Fred W. Whitehouse, MD, MACP (1926-2019).

Abstract

First and last of my vivid memories of Fred Whitehouse are actually tied to Davida Kruger. Shortly after I moved to Detroit in 1986 to establish a comprehensive diabetes center at Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center I made an appointment to see Fred to pay him homage as the giant of diabetology. Upon my entrance he stopped my compliments and said, with his usual dry humor, “Oh, I don’t really do anything here. My job is just to hold the doors open so Davida does not run into closed ones….” More sadly, it was on 1 March 2019, while flying to Houston for a meeting, when Davida, who happened to sit next to me on the plane, received the call about Fred’s passing. She was clearly shaken by that awful news. Ironically, the night before, at the meeting of the Endocrine Club of the Michigan chapter of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), the past officers of AACE took a picture together to deliver it to Fred upon learning that he was in a local hospice. Another classic “Fred” recollection: We were caught in the epic snowstorm of 2003 at the Washington, DC, Mandarin Oriental Hotel (where we were preparing educational efforts for the anticipated approval of insulin glulisine) and the nation’s capital was shut down. All airports were closed, our flights canceled, and streets became impassable with the huge amount of snow. Fred approached me and said, “Let’s go and see if the Freer Art Gallery is open.” And so we went out into the blizzard, trudging the half mile through more than a foot of snow, the only crazy ones out in the street. I had a hard time keeping up with his long strides, but we made it and were the only people …