From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

[For reasons you'll see in my comments afterward, it was a stunning
surprise when I only got this news yesterday from one of my other ophthalmologists, not from the family or the hospital at the time.]


Dr. Jerry A. Shields, Emeritus Director of the world-renowned Ocular
Oncology Service at Wills Eye Hospital and Professor of Ophthalmology at
Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, has passed away peacefully
at home on June 22, 2025, holding the hand of his wife, Carol L.
Shields, and surrounded by his family.

Born of humble beginnings in Pride Station, Union County, Kentucky, in
1937, he was the youngest of 8 children. He attended Sturgis High School
in Kentucky and later received his bachelorrCOs degree from Murray State University in 1960, where he excelled both academically and
athletically. After earning his Doctor of Medicine from the University
of Michigan Medical School in 1964, he embarked on a distinguished
career marked by service to his country in the Marine Corps in Vietnam
and groundbreaking contributions in the field of ophthalmology and
especially the field of ocular oncology. Some would say he completely re-organized ocular oncology over his 50-year tenure with his extensive teachings, published articles, and written books and atlases so that all participants could understand categorization of each eye tumor and
proper treatment protocols, and anticipate the impact on each individual patient.

Some speculate this scientific drive was related to his grade school and
high school years, catching butterflies in the wild--and then
categorizing each according to genus and species. He accumulated several thousand specimens and then exhibited the enormous array on numerous
poster boards, tediously identified and accurately labeled. This was the beginning of his scientific endeavors. It has been said that his
exhibition of butterflies was the second largest in the United States in
the 1950s/1960s, a collection that he generously donated to a university
in Kentucky, his home state.

A proud American, Dr. Shields served as a Marine Battalion Surgeon on
the rCLfront linerCY during the Vietnam War, followed by service in the US
Navy in Europe. Upon returning to the United States, he completed his
residency at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia in 1970,
specializing in ophthalmology. He further pursued fellowships in
ophthalmic pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology,
Washington, D.C., in 1971 and vitreoretinal surgery at the Wills Eye
Hospital in 1972. Dr. Shields then proceeded to establish the Ocular
Oncology Service at Wills Eye Hospital in 1974. This was one of the
first eye cancer centers in the world, with complete focus on patients
with eye tumors, including treatments and outcomes. Here, Dr. Shields
pioneered advancements in the field with improved detection of
intraocular melanoma using ultrasonography, fluorescein angiography, and radioactive P-32 uptake. Tumor detection remarkably improved, and
countless lives and eyes were saved. He was one of the first doctors in
the world to explore more refined treatment of eye cancers using plaque radiotherapy, a technique that is commonly used today, but was very
rarely used when he started, as most eyes were managed with surgical eye removal, or enucleation.

During his tenure, Dr. Shields met his beloved wife, Dr. Carol Lally
Shields, with whom he built the Ocular Oncology Service at Wills Eye
Hospital into the world's largest center for ocular cancers and tumors.
Dr. Shields was renowned for his multidimensional talents as a
physician, surgeon, researcher, and speaker, authoring over 2,000
scientific articles, 700 textbook chapters, and 13 complete textbooks.
He also trained approximately 300 fellows worldwide in ocular oncology,
leaving an indelible footprint on the field.

Dr. Shields has been honored with numerous awards and accolades
throughout his career, including the Top National Physician of the Year
Award for Clinical Excellence in 2013 from the Castle Connelly Awards,
and the Laureate Award (for leading ophthalmologist in the country) in
2014 from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He was the founding
member and first President of the International Society of Ocular
Oncology, an international subspecialty group focused on eye cancer. He
has served on the editorial boards for numerous scientific journals and
played key leadership roles in various ophthalmological societies.

Survived by his wife of 40 years, Dr. Carol Lally Shields, and their
seven children, recognized him as a respected physician, warm and loving husband, and truly dedicated father with a wonderful sense of humor. Dr.
Jerry A. Shields leaves behind an incredible legacy of excellence,
compassion, and dedication to advancing the understanding and treatment
of eye tumors.

Dr. Shields will be deeply missed by his family, colleagues, and the
countless lives he touched throughout his remarkable career.
======
I first met Jerry in October 1977 when I was referred to him by my
then-new New York ophthalmologist for a tumour in my left eye. Two
weeks later he took me to a conference on ocular oncology at the Armed
Forces Institute of Pathology at Walter Reed Hospital, where some 30
doctors examined me and most declared the eye should be removed
promptly. Jerry, along with AFIP's Lorenz Zimmerman, said we should
wait. After monitoring the situation for three years Jerry, in a
remarkable piece of surgery, not only removed the tumour but left the
rest of the eye intact, including particularly delicate structures.
The case has been published in various journals and textbooks. In the
years following the surgery my followup visits gradually became less
frequent and soon became annual ones which were more social calls than
medical necessity. On those occasions it was routine for Jerry to have
up to a dozen of his students come in and observe his exams of me as
well as have their own shots at me, examining his handiwork and its
results; one of those students (younger than I) later became his wife,
and partner in their practice and my care. The last time I saw Jerry
was in January 2023; he later suffered a stroke which prevented him from coming in and seeing patients but his wife kept him up to date with
their cases until his death. One little story which my mom used to like
to tell people to illustrate Jerry's caring nature: on the Saturday
night two days after the surgery while I was still recuperating in the
hospital Jerry walked into my room wearing a tuxedo; he was on his way
to attend a major event but he wasn't going to go unless and until he
was sure I was OK and didn't need his attention then (I assured him he
should go and enjoy [I actually was uncomfortable but also finding out
that Demerol was a wun-der-ful thang, bay-bee-ee-ee]). It's a very heartbreaking loss for me.



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From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries


In the previous article, David Samuel Barr <dsbarr@mindspring.com> wrote:

[For reasons you'll see in my comments afterward, it was a stunning
surprise when I only got this news yesterday from one of my other ophthalmologists, not from the family or the hospital at the time.]

My old friend[1] M_______ G______, M.D., an eye surgeon in Minnesota
(perhaps you know him?) sent me this when I asked him if he knew
Shields by reputation:

[1] In both senses.

I see patients all the time after somewhere between 1 and 10
others have seen them and haven't come up with a diagnosis. Of
course, I am, with all modesty, perfect and never wrong[2], but
when I see them I put the puzzle together, sometimes the moment I
walk through the door and look at them. If I don't figure things
out (some things remain a mystery) or the patient wants another
opinion, I will refer them for a second opinion to Mayo. They
might ask why not the U of M, and I tell them everyone, no matter
how capable, is fallible and can't be all things to all people, so
everyone has someone else they refer the mysteries or difficult
ones. I say if I see a melanoma in the eye I refer to the U of M
because there's a lot of travel involved. If they want another
opinion they refer to Mayo. If they want another opinion they
refer to Jerry Shields in Philadelphia. If he wants another
opinion he refers to his wife Carol. After that they probably know
someone who they trust in China or something.

[2] M_______ was being ironic here, though I expect he knows he is
very, very competent.
--
_+_ From the catapult of |
_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Baldwin | Tom Lehrer 1928-2025 RIP
\ / baldwin@panix.com| ***~~~~---------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2