Thursday, January 03, 2013

Joan Humphrey Gault

Unknownst to most of you, this holiday season was dampened by the passing of my foster mother, Joan H. Gault, M.D. Her obituary reads thus:

"Joan Humprhries Gault (nee Long) On Dec. 17, 2012, formerly of Haddonfield, NJ; Beloved mother of Ann Wagner of Rising Sun, MD, Malcolm Gault-Williams of CA and Dear sister of Winslow and Winifred.

"Dr. Gault was born in England, grew up in Haddonfield, graduated from Haddonfield Memorial HS in 1932 [and then went on to...] Wilson College in 1936 and John Hopkins Medical School in 1940, where she was one of five women in her graduating class. She interned at Philadelphia Gen. Hos. and continued her residency and Career at Temple.

"In 1954 she went to Scotland and furthered her medical education at the Univ. of Edinborough. She returned in 1956 and joined Temple Medical School as a Professor of Physiology until her retirement in 1990 at the age of 75.

"She then founded Interfaith Caregivers in Haddonfield, an organization that helps the elderly or disabled live independently; it isstill going strong today. In 1994 she received one of the first the LifeTime Achievement Awards from HMHS. She had been a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Haddonfield for over 50 years.

"Dr. Gault’s family will receive friends on Feb. 2, 2013, 1-1:45 PM at the First Presbyterian Church of Haddonfield, 20 E. Kings Hwy., Haddonfield, NJ. A Memorial Service will follow at 2 PM. Interment private. Memorial donations in Dr. Gault’s name may be made to:

"Interfaith Caregivers, PO Box 186, Haddonfield, NJ 08033. Arrangements by Kain-Murphy"

For me, Joan was my foster mother when my own mother passed on in 1960. Thanks to her and her husband Ted Gault (now my adopted father), they opened their home to me when my future was uncertain.

I will never forget and I will always appreciate what Joan and Ted did for me... It was not always easy for me, but they made me put an accent on education and discipline... Both have certainly served me well in the years following...

My Foster Mother Joan Gault and I, 1985

Dad added: There are a few inaccuracies in [the newspaper obituary] and other information that you ought to know. I’ll note the mistakes and then give you a bio as I remember it. Her original name was Joan Humphrey (not Humphries). After Gran married Walter Long her name was changed to Joan Humphrey-Long. Her siblings were Margery, Winslow and Winifred Long. At Temple University she earned an MS in Internal Medicine and subsequently became a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP). She began teaching at Temple after completion of her MS (med) and at the time of our marriage was Associate Professor of Experimental Medicine. At this time she was engaged in the development of the Cardiac Catheterization process. She was not a student in Edinburgh but worked at the hospital there continuing the work she had been doing at Temple as well as some lecturing. After returning to America in 1956, She was called back to Temple to present a special lecture series in the Physiology Department each spring for several years. This gradually lead to more and more part-time work, appointment as an Associate Professor of Physiology on a part time basis, despite the fact she was living in Long Island and western Connecticut in these years. I am still writing the Bio.  Will get it to you ASAP...  More later.  Love  DAD

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Das Re-elected

As many of you already know, my oldest son Das was re-elected to the California Assembly this past November. Here's the message he sent out at year's end:

The end of the year is a time for reflection and an opportunity to share your appreciation to everyone who had an impact in your life.

This was a year full of accomplishments and victories, which would not have been possible without the support and dedication of individuals like you. And because of that, I would like to thank you this holiday season.

For me, the highlight of the year was our success in balancing the budget with the passage of Prop 30. It certainly makes me breathe a lot easier in returning to the State Legislature for a second term, which I'm grateful to have earned.

If there is anything this year has taught us, it is that there is nothing we cannot accomplish if we simply communicate with one another. Prop 30 was passed and a great team was elected to represent our community because of the work we did together to talk to voters and give them enough hope in our future to get out and vote.

My wish for the new year is that we continue to have respectful dialogues with our neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family about the issues that affect us all. If we do that, we will make 2013 as great of a year as 2012 has been.

Happy New Year!

Das

(Das and nephew Osric, summer 2012)