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Houghton Medal Honors Dr. Eugene D. George ’60
Dr.
Eugene George ’60, speaks during Houghton commencement.
HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Dr. Eugene D. George ’60 is the 2010 recipient of the Houghton Medal, an honor bestowed on individuals who in the words of our founder, Willard J. Houghton, take seriously the task of “fixing up the world.”
In receiving the honor Dr. George remarked, “A Houghton education makes you look at things in a different light – it is not always black and white – you are required to make choices.” A letter was read in Dr. George’s honor from former patient and current Vice President Joseph Biden. “You have certainly made a difference in the world,” commented Biden. “You’re a true hero in every sense of the word.”
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Upon graduating from Houghton, Dr. George enrolled in medical school at the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. During his first year of residency, he chose neurosurgery as his specific area of study and specialized in micro-surgery for aneurysms and blood vessel problems of the brain.
After serving with the military during the Vietnam War and receiving a Bronze Star, Dr. George became the Chief of Neurosurgery at Tripler Army Medical Center and remained in that position through 1977. Accepting a transfer to Landstuhl, Germany, he helped reorganize several neurosurgical services throughout the U.S. Military and NATO forces into one large neurosurgery service. In 1979, Dr. George became the Chief of Neurosurgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC and an Associate Professor of the Uniformed Services University. According to Dr. George, his eleven years at Walter Reed were some of the greatest of his life. He became friends with roughly 75 percent of his patients and enjoyed being a source of support for them and their families during difficult situations.
Dr. George left Walter Reed in 1990 and became the Frank P. Smith Professor and Chairman of the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Rochester. In 1995, he accepted an offer from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas to become Professor of Neurosurgery with major responsibility at Parkland Memorial Hospital. Continuing his theme of serving his profession, Dr. George was later appointed director of the neurosurgery residency training program. “I really enjoyed teaching the most,” said Dr. George, reflecting on his career. “A lot of medicine involves helping to teach the next generation of neurosurgeons.”
While he was passionate about his neurosurgery and teaching, Dr. George retired to Virginia a few years ago to spend more time with his wife of 37 years, his four children and his grandchildren. Retirement has also given Dr. George the time to pursue his lifelong interests in history and current events.
