that I admired, respected, and indeed, I loved him. I am proud to be a small piece of his extraordinary legacy."
All the speakers yesterday noted Rhoads' candor, humor and success. Other speakers included School of Medicine Dean Arthur Rubinstein, Brooke Roberts, a former Penn professor of surgery, Rhoads' son George Rhoads, and John Rombeau, a professor of surgery at Penn and the co-author of Rhoads' 1997 biography Jonathan E. Rhoads, M.D.: Quaker Sense and Sensibility in the World of Surgery.
The final speaker at the service was Rhoads' wife, Katharine, who thanked all of those who attended the ceremony.
"My husband would have liked to express his appreciation and gratitude for a few things," Rhoads told the audience. "One, for the opportunity to work in academia... Two, for the chance to work with medicine and services, and lastly for the supreme medical care that both he and I have had -- from the both of us, thank you."
Patrick Kim, one of the chief surgical residents at HUP, noted Rhoads' enthusiasm for medicine, which continued throughout his life.
"He came to every educational conference and almost every weekly meeting," said Kim. "He always had very insightful comments to give to us."
Kim's colleague, Senior Surgical Resident Samantha Hendren, also noted Rhoads' interest in medical students.
"He had a special interest in all of the young residents. He'd often make helpful comments," said Hendren. "It was always greatly appreciated."
