William Hairfield
Memories of Dr. William P. Webster
I stumbled across an excellent historical review of blood coagulation today (The waterfall-cascade and autoprothrombin hypothesis of blood coagulation. C. Hougie, J Thromb Haemost 2004; 2: 1225-33), which strongly stimulated my memories of Dr. Webster. He contributed significantly to hemostasis research conducted at Chapel Hill. I was a hospital dental resident from 1980-1982 and chief resident 1982-1983, where he was professor and senior attending. I have far too many fond and funny memories to share; however, I would like to share a few perceptions that I hold to this day. He always assumed responsibility for all patients wholeheartedly and straight on. Which was shocking to me coming straight from dental school, where faculty from one department were unwilling to converse face-to-face with faculty from another department, in front of the dental student, to arrive at a consensus that would be best for the patient. Perhaps such face-to-face problem solving was too inconvenient; however, after several such experiences I concluded that the faculty members were too fearful that the consensus made might not be the best for "dentistry itself" or "dental education type dentistry" in front of the dental student. Dr. Webster would have none of that, consultations across all specialties in the hospital were made face-to-face. He appeared fearless yet deeply concerned about the welfare of all patients as if they were family. He could crush a lowly resident in an instant with his terrifying memory and command of medicine, but I never saw him do that, instead he would assign confidence building experiences, point out any mistakes made, and provide much needed support and reinforcement during these "resident trembling" experiences. I can still hear his laugh, usually daily, reverberating among the hallways of the medical center. His expectations were very high, he was not afraid to show disappointment in one's performance where he knew a better outcome was certainly possible. He was a role model and a trustworthy friend, and I am a far better person by having worked alongside him.
We all miss you Dr. Webster.
Sincerely,
Mike Hairfield, resident 1980-1983