TRIBUTE TO A GREAT CARDIOLOGIST, MY TEACHER AND MY FRIEND, DR JACK WARD KENNEDY

I just read in "heart.org" that my teacher and friend, Dr Jack W Kennedy died on Sunday, 8th June 2008, after a battle with lung cancer. He was 74 years old. I first met him as an undergraduate in University of Malaya, medical faculty, when I was starting my clinical clerkship. He was then spending a year in UM / UHKL to help establish the cardiology unit in UHKL. Although we were suppose to learn signs and symptoms of medical conditions ( this was in 1973 ), he taught us alot of cardiology, as a result of which, I took up cardiology. He was an excellent teacher with good clinical skills and good bedside manners. He was an expert in management of myocardial infarction and also coronary arteriography, having done the pioneering work in measuring ejection fraction and LV function on the LV cineangiogram. Remember this was in the late sixties when angiogram was at its infancy. Besides a good teacher, he was also a gentleman. I have never seen him lose his temper. He was patient and always unhurried, taking everything in his stride. When I became a cardiologist and attended cardiac meetings in USA and the world over, we would run into each other, and renew our friendship. He never forgot Malaysia, where he had some very good friends. Many of our cardiologist trained at the University of Washington, in Seattle, under him, including Prof HO Wong, Dr KT Singham. Dr A Masduki and Dr P Kannan. In many ways, he was responsible for pioneering the cardiological services in Malaya. This was before GHKL cardiology and IJN
I send an obituary message, saying that Jack is truly a Friend of Malaysia.
Condolences to Kathryn and family.
I understand that they have set up a professorial Chair in The University of Washington in his name.
We have all lost a good cardiologist, teacher and friend.