Richard W. Zalar Jr., MD – 50th Reunion Essay

Richard W. Zalar Jr., MD

8300 Delmar Boulevard #518

University City, Missouri 63124

Rzalar@aol.com

Spouse(s): 1st marriage: (1975–1985). Paula Zuk (1987)

Education: Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois, 1969–1973, MD degree. Los Angeles County; University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Internship/Residency, 1973–1977

Career: Clinical Practice Obstetrics and Gynecology for 20 years, Chairman of OB Department, Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Torrance, California 1993–1994. Published Research on Prevention of Premature Birth

Avocations: Prior to age 61: Golf, Skiing. Currently: studying the application of obstetrical principles to human evolution.

College: Calhoun (Hopper)

Running, Old Yale, and Me

It was Spring 1965 at Oak Park River Forest High School, one of a number of excellent high schools in suburban Chicago. I was accepted to Yale. Hooray! That fall I left the Midwest to “go East, young man.” To my 18-year-old self, it was foreign territory with all the East Coast mores saturating the air, and I had to adapt. Yale provided me the chance to do this and to deepen my capacity to learn, think, discover, and formulate.

A runner must learn to run hard, but relaxed. In like manner, I intentionally took courses that required papers, because I needed to be a better writer. Also, I spent extra time in the organic chemistry lab to identify unknown compounds and then prove their identities by making derivatives, a daunting requirement in the second half of that course. A runner must learn how to run fast while tired, and a good student will be smart in needed courses that are boring so as to not succumb to the “Gentleman’s C”. A runner will also need to know racing strategy. Back to organic chemistry, the critical pre-med course. January 1968. It was up to the “Science Hill” first thing in the morning, in the cold, only to discover the lecturer soporifically read from the text. I said to myself, “I don’t need this.” And so, I undertook the new and dangerous task of becoming an autodidact. I would read each book chapter and answer every question at the end of the chapter. Most strategically, I would ask, “What is the point of each question?” And I would go to the weekly discussion groups. It worked. I got the honors grade I needed.

This foundation would become important when at age 32, I was running a 10K, trying to break 40 minutes for the first time. A pedestrian time for a competitive runner, but for a recreational runner like me it would be a milestone. For the first five miles, I was ahead of my pace, but then near the finish I had…a stroke—a left-sided posterior basal ganglia hemorrhage to be exact. What? WHAT!!?? How could this be? This was major.

Life-changing, obviously, but now I had to dig deep into my resources. I recovered neurologically (mostly) and learned about all manner of insurances, which most people would just ignore. I needed to be prepared for any recurrence, as I continued my medical practice in obstetrics. One day, a pair of insurance salesmen approached the medical staff of one of the two major hospitals in my area (ironically, the one I liked less) with a group product called “own-occupation” disability insurance. That’s the ticket! Having this would then become critically important at age 48, when I had to stop practice because of transient mini-strokes on OB night call. All that I had learned helped me when I needed it. Thank you, Yale.

By the way, my 10K time…39:57.