George D. Chonkich

I arrived in Loma Linda from the east coast in August of 1956. A couple of months later I was shocked to see for the first time the beautiful mountain range near by. The other shock was the realization that I would need to quickly adjust my study habits in order to absorb the huge amount of information coming from my anatomy class. I am particularly grateful to the basic science teachers such as Walter Roberts, Carroll Small and Bo Wat who took an interest in me as a person and had a positive influence on my personal and professional life.

Other memories of my medical school years included our class extracurricular activities, especially athletics. Even though there was little spare time I always managed to fine time to play basketball with my classmates in the Redlands University gymnasium, volley ball on a court next to Daniell’s Hall, and soft ball against the medical students in the city (White Memorial Hospital).

Looking back over 50 years I remain grateful for an excellent medical education and for the Christian professors who served as role models. After 10 years of private practice in New York, it was a privilege to return to Loma Linda to help start a residency program in Otolaryngology/Heal and Neck Surgery. Currently, I continue to enjoy participating in the training of residents and students at the Loma Linda Veterans Hospital.