Photo Gallery: Dr. John T. 'Jack' Boyer Memorial

Family and friends of the late Dr. John T. "Jack" Boyer gather May 16 in HSIB Forum of the Health Sciences Innovation building to celebtrate his life.

Family and friends of the late John T. “Jack” Boyer, MD, hosted a celebration of life May 16 in the HSIB Forum of the Health Sciences Innovation Building for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson founding physician, who joined the faculty in 1968 and launched three divisions in the Department of Medicine.

These include Geriatrics (now General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine), Hematology and Rheumatology. Each now have key centers of excellence associated with them, the UArizona Center on Aging, the UArizona Cancer Center (which includes the current Division of Hematology-Oncology that also is still a division in the department), and the UArizona Arthritis Center.

Michael M.I. Abecassis, MD, MBA, dean of the College of Medicine – Tucson, offered the welcome address for the celebratory event. A selection of photos from the event can be found below.

Dr. Jack Boyer passed away Feb. 15 at the age of 93. An announcement of his death was posted to the college’s website on Feb. 23 that delineated key points in his medical career and life. He also was included in a story for the college’s 55th anniversary last fall, “Multigenerational Faculty Members Take Long View,” as he, his daughter, Leslie Boyer, MD, and wife, Georgiana “Georgie” Boyer, MD, were all faculty members of the college. He retired in 2003, but continued to provide care to aging patients as a volunteer. In 2021, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arizona Geriatrics Society. An annual departmental award for outstanding resident in general internal medicine is named in his honor.

Among other speakers at the memorial were Dr. Boyer’s son, Quentin Boyer, and Dr. Leslie Boyer, a former pathologist, director of the UArizona Poison & Disease Information Center and founder of the Venom Immunochemistry, Pharmacology and Emergency Response (VIPER) Institute, which sunsetted as a program in April. Both talked about family history and shared a photo montage of memories that included a brief video clip from the 1959 movie, “On the Beach.” The picture starred Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins and a young Dr. Boyer, who had been cast as a Navy corpsman while doing his fellowship in Australia where it was filmed.

Also speaking were: Leonardo Guzman, MD, who participated via video link from Santiago, Chile, and for whom Dr. Jack Boyer served as a mentor during his studies and training in Tucson; David Templin, MD, a colleague who recalled their early days working together in the Division of Rheumatology with the late Eric Gall, MD, to help launch the division and Arthritis Center; and Mindy Fain, MD, current chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and co-director of the UArizona Center on Aging.

Dr. Leslie Boyer closed the celebration with commentary on “The Aging Geriatrician,” borrowing content from a paper published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society in December, “John T. (Jack) Boyer, MD: Reflections of an aging geriatrician.”

Mouseover images below for captions and click on them to view larger version.

MINI-PHOTO GALLERY:

Sign about memorial to Dr. Jack Boyer, who was a founding physician for the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson and launched three divisions in the Department of Medicine. The program for Dr. Jack Boyer notes he grew up in Indiana and Ohio, the son of an engineer and teacher who earned his medical degree from Harvard and completed his internal medicine residency training in Cleveland. After a fellowship in Australia, Dr. Jack Boyer served a year as a U.S. Army doctor in South Korea before returning to Cleveland where he began his career as a hematologist and blood banker. Dr. Joseph Alpert (wearing white coat), a cardiologist and former Department of Medicine chair, consoles Dr. Jack Boyer's daughter, Dr. Leslie Boyer (left), who was a pathologist at the College of Medicine - Tucson.

From left, Dr. Kent Kwoh, current Rheumatology division chair and director of the Arizona Arthritis Center; Dr. Mindy Fain, chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and director, Arizona Center on Aging; and Dr. John Elfor, in the Department of Orthopedics.  Dr. Mindy Fain introduces Michael M.I. Abecassis, MD, MBA, dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson Dr. Michael Abecassis discusses the medical legacy Dr. Jack Boyer left at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson

Dr. Michael Abecassis Dr. Jack Boyer's daughter, Dr. Leslie Boyer, who also was a past medical director of the Arizona Poison & Disease Information Center and founder of the VIPER Institute Guests listen to Dr. Leslie Boyer talk about her father Dr. Janko Nikolich (left), co-director of the UArizona Center on Aging

Dr. Jack Boyer's son, Quentin Boyer talks about his father's days as a football player at Harvard and why he didn't go pro: "In those days, they didn't pay football players much." Dr. Neil Ampel (upper left) and others listen to Quentin Boyer tell stories about his father, Dr. Jack Boyer Quention Boyer, son of Dr. Jack Boyer, talks about the kind of father he was Drs. Mindy Fain and Leslie Boyer listen to her brother, Quentin

Dr. Jack Boyer's love of sports illustrated in photomontage of his life Dr. Jack Boyer on the gridiron at Harvard Dr. Jack Boyer and his wife, Georgie, at their wedding - they met at Harvard where she also was a medical student, eventually becoming a family practitoner Fun times with the Boyer family

Image of Dr. Jack Boyer reminiscing with colleagues, including Dr. David Templin (center), a retired Alaska rhueumatologist who started with Dr. Boyer at UArizona Pictured in photo are Dr. Jack Boyer with Dr. Mindy Fain during photomontage  A photo of crowd watching video clip from 1959 movie, "On the Beach," in which Dr. Jack Boyer interacts on camera with actor Gregory Peck. The film was made in Australia while Dr. Boyer was there for his fellowship.

 Zooming in for the event, Dr. Leonard Guzman, who did his fellowship training at the UArizona College of Medicine - Tucson with Dr. Jack Boyer, speaks live from Santiago, Chile, from where he collaborated with Dr. Boyer and welcomed his family for visits. Dr. David Templin talks about the early days as a colleague of Dr. Jack Boyer in the Division of Rheumatology. Dr. Templin retired in December after five decades practicing in Alaska. He now lives in Chandler, Arizona. Dr. Mindy Fain

For the full photo album from the event, see this link at the department’s Flickr webpage.

Photos by David Mogollon.

ALSO SEE:
“Multigenerational Faculty Members Take Long View” | Posted Nov. 17, 2022
“DOM Annual Awards Honor Forty at Arizona Inn” | Posted May 18, 2016

Release Date: 
05/19/2023 - 4:45pm