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News from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
University
Invests G. Richard Smith, M.D., as Third Howells Chair of Psychiatry
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May
2, 2002 | G. Richard Smith, M.D., became the third Marie Wilson
Howells Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Sciences in the College of Medicine at the
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Tues., April
30.
Dr. Smith became chair of the department in 2001, succeeding
Frederick G. Guggenheim, M.D. The ceremony this week was a
formal investiture of Dr. Smith as the holder of the Marie
Wilson Howells Chair, an honorary position named for the late
Mrs. Howells, an Arkansas philanthropist who left a trust to the
Department of Psychiatry in 1979.
During a solemn ceremony in Jo Ellen Ford Auditorium at the
Donald W. Reynolds Center on Aging, Dr. Smith thanked many
individuals for their support and assistance and promised
“marvelous things” to come from the department.
He announced that a new clinical service for young adults will
begin July 1 and revealed an artist’s rendering of a planned
permanent home for the department, which operates now in 14
separate locations in central Arkansas.
”We will develop a regionally-prominent comprehensive clinical
program” including care for young adults, psychopharmacology,
and care for adult eating disorders, head injuries, and
substance abuse, Dr. Smith said.
Barbara J. Burns, Ph.D., a professor of medical psychology at
Duke University, praised Dr. Smith’s “steady and positive
leadership,” commenting that Arkansas is fortunate that Smith,
a native Arkansan, has chosen to work in the state despite
invitations from universities and agencies around the nation.
Several members of Mrs. Howells family – Perry Wilson, Natalie
Wilson, Pat Wilson, and Mike Wilson – attended the
investiture, a traditional academic ceremony in which the dean
of the college formally recommends appointment of the faculty
member as the holder of the “chair” and the Chancellor then
places a ribboned medallion around the new chair-holder’s
neck.
Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D., called Dr. Smith one of the
most creative members of the UAMS faculty. He described four of
Dr. Smith’s major achievements: establishment of three
research centers; his
role in dedicating the state’s share from the 1998 nationwide
tobacco settlement to public health programs; his role in
obtaining additional federal funds for the university; and the
campaign underway now for funds to construct a building for the
department.
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Dr. G. Richard Smith (center) was surrounded by family and
friends at his investiture April 30 as the Marie Wilson
Howells Professor and Chair of Psychiatry. From left:
Perry Wilson, Natalie Wilson, his daughter Rose Smith, Dr.
Smith, his wife, the Rev. Canon Susan Sims Smith; and Dr.
Barbara J. Burns. (JohnPaul Jones)
Marie Wilson Howells (1917) (Courtesy of
the Wilson Family)
Members of the late Marie
Wilson Howells family attended the ceremony. From left:
Perry Wilson, Natalie Wilson, Pat Wilson, Mike Wilson (JohnPaul
Jones)
The envisioned home for the
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
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A sense of history imbued the investiture. Richard C. Butler,
Jr., of Little Rock, a family friend of the late Mrs. Howells,
told the hushed audience, “She had a deep affection for people
who had psychiatric or psychological problems.”
As photographs of Mrs. Howells and Mr. Butler’s parents, the
late Richard Butler, Sr., and Gertrude Remmel Butler of Little
Rock, appeared on a screen behind the lectern, Mr. Butler
reminisced about Mrs. Howells and read aloud from her bequests
to UAMS and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (UAF).
Mrs. Butler was in the audience.
John P. Shock, M.D., executive vice chancellor of UAMS, praised
Mr. Butler’s late father, Richard C. Butler, Sr., for his
stewardship of Mrs. Howells’ gifts to UAMS and UAF. Her gift
to UAMS grew from almost $3 million to an $8 million endowment.
Today it is the largest fund of its kind at the institution.
Richard Butler, Sr., was “a person of vision [and] UAMS is
grateful for his counsel and leadership,” Dr. Shock, also
director of the Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute at UAMS,
said.
Ms. Howells, who lived in New York for many years, was proud of
her Arkansas heritage and stressed that her assets be returned
to her home state. She had a deep interest in the intricacies of
the human mind as well as a profound concern for higher
education and believed that Arkansans should not have to leave
the state for medical treatment.
William G. Reese, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UAMS for 31 years, was the
first faculty member to hold this prestigious chair in 1982. In
1985, Dr. Guggenheim became the second recipient of the chair.
Presently celebrating its 50th anniversary, the
department provides clinical care to children and adults as well
as substance abuse and mental health treatment for at-risk
families. An innovator of award-winning education programs, the
faculty and staff of the department comprise one of the largest
research groups at UAMS and the largest mental health services
research group of its kind in the nation.
Links on This Page
Outpatient: http://www.uams.edu/today/2002/013102/psychiatry.htm
50 Years: http://www.uams.edu/info/Updates/December01/psychiatry.htm
Psychiatry Supporters: http://www.uams.edu/today/111501/psychiatry.htm
G. Richard Smith: http://www.uams.edu/today/012501/guggen4.htm
Department of Psychiatry: http://www.psych.uams.edu/
© 2002 University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences (UAMS). A single copy of these materials
may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only.
“UAMS,” “UAMS Medical Center,” “UAMS Online,”
“UAMS Today,” “uams.edu,” and “Here’s to Your
Health” are marks of UAMS.
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05/02/02 |
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