I just got an e-mail notifying me that Dr Howard Jones, Jr. has passed away. I am just beginning to comprehend the enormity of the loss this is for all of us. He along with the late Dr Georgeanna Jones were my teachers, mentors and served as role-models ever since my Fellowship at The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, Virginia in 1988. Those were two memorable years where I got to work in the premier IVF unit in the world at that time.
The Jones' came to Norfolk around 1981 after retiring from John's Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland where they had taught for many decades. At that time Dr Howard (as we all called him) was 70 years old, time when most people would consider "taking it easy". The Jones' thought otherwise.
What followed was probably the most productive period of the Jones' careers. They were the pioneers of IVF in the U.S. and led the team that was responsible for the first test tube baby in the U.S.. At that time, there were only a handful of IVF clinics in the country and program directors from all over came to Norfolk to learn IVF. It is an amazing fact that the Jones' shared their knowledge without charging a dime! This is the kind of stuff that made them legends in our specialty.
Over the years, I kept in touch with him regularly. A "permanent" fixture for me at the Annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine was attending the Jones' breakfast meeting. It was a time when The Jones' "family" of past fellows and the current faculty would meet and get an update on the Jones Institute.
A highlight for me was attending his 100th birthday celebration at the ASRM meeting in New Orleans in 2011. Dr Howard spoke for almost 45 years and sounded as good as ever. The celebration continued at a black tie dinner in New York city a few months later. I was always thrilled by the fact that he would remember me by my name.
Dr. Howard will be missed. He has made so many contributions to our specialty -- too numerous for me to include here. I am sure we will be hearing about his accomplishments in the media, both national and international. He will live in the hearts and minds of the patients her has helped and in the students he has taught over the years.
Rest in peace Dr Howard.
Here is a link with more details on his life
http://hamptonroads.com/2015/07/dr-howard-jones-whose-work-led-countrys-first-ivf-baby-dies-norfolk-104
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