Remembering Ron Davis Welcome
This space is dedicated to the fond memories of Ron Davis. Sadly, we lost Ron to cancer. His battle was brilliant, beautiful, and powerful to all who had the pleasure to work with him, hear him speak or simply love his presence.
Please leave your comments and memories.
About Ron Davis - Tobacco Control
I will be loading videos that we have acquired through our Tobacco Video Collection at Roswell Park. More to come
November 7th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Ron, thank you for your humor and inspiration.
I was fortunate to work with Ron while working with tobacco industry documents project. I was drawn to his ability to spice up our rather dry document meetings with humor and insight. His presentation that highlighted statements by tobacco executives about strange things like gummy bear and apple sauce was a hit and paved the way for us to collaborate on a joint presentation called “Tobacco Executives Say the Darndest Things.”
Together with Simon Chapman we agreed to collaborate on a presentation and “compete” for who could find the most ridiculous industry statements. We would let the audience decide which was best via human applause meter. At the last minute, due to his appointment as President of the AMA, Ron had to back out. Being a champ, Ron did not deny his fans. He recorded his presentation. After some technical snags, we determined that I had to simply push a button and we would hear Ron’s outrageous statements.
I felt like I had this one in the bag. I was armed to the brim with industry video and audio clips. Simon combined his oratorical skills with video and audio. Ron spoke as a recording through my laptop speakers. I referred to him as “Ron Headroom.”
To my chagrin, Ron kicked our competing asses. Without even being present Ron moved us with humor and insight. He still does.
Thanks Ron for your advocacy and you generous passion for others.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Our lives are populated by countless people, many aquaintances, sometimes lots of friends, and then a much smaller number of people whom we never hesitate to describe as great and close friends and colleagues who make indelible impressions on us all. Ron was right up there in that last category for me. I first met him in the 1980s when he was heading up the US Office on Smoking & Health. He was a dashing, Harrison Ford lookalike, with an encyclopedic understanding of all aspects of tobacco control, and an impish sense of humour he liked post-scripting in emails and asides after meetings.
He was the quintessence of professionalism, driving the BMJ publishers of Tobacco Control mad with his precision and appetitite for perfection, while never losing the Big Picture of population-wide tobacco control. He was also a great friend and confidante who would always respond to the other side of the world within hours with sage-like advice on journal matters.
I’ll miss you very much Ron. You graced this life.
Simon Chapman
November 7th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Ron inspired us all through his actions. With his encylopedic mind, his thoughtful framing of issues, his careful writing, and good sense of humor he set the standard for all of us in public health to follow. His legacy is strong, but he will be sorely missed because those us who knew him all recognize he had much more to give.
Sadly, pancreatic cancer is not a foregiving disease. In his usual style, Ron took the time to teach us all about this horrid disease, encourage us to advocate to learn more to help those afflicted, and face the days we are given on this earth with grace and purpose.
Thank you Ron, it has been a privilege to have had you as a friend and colleague. You will be missed.
November 8th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
I have been privileged to have known and worked with Ron Davis for over two decades, and seen him progress through a variety of jobs and locations and, of course, appreciated his outstanding contribution as founding editor of the journal Tobacco Control.
But beyond these roles I was, and I think everyone was, very fond of Ron – he was an unfailingly courteous, wise, warm and fun person – a truly lovely man.
We shall all miss him greatly; and I extend my most sincere condolences to his family.
Judith Mackay
Hong Kong, China
November 9th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Throughout my 23 years in tobacco control, as a transplanted American working the UK and Australia, I have revered the name ‘Ron Davis’. To see his name on a publication was a clear indication that what I was about to read would be thoughtful, intelligent, insightful, and invariably useful. His solid contributions to the profession have made my work, and the work of countless others, that much easier. The fact that so many people around the world cherish him as a colleague is testimony to the depth and breadth of his impact. Deepest sympathy to his family.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:12 am
Ron’s encouragement, enthusiasm, and sage advice must be at the root of so many of our successes.
How grateful we can be and how the world has benefitted…
We’ll miss you, Ron!
This poem by the anciet Chinese poet, Ruan Ji seems o be a fiting tribute to a life well-lived:
Behold at the crossway there stands an outstanding man,
a chestnut steed to pull his chariot.
When morning comes, he sets out for the Wild of Yingzhou,
and at the evening he rests, where the brightness reigns forever.
Next time you see him he’s gone out the Four Seas altogether,
his wings so widely spread.
Yes, I will leave all the things of this world behind!
Why should I let all this trivia pester my heart?
Let a thousand years pass–
We’ll meet again.
Bonnie Vierthaler
Beijing, China
November 10th, 2008 at 6:58 am
As a reporter, I talked to Ron many times, beginning in the early 1990s. He did important work, he was always straight and open with me, and he did, I think, make very important contributions to the anti-tobacco effort, continuing when he went to Michigan. As a Michigan native myself, I was happy to see such an enlightened and intelligent person on the job there.
And I thought he was a great breath of fresh air at the AMA.
Beside all this, however, I liked him.
Paul Raeburn
November 10th, 2008 at 7:32 am
I had the privilege of brainstorming with Ron late one night during a tobacco control conference, and I’ll forever associate the value of those conferences with those unplanned discussions. Out of that late-night conversation emerged the DATTA project, and through posting the trial transcripts I got a chance to read his depositions and learn more about the powerful advocate he was.
He was enormously likable and kind, encouraging, enthusiastic, passionate and hard-working. He will be sorely missed.
November 10th, 2008 at 10:37 am
So much has been said about how deeply Ron influenced lives of many people. And he surely did! I remember how during an international tobacco control convention in Europe, Ron brought a large box of the hot-off-the-press “silver-cover” 25-Anniversary Surgeon General’s Reports. He knew that the participants from the Eastern-block countries would not have an easy access to this landmark document, so he decided to hand-deliver it himself. I was one of the happy recipients and, upon my return to Moscow, had the opportunity to study the Report and share it with many colleagues in the Soviet Union. I still keep this precious copy in my library. Ron always genuinely cared about tobacco control being a global endeavor and encouraged international researchers to submit their articles in “Tobacco Control.”
He will be badly missed by many researchers and tobacco control advocates around the world.
Alex Prokhorov
Houston, Texas
USA
November 11th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Ron was a beacon of light for me and my colleagues here in North Carolina for many years as we have struggled to make NC - with its economic, historic and political ties to tobacco - a healthier place to live, work and play. He was a mentor, a solid scientist, a strategist and a friend. We will surely miss his leadership in public health and medicine - in this nation and the world.
Sally Herndon Malek
Raleigh, North Carolina
USA
November 12th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Like everyone else, I am truly shocked by Ron’s passing and join with others in offering his family and friends our condolences (that we are both the same age is a little disconcerting).
I first encountered Ron directly when I very tentatively offered some material for a cover essay for Tobacco Control. His response to me and his encouragement to co-author a piece for the cover essay was very gratifying, much appreciated and never forgotten. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to meet and thank him in person at a WCTOH. His work for Tobacco Control and tobacco control in general, is a testament to his commitment to our cause.
“His like will never be seen again”.
Fenton Howell
Ireland
November 13th, 2008 at 11:48 am
We at the Non-Smokers’ Rights Association in Canada will miss Ron greatly. He collaborated with us on a number of occasions. Canada has benefited from his important work, through his work on the reports of the Surgeon General, his initiatives related to the journal Tobacco Control and his important advocacy. He was a class act. It was a privilege to have known him and his early passing is truly tragic.
With this note, once again we express our deep sympathy to his wife Nadine, his children and to all who came to appreciate his professionalism, leadership and friendship.
Garfield Mahood, OC
Executive Director
Non-Smokers’ Rights Association
January 25th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
I first heard Ron’s name at a NCI meeting of funded researchers. During the meeting it was announced that the CDC, which had just taken over the Office on Smoking and Health, had named him to be the new OSH Director. I was appalled, thinking that CDC had selected some mid-level bureaucrat who would weaken OSH’s efforts. I couldn’t have been more wrong. As history has shown, CDC made an impeccable choice. And as everyone who knew him knows, Ron was courageous and wise. Intelligent and fun. An extraordianry man. I miss him greatly. My heartfelt sympathies to Nadine, Jared, Evan, and Connor and all his family.
February 12th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Very few people know of Ron’s work on behalf of fire safe cigarette legislation and regulation. Ron called me in 1980, while in medical school, and asked what he could do to assist with efforts to regulate the tobacco industry regarding fire safety. Following are a few examples of what he offered. There were other efforts, in addition. A few year after that call, in his position as President of the American Medical Students Association, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association, he pushed through a resolution that the AMA support federal legislation to require fire safe cigarettes. This AMA resolution was instrumental in garnering other organizational support throughout the U.S.
In 1987, in his position as Director of the Office on Smoking and Health, he was instrumental in helping with a Report to Congress detailing that fire safe cigarettes were “technologically and economically feasible.” This ultimately helped the effort for state legislation mandating fire safe cigarettes. Today those laws and regulations are sweeping the world. Ron had an important role in this effort.
As a friend and colleague, I’ll miss him. More importantly, it’s the world’s loss to have an impeccably honest, effective, brilliant and honorable advocate leave the stage at an early age. The loss is global.