I N M EM OR IA M

SEEN AN D H EARD

WillamA. Silverman, M.D., FAAP, ofGreenbrae, Calif,award-winning neonatologist and former chair oftheAAPCommittee on Fetus and Newborn, died of renal failureDec. 16atage87.

Dr. Silverman, anAAP Fellow for more than half a cen-

tury, received the AAP ApgarAward in 1979, and in 2001,the Thomas E. Cone Jr., M.D. Lecture Award from theAO Section on Perinatal Pediatrics and the William G.fBifthblome Award for Ethical Excellence from the AAPlis. In 2003, theAmerican Foundation for the Blind awarded:' %ohis workiWith bliiid chfldren and their families.

profesor a4t Colmbia University's College ofPhysicians&46th6i of several books on premature infants and med-

ical ethics. Much ofDr. Silverman's research dteilid tplasia. -S--=0./He received his medical degree from IJniversity of,CaliformSa- n S

and was professor of pediatrics at the Babies HospitaliiiX+Ne0 0riAfrequent correspondent to theAAP Pediatric IHistoryCenter Dr. Sn9-

donated articles, photos, slides and other materials to the collection.iDr. Silverman is survived by his wife, Ruth; sons, Daniel and David; ai

daughter, Jenny. 0;Memorial contributions maybe made in Dr. Silverman's honorto Hospice

of Marin, 17 E. Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Larkspur, (CA 94939; San FranciscoBlind Babies Foundation, 5016 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94112; orLarkspur LibraryEndowment Fund, 400 MagnoliaAve., Larkspur, CA94939.

Dr. Batson ur. ooies ur. bus

Dr. Diaz Dr.W b

O. Randolph Batson, M.D., FAAP, of Brentwood,Tenn., died Dec. 6 at age 88.

C. Read Boles, M.D., FAAP, of St. Louis, Mo., diedNov. 3 at age 84.

BlairEmerson Cox, M.D., FAAP, ofDallas, died ofa cardiac arrhythmia Nov. 30 at age 45.

Ruben Diaz, M.D., FAA1?, of Las Vegas, died Dec.2 at age 51.JonathanDrummond-Webb, M.D., FAAP, ofLittle

Rock, Ark., died Dec. 26 at age 45.John P. Laurent, M.D., FAAP, ofHouston, died Nov.

1, at age 58.

Robert B. Morrison, M.D., FAAP, of Zanesville,Ohio, died Nov. 25 at age 84.BaileyWebb, M.D., Ph.D., FAAP, ofDurham, N.C.,

died Nov. 24 at age 92 .

-John Tsarouchas

from AAP Communications

A PowerPoint presentation that traces the his-tory oftheAcademy and its achievements has beendeveloped to commemorate the organization's 75thanniversary. Feel free to use the information forpresentations to community groups. The presenta-tion is available on the AAP Member Center atwww.aap.org/moc.

Calling all "mediatricians!" If you write a regularcolumn for a magazine or newspaper, or are a con-sultant for your localTV or radio station, let us know.We're happy to work with you to provide AAPcontent or ideas. If you don't have a regular mediaspot but still want to be a spokesperson, have yourAAP state chapter president send us a letter of rec-ommendation and we'll add you to our list. We gethundreds ofmedia calls everymonth, so we're alwayslooking for spokespeople. For information, call (800)433-9016, ext. 7131.The followingAAP members were featured in the

media in December. Space restrictions prohibit list-ing everyone:

Ari Brown, M.D., FAAP, was quoted in a DetroitNews article regarding premature infants.Louis Z. Cooper, M.D., FAAP, AAP past president

(2001-'02), appeared on the Today Show to discusswhooping cough.MichaelW. Shannon, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP, chair of

the AAP Committee on Environmental Health, wasincluded in a Detroit Free Press article about theNational Childrer's Study.Donald L. Shifrin, M.D., FAAP, chair of the AAP

Committee on Communications, was included inaWall Street Journal Q8eAcolumn about how old kidsshould be before parents let them use a computer.Eric W. Small, M.D. FAAP, chair of the AAP-

Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness, wasquoted in a Newsweek article about steroids andkids.Gary A. Smith, M.D., FAAP, chair of the AAP

Committee on Injury, Violence and Poison Pre-vention, was quoted in a Washington Post articleabout the dangers of pocket bikes.

Erin R. Stucky, M.D., FAAP, chair of the AAPCommittee on Hospital Care, was quoted in a USAToday article about video games being used to helpkids relax before surgery.

36 AAP News www.aapnews.org February 2005

Esteemed neonatologist Dr. Silverman dies

Dr ack was poison pree On tRonald B.Mack, M.D., FAAP, ofWinston-Salem, N.C~., died imvo-t

_ , ~~~plications due to kidney cancer Dec. 22 at age 77. Dr. Mackearned a retp'.; ~~~~utation as a leader in the field of pediatric poisoning preveintion and;

~~~~encouraged opening poison control centers around the country._ ~~~~After serving in the Navy duringWorldWar II, Dr. Mack received his

_ ~~medical degree from Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University in. 0 _ ~~~Chicago in 1954. He opened a pediatric practice in Berwyn, Ill., in 1957. . * 7 Sbefore moving in 1975 toWinston-Salem, where he taught atWake Forest

a c k ;0-0 ;: :University Baptist Medical Center.;0 X dbyvjedbyhis Lwife, Marcia; sons, Michael and Bradley; daughters, Cindi George

w0~~~~fd'fv granidchildren.

Media tip of Vie monthiReporters have been known to say, "Of

course, you don't know for sure, but you doknow enough for an educated guess." Don'tlet reporters pressure you into drawing con-clusions or maldng hasty predictions. Instead,use a response like this: "Guessing at the find-ings would be irresponsible because it mightmislead people. We really don't have all theanswers at this point."