RANDOLPH M. CHASE Jr., M.D.

(L-R: Dr. & Mrs. Chase, Dr. Brown)

MEMORIAL SERVICE REMEMBRANCE FOR RANDOLPH M. CHASE Jr., M.D., Class of 1958.

Submitted by Howard R. Brown, M.D. on May 30th, 2008.

I first met Randy in September 1954, as we prepared to enter the Freshman Class of 1958 @ The NYU School of Medicine. He was a Phi Beta Kappa from NYU Undergrad School and I was An Alpha Phi Alpha from CCNY. We formed an instant bond, because we were the only African-American students in the class of 135 students. We didn’t look alike, but our classmates had trouble distinguishing us. I was frequently called Randy and he was called Howard. We often responded to such a greeting by saying, I’m the other one. Our common heritage was having parents of West Indian descent, who valued hard studious work. We studied in the Library together in those pre-clinical years, but I don’t recall discussing grades. He apparently was getting A’s, but was not flaunting it.

At the end of our third year, I became ill and had to take off a year. I finished my studies the following year in 1959. I was happy to hear that Randy had finished first in the class. That was most impressive, because there were some brilliant students in the class. Randy was the first and only African-American student to achieve that honor. Interestingly enough, The NYTIMES used to feature the top graduate from NYU on it’s front page of the second section. That year they featured a graduate, who had fathered five children, while attending Medical School.

Randy had a succession of NYU School of Medicine first for an African-American. To mention just a few; first intern accepted to Bellevue Hospital on the third (NYU) Medical Division; first Chief Resident at Bellevue on the Third & fourth Medical Divisions; and first Associate Professor of Medicine.

Following his residency, he took a two year Fellowship @ The Rockefeller Institute, where he studied immunology and Infectious Diseases. He returned to NYU Medical Center in 1964, where he devoted his many and varied talents until his retirement in 2005. Time does not permit a recitation of his many accomplishments, but they include being co-director of the microbiology lab at Tisch Hospital, the premier Infectious Disease Consultant, a Master Clinician and Teacher. Although his subspecialty was Infectious Disease, he was equally comfortable in treating all adult illness. Despite caring for the sickest of the sick, he had an optimistic view that improvement can be attained by good nursing care and comfort care. His patients did much better than initial assessments would predict. When my Mother and Mother-In-Law were hospitalized with severe strokes, I didn’t think they would last the night, but Randy predicted than they would improve to the point of discharge. They did.

Family was extremely important to Randy. His first family with wife Anita and sons Mark & Lance paralleled mine, with wife Gwendolyn and sons Christopher and Clifford. The boys were the same ages and got along well together. We would visit each other’s homes and have picnic’s in State Park. My contact with his second family, which includes wife Claudia and daughters Amelia and Maya, was limited and included mainly adult social events.

Randy’s massive stroke in November 2005, demonstrated another family trait. Never give up even when the odds are heavily against you. When I saw him in the hospital, I didn’t think he could survive a week, but Claudia had Randy’s optimism and fought with the Medical and Nursing staff, the way Randy did for his patients. Despite multiple and serious complications, multiple admissions to various medical facilities, Randy and the family tenaciously hung on to the hope that he would survive and satisfactory brain function would be restored.

The 50th Anniversary of his Med School graduating class was approaching on April 12, 2008. Alan Levine, the Class Reunion co-chair suggested in January that the Class present the family with a large get well card, signed by the reunion attendee’s. Alan made the card himself and circulated the card at the reunion dinner, for classmate comments and signatures. Lance attended the Reunion Dinner and was well received by the Class. Lance showed and read the card to Randy the next day, relayed some messages that were sent to him and got a very positive response from Randy. He smiled and nodded appropriately as he heard the words from his beloved classmates.

Randy, God Speed and Rest in Peace.

Because I had knee replacement surgery on May 20th, 2008, these remembrance remarks were delivered by my son Christopher at Riverside Church on May 30th, 2008.