William F. Hoyt Vignettes

One day while discussing a chart with the resident, his secretary connects a phone call, and he speaks with another neuro-ophthalmologist. Then, he turns to me and says: “Never talk to your colleague on the phone giving advice about any patient! I did it, but YOU ARE NOT ME!” I've followed his saying since. May he rest in peace. Gölge Acaroglu, MD, Ankara, Turkey My favorite Bill Hoyt quote, after listening to a case presentation, reviewing the appropriate section in “the Book” (mounted in his office on a rotating disc suitable for Bible study), and dismayed on hearing that the fellow had not seen last month's article on the topic in the Russian Neurosurgical Journal: “Whatsamatter, don'tcha read?” Anthony C. Arnold, MD, Los Angeles, CA Many years ago, I wanted to buy the legendary 3 volume Walsh and Hoyt's Clinical Neuro-Ophthalmology book set. But it was not on sale as Miller's new edition was about to be released. I still wished to have it, so I called Dr. Hoyt and asked him if he knew from where I could buy it. He said to me: “You can't buy it anymore, but if you really insist, I know where to get it from. You must fly to SF, come to my hospital, we will go to Pediatrics Department. There they have a set in their library that they never use. You can steal it from their library, no one will notice that. But I can't do it without you; after all I can't steal my own book!” Pinar Aydin, MD, PhD, FRCS (Glasg), Ankara, Turkey Bill gave me the trainee prize at the Neuro-Ophthalmology Society of Australia in Brisbane in 1993, and roundly criticized my research at the International Neuro-Ophthalmology Society meeting in Sydney in 1996. Both were highly memorable events. Michael Burdon, FRCOphth, Birmingham, UK I wrote Dr. Hoyt in 1972 to request a fellowship. He called to state that he had a full slate of fellows and that he would call his former fellows, Bob Daroff and Joel Glaser, at the BPEI on my behalf. Bill called back and said that they would accept me. I will always be immensely grateful for his generosity and kindness. Thomas Carlow, MD, Albuquerque, NM Bill Hoyt was the very best! Robert B. Daroff, MD, Cleveland, OH Bill came to Utah every month for almost a year to spend a day working on his Optic Disc Collection—one of NOVEL's (Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Educational Library) first collections. He arrived Thursday night, and watched the hummingbirds, and headed back to San Francisco Friday night. He used his collection for teaching, and it still stands today as a great resource for looking at variations in the optic disc. He was a tireless worker, hardly stopping for lunch. Kathleen Digre, MD, Nancy Lombardo, MLS, Salt Lake City, UT In the formative years of NANOS, the meeting was regularly held in ski resorts. Bill exhibited the perfect Austrian-style skiing form (skis exactly together with upright stance), even on the steep slopes. To be asked to ski with Bill was the ultimate compliment to one's own abilities. Steven Feldon, MD, Rochester, NY In the mid-80s, Bill expected his fellows to screen all admissions to the neurology and neurosurgery wards at Moffat hospital for neuro-ophthalmologic problems (in the 70s, they screened the whole hospital!). The reward came the next morning before clinic—he spent from 07:30 to 09:00 with the fellows discussing the patients, and there was never a dull moment. William Fletcher, MD, Calgary, Canada I have a photograph of Dr. Hoyt with Dr. Charles Wilson and Dr. Hans Newton that I took at Dr. Hoyt's 80th birthday celebration. There, standing together, were the 3 key figures—neuro-ophthalmology, neurosurgery, and neuro-radiology—who, during their era, fueled UCSF's immense contributions to our field. I constantly remind myself how fortunate I was to have been a fellow then, and how blessed I am to have had Bill as my friend for over 35 years. Richard Imes, MD, San Francisco, CA During my fellowship at WEH in 1978, Dr. Norman Schatz suggested me to spend some time at the UCSF with Dr. Hoyt before I returned to my country. It was a stressful 2 months, but turned out to be a great experience. Fellows were supposed to see all new admissions and discuss the cases the following morning at the breakfast table. Taking notes on napkins was very instructive and memorable. He visited Turkey twice as an invited speaker and had a great influence on Turkish physicians. 1969 edition of “the Black Book” (Walsh and Hoyt's Clinical Neuro-Ophthalmology) and following editions were the most valuable guides all throughout our practice. He was a legendary mentor in neuro-ophthalmology and had a lifelong impact on my career. Tulay Kansu, MD, FAAN, Ankara, Turkey In the short time I visited Dr. Hoyt, he was the only person who, in a state of drowsiness, was able to answer the diagnosis correctly at the neuroradiology meeting. Emely Karam, MD, PhD, Caracas, Venezuela I was with Simmons Lessell in his office, during his years at Boston University. He had just gotten off the phone with Bill. He turned and said, matter-of-factly, that he knew it was Tuesday, but if Bill had said it was Saturday, he (Simmons) would stop dead in his tracks and have to reconsider. That epitomized the high regard we all held Bill in. Barrett Katz, MD, MBA, Paris, France I spent a full year with Bill Hoyt in 1989 and continued to come once a week for another year while working at UC Berkeley. It was a life changing experience. Some of his wisdoms remained in my head for all these years, and I have cited him again and again to my younger colleagues. He was a master of the art of how to write a scientific paper, and that helped me immensely in the years to follow. That's why I have chosen the following vignette for the readership of the JNO: “There is no such manuscript which would not profit from yet another revision.” Klara Landau, FEBO, Zurich, Switzerland In our professional lives, we have moments that we will never forget. In 2001, I interviewed Bill for the Legacy section of the JNO. I was struck by his open and direct responses: how he did not try to “mold” his fellows but rather encourage their academic interests; that he was “second choice” (J. Lawton Smith was first) to revise Dr. Walsh's neuro-ophthalmology textbook; and his unwavering demand for the highest level of scholarship. And he looked at me with those piercing eyes. Lanning Kline, MD, Birmingham, AL I initially met Dr. Hoyt at my first NANOS. I sat down next to him on the bus and blurted out that I was his grandson…(his academic grandson) because he trained Neil Miller, and Neil had trained me. Andrew G. Lee, MD, Houston, TX In 1992, he was my moderator. After the talk, he came up to me to say hello. I politely asked who he was. He answered with the sweetest grin: “Oh my, I thought I was so famous and so old that everyone knew me. Let me introduce myself, I am Bill Hoyt!” I almost fainted. Norah Lincoff, MD, Buffalo, NY Prof. Hoyt is a legend, and anything I can say about him would be an understatement. The rules you learnt in his unit were inner truthfulness, to master any intellectual impatience that could result in superficiality; to be puzzled when everything is clear to others; to unlearn all the routines, severity, and seriousness; good taste; juvenile enthusiasm; sense of humor; and flame for continuous education. He changed and shaped the neuro-ophthalmology of our times; he changed the professional modus Vivendi of anyone of us, the lucky ones to be his pupils. In 1996, when I organized the first yearly neuro-ophthalmology meeting at Tel Aviv University in Israel, Prof. Hoyt was the invited guest of the year. Riri Sylvia Manor, MD, Tel Aviv, Israel Professional father or grandfather to us all. His name lives on as practically synonymous with neuro-ophthalmology. Nancy J. Newman, MD, Atlanta, GA When you spent time as a Hoyt's fellow, there were many ways to fail. The obvious one was not reading enough. But, I submit that the second sure way to incur Bill's wrath was to not be aware of an inpatient with neuro-ophthalmological signs, especially if admitted by neurosurgery; Bill never wanted Charlie Wilson to catch him off guard. Alfredo A. Sadun, MD, PhD, Los Angeles, CA My acceptance as Bill's first foreign fellow enabled him to have his own room in our house in London. But to earn a visit to the West End with my wife to find daggers, he first had to help dress the children and comb my son's hair. On the other side of the coin, I was able to visit Stockholm for the ceremony to receive his Honorary Doctorate when he was elegantly regaled in white tie and tails! Michael Sanders, FRCS, FRCP, Hon FRCOphth, London, UK I met Bill Hoyt in 1965 when I was applying for fellowship. He will certainly be missed. I recall his intensity as an educator. At the yearly NANOS meetings, I would watch him as he pulled on the back of his hair. (He developed a circular 2 × 2-cm bald spot.) I had the feeling this was part of his brilliance, and as any good student would do I pulled my own hair out, to no avail. Bill was a cornerstone of our society. Norman Schatz, MD, Miami, FL I am grateful to Bill as an excellent teacher, I admired him for being a walking library, and I will miss him as a fatherly friend. Susanne Trauzettel-Klosinski, MD, Tuebingen, Germany In 1974, I visited Bill Hoyt as I pondered my career choices. On early morning rounds I remember his teaching style vividly. He introduced me to the telephone diagnosis. “Drivers whose vision is transiently blurred when they look between the road ahead and the nearby dashboard have Adie syndrome.” David S. Zee, MD,Baltimore, MD

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