Ernest W. Mack, MD, 87
Ernest W. Mack, MD, a prominent Nevada neurosurgeon, died on Dec. 27, 2000, at his home in Reno. He was 87.
Dr. Mack, a private practice neurosurgeon for nearly 50 years, was the only neurosurgeon in Nevada when he established his practice in Reno in 1946. Years later, as chairman of the board of trustees of Washoe General Hospital for 17 years, he oversaw the hospital’s vast expansion. His fifth and final building program at the hospital in 1974 made Washoe Medical Center the largest hospital in Nevada.
He also served as Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Nevada, where he was instrumental in establishing its School of Medicine.
He authored more than 35 scientific articles and papers on management of multiple cerebral aneurysm, electromyography in the diagnosis of acoustic neuroma and injury to the spine and spinal cord.
During World War II he was a military neurosurgeon, serving in Australia and the Philippines, becoming chief of surgery in the Philippines Theater.
Vice president of the AANS in 1975, Dr. Mack received the AANS 1997 Distinguished Service Award.
An avid duck hunter and angler, he pursued those pastimes up until the last months of his life.
Ralph Cloward, MD, 92
Pioneering neurosurgeon Ralph Cloward, MD, who developed more than 100 surgical instruments that bear his name, died on Nov. 13, 2000, in Honolulu. He was 92.
His great expertise and easy manner made him “an icon for both orthopedic and neurological surgeons alike,” according to a tribute to him in the AANS/CNS Spine Section’s most recent newsletter.
A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Dr. Cloward began his Honolulu practice in 1938 and continued treating patients until he was in his late 70s. An innovative thinker, he developed a technique using bone grafts to help fuse discs, setting up the first bone bank in the United States in the process. He also was credited with perfecting the anterior approach technique. Paul M. Lin, MD, the editor of a medical book that publicized the technique, described Dr. Cloward as a “e;technical genius.”
Dr. Cloward was also known for his heroism during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He rushed to the hospital to aid the wounded, saving many lives after four days and 40 operations. His tireless labor earned him a mention in Time.
A scalpel was not the only instrument that Dr. Cloward handled deftly. A man of many talents, he played first clarinet with the Honolulu Symphony.
He is survived by a son, two daughters, 12 grandchildren, five great grandchildren and others.
This article was based on a story in the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves newsletter, which reprinted an obituary from the Honolulu Star Bulletin.
In Memoriam
Deceased members since
January 1, 2000:
Ralph A. Bentz, MD
Chhabi Bhushan, MD
Pedro C. Caram, MD
Joseph P. Cascino, MD
Lee A. Christoferson, MD
Ralph B. Cloward, MD
Edward F. Downing, MD
Judah L. Ebin, MD
Lucien R. Hodges, MD
Carl W. Irwin, MD
Wolfgang Koos, MD
Petter A. Lindstrom, MD
Ernest W. Mack, MD
Venkat Iyer Narayan, MD, FACS
William A. Newsom, MD
Bernard Pertuiset, MD
Marvin J. Powell, MD
John Raaf, MD
Anthony J. Raimondi, MD
Ved P. Sachdev, MD
James C. Walker, MD