From John Macdonald:
In August 2011 my wife and I were fortunate enough to visit
Brian and Sue in Chrickhowell. I had not seen either since leaving UCLA in
1987. Within five minutes of our visit Brian brought up several points
about my doctoral dissertation. The old panicky feelings came rushing
back. Let’s see, is it the nadir, what about the asymptote, or how about the
time constant? With all the work he had done, and all the people he
debated, he recalled my dissertation. Maybe that was not surprising. It
was his theoretical expertise that was the basis of my dissertation. So it was
with overwhelming grief that a few weeks after our visit Sue wrote us of
Brian’s passing.
I was co-investigator of an
Office of Naval Research grant at the University
of Southern California studying CO2
retention in divers. I had been a U.S. Navy diver, and held a master’s degree. When
the research was completed I wanted to pursue a doctorate so I could do more
advanced research. My fellow co-investigator at USC
advised me to go to UCLA and study with Dr. Brian Whipp. Hence, I enrolled
at UCLA, and went to see Dr. Whipp. He was gracious, but said he was not
taking graduate students, that I should contact Dr. Sue Ward. Thus began
my doctoral studies. I took Dr. Whipp’s graduate respiratory physiology course
that David Poole so eloquently described, and I sat in on the Fellow’s seminars
at Harbor-UCLA.
I always sat in the back at those
seminars. One evening a Fellow was giving a presentation. Dr. Whipp
was sitting in the back next to me. I looked over and noticed he was
scoring a musical composition. Every so often he would correct the Fellow to
get him back on track. I swear the guy had two brains.
I was a member of the Undersea Medical Society and while I was a grad student the
Society was holding its national meeting in Los Angeles.
I was given the task of finding the keynote speaker. I immediately thought of
Dr. Whipp even though hyperbaric medicine was not his area of expertise. As a
lowly grad student I was hesitant to ask him but he accepted without
hesitation. With all he was doing, lecturing the freshmen medical students,
running the Fellows seminars, his prodigious research, writing grant proposal,
writing articles and who knows what all, he accepted.
One month later he began the
lecture on first principles, taking a breath of air in a hyperbaric
environment. An hour later, after referencing the classic articles, integrating
the important findings, and building a solid argument for gas exchange under
pressure, I looked around the room of physicians and scientists. I could almost
hear them saying, ‘So that’s how it works. It’s so logical. Of course it’s so
clear now.’
I went to thank him, but before I
could say anything he grabbed my hand and thanked me. He said, “That was a
challenge.” And now I come to realize that was Dr. Whipp’s life, a challenge. Whether
it was physical or mental, he accepted any challenge and met it head on. He
prepared relentlessly, and expected the same from those who were fortunate
enough to have studied under him. We are all better for having known him.