Dr. Sidney Wallace

DR. SIDNEY WALLACE, Professor Emeritus at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, was a physician, scholar, author, teacher, researcher, inventor, businessman, painter, sculptor, cartoonist, songwriter, singer, and an outstanding husband, father and grandfather. He died on May 25, 2013 surrounded by his wife and children. He was 84 years old.
A founding father of the pioneering field of Interventional Radiology, his techniques and many of his devices and approaches formed the fundamental principles of his discipline. His distinguished career spanned more than four decades, and he was honored for his achievements by many international societies including the Society of Interventional Radiology, American College of Radiology and those of France, Japan, Australia and Brazil and numerous others. While Dr. Wallace began his medical career in 1950 in Philadelphia at Temple University Medical school, most of his medical life and work took place here in Houston where he was Professor of Radiology, Chairman of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Division Head of Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
After his retirement in 1996, he founded a biomedical company to commercialize a cancer drug "Opaxio" currently in Phase III Trials. The drug was developed in response to Dr. Wallace's sister's battle with ovarian cancer. Sadly, he did not live to see the conclusion of those trials and the hoped for success of his investigations. This is one of many inventions, gadgets
and devices that Dr. Wallace was involved in creating and investigating. He was relentless in his pursuit of his ideas and excellence.
A central tenet of Dr. Wallace's work was teaching the next generation. His excitement about the then burgeoning world of interventional radiology bordered on the evangelical, and he was bursting with enthusiasm to share it and spread the interventional gospel. And he did. He lectured often and everywhere, but he never traveled without his beloved wife, Marsha, who on one occasion was called upon to substitute for him. She had heard him speak so often that she could and did.
His creative endeavors went far beyond medicine. He was also an avid painter, sculptor, songwriter, all done in his "spare time," and always done with tremendous energy and verve.
He always had time to help his friends, both old and suddenly new, with medical problems, and he was dogged in the pursuit of a solution. This also extended to his own kidney cancer which he treated in a novel and creative way. Many believe he saved his own life. By embolizing the kidney, he gave himself an extra thirty years to enjoy and experience the life of his family and grandchildren and make many of the contributions listed here. We will all miss him terribly.
Sidney Wallace's life revolved around two poles - his work and his family. He loved them both equally and deeply,
and he wanted to do the best job he possibly could for each. He loved his family with every fiber of his being.
Dr. Wallace is survived by his wife Marsha; his children Stewart Wallace, Dianne Festa, Andrea Wallace, Jonathan Friedman, Michael Wallace and Valerie Wallace; and his grandchildren Erin and Sydney Wallace, Lucas Wallace, and Benjamin and Jeremy Friedman.
A fund will be established in Dr. Wallace's to support cancer treatment in Interventional Radiology. To donate please email ealabastro@mdanderson.org
Funeral services will be held at 3:00 pm Tuesday May 28 at
Emanu El Memorial Park, 8341 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77074