ROBERT BEASLEY

BEASLEY--Robert W., MD,

(1930-2017). Professor Robert W. Beasley was born in Paducah, KY in July of 1930. He attained his baccalaureate degree from Vanderbilt University in 1952 and his Medical Doctorate from the University of Tennessee in 1955. Following his graduation he went to New York City where he remained for the next 50 years. He began his general surgery residency at the Roosevelt Hospital and after two years of training found himself at the United States Army Hospital in Fort Irwin, California, where he spent the next year and one half. There, he distinguished himself as a general surgeon for the U.S. Army, receiving the Commendation Ribbon and Medal given by the Department of Army in 1959. He went on to complete his training in general surgery at the Roosevelt Hospital and in reconstructive surgery of the hand under the auspices of Professor William J. Littler. In 1962 he completed a residency in Plastic Surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. He was recruited by Dr. John M. Converse to join the faculty of the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and to establish a hand surgery service which he led for the next five decades. In 1966, he instituted the hand surgery fellow of New York University. He was a member of numerous prestigious societies. He was author of over fifty articles, fifteen book chapters including "Hand Injuries" in 1987 and "Beasley's Surgery of the Hand" in 2003. One of Dr. Beasley's passions was teaching and he had the gift to make complicated concepts simple to comprehend and to formulate realistic solutions for complex challenges. He was a man of diverse interests, an accomplished sailor, a sharp photographer, an artistic illustrator, and a brilliant writer. The jewelry that he designed was so exquisite that they likened Monet's Lilly. On July 16, 2017, Dr. Beasley passed peacefully in his sleep at his home in San Diego, CA. We, members of the Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery of New York Langone Health, have lost our most senior professor, a legendary teacher. The specialty of hand surgery has lost a leader. The world has witnessed the passing of a visionary surgeon, master educator, holistic mentor and a renaissance man. Dr. Beasley is survived by his wife Genevieve, son, Bobby, and daughter, Kimberly.