In Memoriam—Richard F. Bakemeier, MD, MSc

Excerpt

On January 31, 2016, we lost a dear friend Richard F. Bakemeier. His obituary in the Denver Post began “physician, scientist, teacher, canoeist, hiker, traveler.” To us, he was a mentor, colleague, and friend. Dick lived life to the fullest and will be remembered by many of us in many yet kindred ways. In 2010, this Journal dedicated an issue to him which contained numerous remembrances from his many colleagues within the field of cancer education [1]. This is a must read for all of us who knew Dick and for those of you who need to know him. Richard Gallagher began this tribute section by aptly characterizing him as someone who “… has played many roles including physician, teacher, scientist, mentor, leader, lobbyist, editor-in-chief, and as a persistent constructive critic of the status quo in cancer education.” As the founding editor of this Journal, he certainly was an advocate and critic. I recently spent several days reviewing his many editorials and articles in the Journal of Cancer Education. These readings brought back many memories. They gave me pause to recall my initial meetings of him and of the American Association for Cancer Education. However, I “knew” him years before I ever met him. As I cited in the tribute issue “Our relationship dates back to my graduate student days when I spent many happy hours referring to the “Orange” oncology book.” My remembrances of him then, as they are now, were that “He was always teaching… always pushing… prodding… nurturing. He not only taught us, he gave us a voice. At a time when so few journals published anything related to medical education, Dick was determined to start one…” …