April 8, 1987
We're here today to honor one of the great figures in American medicine and a pioneer in the field of surgery. Harvey Cushing is rightly known as the father of American neurosurgery. He was an extraordinary doctor who served on the faculties of several medical schools, such as Yale and Harvard, and was responsible for many breakthroughs in neurological surgery. Today his work is continued by the association that bore his name when it was founded: the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, a gathering of North American neurosurgeons who carry on the high professional and scientific standards that characterized his life and work.
Besides his professional and scientific accomplishments, this noted doctor had other sides to him. His former assistant, my father-in-law, Loyal Davis, noted once that he had learned not only clinical neurological diagnosis and surgical techniques from this man but many other things like professional discipline and dedication, not to mention, as Dr. Davis put it, "how to write a medical article with style.''
Like the others who've been honored by the issuance of a stamp in this series, Harvey Cushing is an American who made a difference in his chosen field, a man whose professional dedication and personal genius advanced the cause of science and medicine and made a difference in the lives of countless people. And now, with the help of Postmaster General Tisch, we will unveil the stamp. And after that, Nancy and I look forward to meeting each of you shortly on the State Floor in the White House.
Note: The President spoke at 3:34 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White House. Following the ceremony, the President hosted a reception in the State Dining Room for Mrs. John Hay Whitney, Dr. Cushing's daughter, and representatives of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. The Dr. Harvey Cushing stamp was part of the U.S. Postal Service's ``Great American'' series, initiated in 1980 to recognize individuals for significant contributions to the Nation's heritage and culture.