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EW NEWS & OPINION 38 March 2015 Tribute to George O. Waring III, MD continued from page 37 teacher, writer and surgeon, excel- lent speaker. George left us way too early. He had planned on living until he was 113! But he did everything possible, some life threatening, so that his bucket list was empty. How many of us can say that? –Perry S. Binder, MD George Waring was one of the most remarkable people I have ever known. He was a true and loyal friend for more than 40 years. George and I would meet annually at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting for at least a 2-hour conversation. Consis- tently, the event could be described in 3 phases. During the first third, George would tell me about some of the things he had done during the previous year. I always became moderately depressed, thinking that I had basically wasted a year com- pared with what George had accom- plished. During the second third, as George described more achieve- ments, I would start to rationalize, thinking that I wouldn't want to do some of those things anyway. During the final third, I would think about some things that I had done. At the end of each session we both felt OK. George probably felt a little more "OK." I imagine that many of those who knew George well had similar experiences. Actually, I know they have because we have had those discussions. –Jay Krachmer, MD Much has been written and recount- ed about George and his fabulous ca- reer in cornea and refractive surgery. He has been an innovator, mentor, and extraordinary educator to sever- al generations of ophthalmologists. I will always remember George as someone larger than life, with an abounding curiosity and joie de vivre, which rendered us all breathless and inspired us to greater heights. George, first as a resident at Wills Eye Hospital and then as my corneal fellow, set an example of tireless energy and dedication to learning and scholarship. He, of course, always set aside time for unusual adventure and exploration, combining it with ophthalmology wherever he could. Beginning with his work on the ship HOPE and with Orbis directly after his fellowship, he continued in this vein throughout his career. I will always remember George as a true friend with an infectious smile and laugh who I looked for- ward to seeing year after year. There will never be another George Waring III! –Peter Laibson, MD George O. Waring III, MD, was an extraordinary man and a colleague and friend. I first met George in 1978, 37 years ago, and he and I have shared innumerable wonderful personal and professional experienc- es over nearly four decades. George was a superb clinician, excellent surgeon, and productive scientist. He was at home in the halls of academia worldwide, but always accessible to the practicing clinician. He made many contributions to the field, including founding an eye bank in Sacramento, serving as prin- cipal investigator in the landmark NEI-funded Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy (PERK) Study, publishing the classical textbook on radial and astigmatic keratotomy, serving as a principal investigator in several excimer laser clinical trials, and for 21 years serving as the editor of the Journal of Refractive Surgery. A Waring Medal is given in his honor each year for the best publication by a young ophthalmologist in this, the official journal of the International Society of Refractive Surgery. In an era of rapidly expanding knowledge in refractive corneal surgery, he served as a role model for a gener- ation of young surgeons. He loved to travel and shared his knowledge across the globe. After several years on the faculty at UC Davis, he was recruited to Emory University and advanced to a full professorship over a 15-year academic career before entering private practice in Atlanta. He remained in practice until his death, seeing patients in the last week of his life. He also practiced for a few years in Jeddah, Saudi Ara- bia, another example of a life filled with adventure. He was the most tireless and intellectually curious man I have known. George was a skilled athlete, performing at a high level in skiing, mountain climbing, kayaking and squash. He lived life very fully, seeking out challenges and joyously working to overcome them. I never saw him quit on any project or person he cared about. He leaves behind 4 children, 2 who are physicians, including a dynamic young ophthalmologist, George O. Waring IV, MD, to build on his name and legacy in ophthalmology for another generation. His friends and colleagues number in the thou- sands, and each of us can share a special and personally meaningful story about a memorable experience with George. He is a man whose friendship I appreciated and cher- ished. I will never forget him and was blessed to share in his life. –Richard L. Lindstrom, MD George will always be a giant in refractive surgery. He put many thousands of hours into designing and leading the multicenter, 10-year PERK study. George also wrote the definitive textbook on radial keratot- omy, which is by far the finest and most complete work on incisional corneal procedures. George partici- pated in dozens of additional clin- ical trials that changed the way we practice medicine; he always sought the truth. He was a gifted clinical scientist with hundreds of articles in the peer-reviewed literature. George was also a very talented lecturer and teacher, a fine surgeon, an accomplished sportsman, an intrepid traveler and adventurer, and a dear and loyal friend to many of us. We will miss his optimism, his contagious and thundering laugh, his hearty hugs and back slaps, and the profound sentimentality that lurked just below the surface of his extroverted, entrance-making, showman-like bearing. George was an original in so many ways; he will live on in our memories and will be very greatly missed. –Marguerite McDonald, MD Growing up with my dad was an adventure. He was an early adopter of a fringe sport called white water kayaking in the 1970s. We grew up in a home near the American River in California. He hand built us a miniature kayak in our garage with fiberglass and electrical tape—and so it began. We started paddling on tributaries of the American and shared this passion with my father for the next 4 decades on expedi- tions all over the world. Whenever I was having a tough time, he would use the river as an analogy for life: "Just think of this as a class V rapid, you may get knocked around but you will make it through and feel great,"—and he was usually right. Years later we had the privilege to share another passion—ophthal- mology. Although we did not know it at the time, this journey started when I was quite young, as I would travel to international conferences with him regularly. Either he would send me out to explore a foreign city with a map and a bit of local currency or he would bring me to the conference and march me to the front row where at least one of us was comfortable. It turns out that those on stage would go on to be my heroes and mentors. Years later, my father would refer me his patients for cataract surgery that he had previously preformed corneal transplantation and radial keratoto- my on. Sharing in the surgical care of patients with my dad created another sacred bond between us. My father inspired me in count- less ways—he was a life enthusiast, fearless and inexhaustible with boundless energy. He was a truth seeker, honest and meticulous in thought. As the years went by, he could not get enough time with his family, which we both cherished. A few months prior to his passing we came across the very kayak he had built for us almost 40 years ago and fondly reminisced of our time shared growing up on rivers. He was a remarkable individual—I was blessed to call him my dad. –George O. Waring IV, MD When I first met George as a second year resident, I didn't know if we were going to get along. He had just arrived in Georgia where he had instantly become entangled with the self-appointed mission of the new ophthalmology chair: the suppres- sion of phacoemulsification and IOLs. With radial keratotomy, the PERK study pointedly ignored pri- vate practice pioneers. The depart- ment chair eventually left in a cloud of scandal, freeing the real GOWIII. [George] was off to Jeddah about the time I returned from Bogota, com- paring notes on this strange, new marriage of keratomileusis and exci- mer laser. He wanted a suitable new name; eventually the word and the procedure—LASIK—became world famous. When he left academia, we kept running into each other: ASCRS panels, corneal mapping in Germa- ny, innovative IOLs in South Ameri- ca. George never lost that quality he looked for in others: curiosity, how things worked. Even at age 70 when he joined me in private practice, he was an exemplar of the best of medicine—a gentleman, adventurer, and scholar. –J. Trevor Woodhams, MD

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