A tribute to Professor Leslie Paul Ivan (1920–2015 ...

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Leslie Ivan was born on April 11, 1920, in Dolha, Hungary. (soon to become ... Professor and Head of Neurosurgery at the Ottawa General. Hospital. In 1975, Dr.
A tribute to Professor Leslie Paul Ivan (1920–2015)

Enrique C. G. Ventureyra & Robert F. Nelson

Child's Nervous System ISSN 0256-7040 Volume 32 Number 6 Childs Nerv Syst (2016) 32:1013-1014 DOI 10.1007/s00381-016-3073-7

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Author's personal copy Childs Nerv Syst (2016) 32:1013–1014 DOI 10.1007/s00381-016-3073-7

BIOGRAPHY

A tribute to Professor Leslie Paul Ivan (1920–2015) Enrique C. G. Ventureyra 1 & Robert F. Nelson 2

Received: 18 March 2016 / Accepted: 23 March 2016 / Published online: 11 April 2016 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016

Prof. Leslie Paul Ivan died in Ottawa, Canada, on July 20, 2015, after a distinguished career in neurosurgery. Nevertheless, in his 95 years, he was also a soldier, a freedom fighter, a writer, an arts and classical music lover, and a family man of quiet dignity and humility. Leslie Ivan was born on April 11, 1920, in Dolha, Hungary (soon to become Czechoslovakia, as a result of the 1920 Trianon Treaty after World War I). His family moved to adjacent Vasarosnameny, where he went to a public school and

* Enrique C. G. Ventureyra [email protected]

1

Division of Neurosurgery, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada

2

Division of Neurology, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada

later to a boarding school at Kisvarda for his secondary education. He then went to medical school in Debrecen where he specialized in surgery and neurosurgery. He then furthered his neurosurgery training in Vienna finishing his specialist exams in 1949. In spite of the Soviet invasion to Hungary, he practiced neurosurgery in Budapest; yet when the Korean War broke out, he was sent through the Trans-Siberian Railroad to Korea where he served as a field surgeon among the North Korean, Soviet, and Chinese armies. Upon his return to Budapest, he resumed his appointment as Head of Neurosurgery at the Central Military Hospital, where he treated injured Hungarians and Russians alike. When the Hungarian revolution broke out against the oppressive Soviet administration, Dr. Ivan joined the underground movement and was blacklisted and persecuted by the secret police. Nevertheless, he was able to run away with his wife, Edit, to Yugoslavia and thereupon to Canada. Ironically, years later, he was granted the Hungarian Freedom Fighter Memorial Medal and Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic by the government that half a century earlier had considered him a traitor! After arriving in Canada in 1957, in spite of his large surgical experience, he needed to serve an internship at the Scarborough General Hospital. Following that period of training, he was offered a position in Saskatoon by Dr. William Feindel who perceived Leslie’s potential. Saskatoon was in its prime, and he joined prominent colleagues including Allen Bailey, Jerzy Olszewski, Joe Stratford, Don Baxter, and William Feindel. Later on, both Drs. D. Baxter and W. Feindel became directors of the Montreal Neurological Institute. In 1967, Dr. Ivan was invited to Ottawa as Associate Professor and Head of Neurosurgery at the Ottawa General Hospital. In 1975, Dr. Ivan resigned his position at the General

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Hospital to become Chief of Neurosurgery at the recently inaugurated Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) to create and develop the division of pediatric neurosurgery at the new facility [1]. Dr. Ivan participated actively in organized medicine and served in many committees locally, nationally, and internationally. In 1980, he became Chairman of the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Ottawa and held this position until 1985. In 1983–1984, he was named and served as President of the Canadian Neurosurgical Society. In 1987, he became an executive council member of the Canadian Medical Protective Association. He was a founding member of the CHEO Research Institute as well as the Ottawa Neurosciences Society. In January 1985, Dr. Ivan retired from neurosurgical practice at CHEO and was succeeded by his pupil and associate, Dr. Enrique Ventureyra. Dr. Ivan continued academic and administrative activity at the University of Ottawa until his retirement in 1991, as Emeritus Professor. He was an active member of many national and international neurosurgical societies including the AANS and the ISPN. In 1996, he was Special Guest of the 24th Annual Meeting of the ISPN held in Ottawa that year. Dr. Ivan had an unending interest and enquiring mind and made various innovative contributions to neurosurgery. He reestablished interest for the Bischof myelotomy procedure for the relief of intractable spasticity and developed micro instruments to improve this procedure. As a pediatric neurosurgeon, he was particularly interested in hydrocephalus, pediatric head injuries, and intracranial pressure monitoring and developed a device to measure and record fontanel pressures Bfontogram.^ The subjects of coma and brain death stimulated his intellect, and among his various scientific publications, he produced three books: in co-authorship with Dr. Derek Bruce, COMA, Physiopathology, Diagnosis and Management and, coauthored with his wife, Maureen, The Way We Die. Additionally, he produced a third book entitled The Paediatric Neurosurgical Patient. Well known for his contributions to the medical literature, Leslie was less well known as an accomplished essay and fiction writer. He published his award-winning writings under the pseudonym of Paul Satori. These writings have been compiled in a volume entitled Inside the Soap Bubble. Regardless of his numerous personal and professional achievements, Leslie remained a man of quiet humility always concerned about his patients and friends. He endured many hardships and suffering during his life and was confronted with many sorrows. A cancer survivor himself, he lost to cancer his first wife, Edit; his oldest daughter, Judy; and just 7 months before his death his only son Christopher. Although he maintained a stoical attitude, he was profoundly affected by these personal and family tragedies.

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Nonetheless, his family’s love and support and the success of his children and grandchildren brought him much happiness and comfort during these difficult times. Leslie is survived by Maureen his devoted wife of 52 years; four daughters Agnes, Patricia, Andrea, and Jennifer; eleven grandchildren; and three great grandchildren.

A brief eulogy Goodbye Leslie! Thank you for being my mentor and trusted friend. Thank you for sharing your talent and wisdom with me. Thank you for your many teachings about neurosurgery, academics, and life itself. Thank you for accepting the responsibility of being my son’s godfather. One day you told me BTogether we will turn the world upside down^—we did not but we tried! Together we shared many projects, some of which succeeded and some of which did not, but in the end, we always learned a lesson which contributed to enrich our intellect and passion for what we did. Among the many lessons you taught me, ethics, academic writing, and administration stand out. You also taught me the art and nuances of neurosurgery which helped me enormously during my years of practice. I feel very fortunate to have known you in this life and that our paths crossed so many years ago early in my career. Let’s celebrate your life for your many contributions and foremost for you were a good man who dedicated his life to help others. I pray to God for the repose of your soul in his glory and hope to meet again in eternity! Eternally yours, Enrique Ventureyra

Acknowledgments We wish to acknowledge Mr. Scott D. G. Ventureyra for the valuable editorial assistance in the preparation of the manuscript.

Compliance with ethical standards Conflict of interest No conflict of interest exists.

References 1.

Ventureyra ECG, Ivan LP (2012) History of the development of pediatric neurosurgery in Ottawa and the CHEO. Childs Nerv Syst 28:807–811