One of the goals of Anaplastology Awareness Month is to recognize the remarkable and unique contributions of members of the anaplastology profession. The anaplastology community is very small, with clinicians around the world getting to know one another thanks to our shared professional (and personal) interests. Today we remember and celebrate four members fo the anaplastology family who left us this past year. Please join us as we remember our dear friends and colleagues.
From Barbara Spohn-Lillo:
This last year was a strange one. It was a time of growth and a time of struggle, a time where some of us added to our numbers by the birth of children, but a time of sadness for others because we lost some very dear people in our group. Life is short, people! Let's remember that in our daily lives, in how we treat our patients, and as a group, how we treat each other. I look forward to the day when we can all meet in person again. Until then, and after then, let's work on building each other up and sharing our knowledge and talents with each other for the betterment of mankind. Think about how you want to be remembered at the end of your life, and live life accordingly!
Many of us have known Dr. Robert Erb for decades. I for one, felt smarter just by being in the same room with him! He was probably by far the smartest one in our organization. But, in addition to being extremely smart, he was also incredibly loving and giving. He loved Doretta, and he loved his God, and his greatest desire was to express that love to his fellow man. I think we would all agree that he did that well! Bob's obituary
Joe Gorrin was one of my dad, Walter Spohn’s, first students and my dad often said that he was the most talented student he ever had! He graduated in 1974, and had been working in this field ever since. He eventually started his own clinic in South Carolina. Joe loved his job, loved his family, loved his God, and loved his Batmobile! Even though Joe was just days away from 70, he was in very good health, but had not yet gotten his COVID vaccine. A slight cough put him in the hospital, and he was gone before we knew it. He is survived by his beloved wife Sharon, five children, and eight grandchildren. Joe's obituary
Pieter “Piet” Scholtz, passed away March 13, 2021. Piet lived in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he owned Medifit, an orthotics and prosthetics company since 1989. He cared for patients by providing orthotics, limb prostheses, and life-like facial prosthetics. Piet received his degree in orthotics and prosthetics from Tswhane University of Technology in 1977. He was an active member of the IAA, ISPO, and HPCHA. He was always eager to learn new techniques and attended IAA meetings when possible. IAA member, Amanda Behr, remembers meeting him at the Denver Meeting in 2011. She recalls, “Piet was a jovial, kind person who was eager to learn the techniques of all prosthetics. After the meeting, we stayed in touch through social media through the years. A patient of mine moved to Johannesburg, and Piet was eager to help if there was a need. He is fondly remembered by his friends and family. There are many tributes recalling how kind he was and how he had formed friendships throughout the world. He had a trademark phrase of “Lovely Stuff” when making comments on his friends’ photos and life updates. I will miss his happy face at future IAA meetings and workshops.” He is survived by his son, Elon, and a large, extended family and many friends. Oom (Uncle) Piet Schultz, rest well. You will be missed.
Rick Pederson was in the same class at Stanford that I was in. We graduated in 1980. While he did not stay in this profession, he ended up in auxiliary fields because of what he learned through his time at Stanford. He died suddenly this past year a lot sooner than any of us expected. Why was he important to us? He was one of the key figures in getting the anaplastology association off the ground. While it was always the brain child of my father, Rick and Kevin Schou were the ones who made it happen. Rick's obituary
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