The stainless-steel bin was about seven feet long and about two and a half feet wide. Even with the lid tightly closed, it smelled strongly of formaldehyde. The whole enormous basement room was full of bins with four people to a bin and smelled strongly of formaldehyde. It wasn’t long before all of us smelled like formaldehyde, too. And we would smell that way for most of a year. It was the first day of medical school and we all knew what was coming. We were simultaneously excited and creeped out. Time to meet our cadaver. Rather than focus on that, I was riveted by the petite, beautiful redhead on the other side of the bin. I was immediately smitten. She wasn’t. But what I may have lacked in wit, charm and looks; I more than made up for in persistence. And that kids, is how I met your mother.

True story, and I couldn’t wait for the kids to be old enough for me to tell them that they owed their existence to a cadaver. Needless to say, none of our three girls went into medicine.

First and foremost, thanks to Michael for doing so much to bring us all together. And thanks Michael for inviting me to write this update. This is kind of unusual for me. I rarely talk about myself, much less write about myself.

Anyway, greetings from beautiful Jupiter, Florida! This is where my wife Cheryl and I have lived since we finished our medical training and where we raised our three lovely daughters. Cheryl and the girls are the lights of my life. Rachel, our oldest has a PhD in Political science, is married to Greg, a great guy, and they have given us two wonderful grandsons, Bryce and Ashton. When Bryce was born, my wife retired from her pediatric practice and is now physician in residence for the boys. Courtney has two Master’s degrees and is a medical social worker. Sydney, the youngest is working on her PhD in ecology, herpetology and evolutionary biology. She does love the creepy crawlies. She also collects tattoos. Of reptiles. Sigh.

I have many fond memories of Livingston, our High School and the great friends I made there, a few of whom I have managed to keep in touch with over these many years. I also have many fond memories of great teachers like Barry Segal, whose mentoring still guides me and whose recent passing I mourn.
Most of you won’t remember me. I kept a pretty low profile, and frankly, was not terribly memorable. Just another earnest and insecure nerd. Easily embarrassed, frequently tongue tied and unusually expert at saying exactly the wrong thing at the worst possible time. It got better.

College at Rutgers: A lot of growth, academically and interpersonally. Eventually, I became president of my fraternity and graduated on schedule, barely, with a degree in Microbiology.

Graduate school took me to Rice University and research toward my PhD in molecular biology. Sadly, my research advisor was denied tenure four years into my training and left the school, scuttling my research. I got over it. I started medical school a year later at Baylor College of Medicine. We survived Baylor’s accelerated curriculum and four years later, Cheryl and I got engaged (persistence). We were fortunate to have ended up at the University of Cincinnati Hospital together with Anesthesia training for me and pediatric training for her at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. We worked brutally long and punishing hours and still managed to start a family. (I have no idea how we pulled that off).

I have spent the last 30 years as a community hospital-based Anesthesiologist. Most of my patients have been economically disadvantaged and medically neglected. I became very good at taking care of very sick people. Although there was more money elsewhere, I couldn’t make myself leave. I was very fulfilled. I worked hard and I made a difference. I have been a Department Chief or Vice Chief since 2003. I finally left the hospital seven months ago to do outpatient work. It was time to slow down and step away from leadership. After 37 years of night and weekend call, I have claimed a more humane schedule. At least I thought I did. The surgery center administration just asked me to take over as Chief of Anesthesia. Back to leadership. Here we go again…

I decided to use my better lifestyle to get in shape. In the last six months, I’ve lost 30 pounds (15 to go) and got back to the gym. My gut is gone. Death by a thousand crunches. It’s nice to see my feet again. They were missed.

When not working and raising the kids, I have indulged myself in a wide variety of hobbies. I was about six months from earning my black belt in Tae Kwon Do when a motorcycle accident shattered my left clavicle, so ended my martial arts career. Next, I next took up Stand Up Comedy. I did many, many open mike nights at the Palm Beach Improv. I MCed a number of professional shows (they actually paid me!!!) and met a lot of great comedians. I did a few local charity shows before hanging up my comedy shirt about ten years ago. A lot of my jokes were at the expense of older people, and I had started to age into the target demographic of my own punch lines.

Next up, I fulfilled my lifelong dream of flying. I became a pilot. I really loved to fly, but it was a very expensive hobby. I had to pay out of state tuition and had a wife who was too smart to get into a plane with me. Grounded. Then came black smithing, and knife and sword smithing which I still do today. Beating stuff with a hammer is very cathartic. I also do wood working (furniture, and lately, lots of children’s toys). I taught myself to make archery bows and learned archery. I set up an archery range in my garage. When not being used for target practice, my garage is overrun with wood and metal working equipment. I wanted to build an airplane in my garage, but my wife was not going along with that one, so I built a canoe in my garage instead. My neighborhood reputation for eccentricity is secure.

Cheryl and I travel from time to time. We went kayaking and camping in Glacier Bay Alaska, white water rafting down the Grand Canyon, and most recently an amazing trip to the Galapagos Islands with our daughter the evolutionary biologist. I picked out those destinations. I like escaping from civilization. Cheryl picks the next trip. She is tired of boats, sleeping outdoors and not having toilets.

Most recently, some of my former colleagues asked me to teach at the Anesthesia Assistant program that they had helped get off the ground. For the last three years I have been an Assistant Professor and Medical Director at South University West Palm Beach. I didn’t expect to love teaching, but I genuinely do. The kids are very bright, very dedicated and definitely keep me on my toes. And so, I have closed another circle from student, together with all of you, now to teacher; passing on what I know and hoping to be as inspiring as those who inspired me.

I wish you all the best for health and happiness and look forward to seeing you at the fifty-year reunion. Shout out again to Michael and all who are making this possible!  I can be reached at rlwayne1959@gmail.com.