His credo was that actions are necessary, words are not. Yet many have wonderful words to say about Albert B. Ferguson, Jr., the man who founded the Pittsburgh Department of Orthopedic Surgery in 1954.
Dr. Ferguson, who lived in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, was 95 when he died on August 20, 2014. Dr. Ferguson was married to the late Louise Enequist Ferguson; his daughter Laurie preceded him in death. He is survived by three sons, Sanford Ferguson of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, Gary Ferguson of Barrington, Rhode Island, and Bruce Ferguson of Athens, Georgia; 13 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on August 30 at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, with funeral arrangements through the Weddell-Ajak Funeral Home in Aspinwall.
In saying goodbye to his longtime colleague and friend, Robert Greer, M.D. notes, “Ferg had no business dying on us. We thought he had made a deal with the Deity to live forever.”
“I remember the birthday party the office threw for him when he turned 50. I had newly moved into Henry Mankin’s office at that point. Ferg was furious at our calling attention to this 50-year milestone. He wanted no part of becoming 50–it was a sign he had gotten older, which of course he had no intention of doing.”
“So many memories! One in particular stands out. It was a Saturday morning, and I was seeing patients. Suddenly a loud and abusive guy stormed in screaming for me. I had treated his infant son for a fractured femur, doubtless caused by him. The boy was in a hip spica cast, which the Dad thought was somehow wrong. There was increasing abuse and noise from the Dad–enough finally to interrupt Fergie in his office. The Dad and I were just about to square off in an old fashioned Pittsburgh street fight when Ferg appeared. I don’t know how he did it but Ferg physically seemed to grow bigger in front of us. His chest expanded, his muscles bulged, and he was ready for bear. He commanded the room. The Dad slunk away, Fergie deflated, and calmly returned to his office.”
“Ferg’s mantra lives on. I used it often. It is the key to growth. ‘Do the right thing.’ It fosters maturity and independent thinking.”
Dr. Ferguson, born in New York City on June 10, 1919, did his undergraduate work at Dartmouth College and then went on to graduate from Harvard Medical School in 1943. Three years with the Marines in the Pacific followed; Dr. Ferguson then trained in surgery and orthopedic surgery in Boston’s Children’s, Peter Bent Brigham, and Massachusetts General Hospitals. It was in 1953 that he took the helm at “Pitt, ” being appointed the Silver Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Chairman of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. He remained there until his retirement in 1986.
Dr. Ferguson was honored with honorary fellowships by the British Orthopedic Association and the Japanese Orthopedic Society. He served as president of the American Orthopedic Association, a founding member of the Hip Society, and president of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.
Gary Ferguson M.D. recalls the adept way his father handled difficult situations, saying, “He seemed to accomplish this every day when he got out of bed and attacked the day. He didn’t live the days of his life, he attacked them. At age six I lacerated my hand, in too much of a hurry to get through a storm door. My distraught mother brought me to his office with my hand wrapped in her favorite bathroom towel. At about 6:00 in the evening he was exhausted from a day of seeing patients, all of whom were children at the time. He then had to face a blood-soaked towel around his son’s hand as an unexpected last patient. We had a longstanding game we played where I would throw a towel in his face as a distraction, and then try to run around him before he could grab me. So now taking in this scene in his office, he grabbed a near-by pillow, threw it in my face, ran around me, and I giggled. So I got the role reversal, he put me on the table, sewed up my laceration, and we were good to go.”
Asked what his father would want his legacy to be, Gary Ferguson stated, “His credo was that actions are necessary, words are not. Work hard, do the right thing, and the rest will take care of itself.”
“And while my dad’s colleagues know this already, I’ll say it anyway because they all understand how deeply true it is. He loved his colleagues as he loved his sons, daughter, and wife. He would do anything for any colleague. His mission was to make sure everyone was OK. He was relentless in this pursuit.”
Dr. Ferguson served as president of various orthopedic organizations, and eventually British and Japanese orthopedic associations would honor him. In 2006, the American Orthopedic Association honored him, and then their Pennsylvania Medical Society gave him the Distinguished Service Award in 2007.
Freddie Fu, M.D. worked with and admired Dr. Ferguson for many years. He said, “He was a surgeon among surgeons who trained 50 leaders in the field. He was able to motivate people by serving as a role model…and he never had to raise his voice.”
“He was a great thinker and succeeded in recruited the best people, such as Henry Mankin and Harry Rubash, who both went on to lead Massachusetts General Hospital.”
“Dr. Ferguson was direct, but he never put anyone down or was discouraging. He was very positive and encouraging. For example, in grand rounds if someone’s paper was not up to par he never made that person feel bad. Other faculty would have eaten that person for lunch, Dr. Ferguson found a way to make it a win/win situation so that the person would do better next time. He was very unique in that—and many—ways.”
The family suggests contributions to the University of Pittsburgh Albert Ferguson Orthopedic Resident Education Fund at the Medical and Health Science Foundation, University of Pittsburgh, 3600 Forbes Ave, Suite 8084, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
