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leslie a. geddes
1921–2009
elected in 1985
“For his contributions in combining electrical and physiological principles
with pioneering efforts in biomedical research.”
BY KINAM PARK
sUBMiTTed By THe Nae HoMe secreTary
The Geddes Way
at the northwest corner of the city of West lafayette, the
home of Purdue University, there is a street leading to a
huge, star Trek–like, pyramid-shaped building that is leaning
forward as if about to tip over. it feels like one is entering the
Twilight Zone when walking the street toward the building
that houses Med institute, inc. The name of the street is geddes
Way. The street is, of course, named after Professor leslie a.
geddes. This is a most appropriate name for the street, as les
geddes was never afraid of crossing the Twilight Zone into a
land whose boundaries are those of one’s imagination. in fact,
he pursued a journey into the fifth dimension of imagination
throughout his entire life. To les, imagination was the only
limitation to what he did. He had a curiosity-driven, can-do-
anything mindset, and such a positive attitude was the source
of his endless successes until the day he died.
les geddes was born on May 24, 1921 in Port gordon,
scotland. His family moved to canada, where he studied
electrical engineering and obtained his B.s. and M.s. degrees
from Mcgill University in Montreal. Then he enrolled at
Baylor University’s college of Medicine, in Texas, to obtain
his Ph.d. degree in physiology. Being a graduate student at
Baylor brought him the opportunity to work on a part of the
space program. He participated in developing impedance
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pneumography for measuring the respiration of astronauts
who flew the Mercury and Gemini spaceships for the National
aeronautics and space administration. He also designed
simple yet effective physiological monitoring systems that
are still in use today. Most recently, he designed a simple tool
for effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation that can easily
provide 100 pounds of force without danger of cracking a rib
or the sternum.
les married dr. laNelle e. reese in 1962. laNelle, who
led the school of Nursing at Purdue University for many
years, helped les bridge the gap between engineering and
medicine. les’s research on electrodes and cardiovascular,
neural, and respiratory devices and restorative tissues
resulted in numerous diagnostic and therapeutic methods
affecting thousands of lives. He had many patents; one of
them brought the largest out-licensing deal in the history of
Purdue University.
Despite his sky-high scientific achievements and adoration
by his peers, les geddes was a remarkably down-to-earth
man. He was easy to access, have a conversation with, and
exchange ideas. He was always available to those who requested
time with him, no matter who or why. He was frequently
the first person arriving at a meeting place, and many times
he arranged the desks and brought additional chairs to the
room to make the meeting more pleasant and efficient. It all
stemmed from his love and respect of people, and it was most
pronounced in his teaching. He was masterful at guiding
students in his classes and research group to be independent
thinkers with ample curiosity, motivating them to be their best.
His excellence in teaching led to his induction into the Purdue
University Book of great Teachers in 2008. Whether we knew
les through occasional acquaintance only or on a daily basis
as his colleague, our impression of him was the same—what
we saw is what he was. like a good neighbor, he always tried
to find something to help others and cherished and valued the
wonderful people he had around him.
from his arrival at Purdue University in 1974 until his
official retirement in 1991 at the age of 70, Les dedicated
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leslie a. geddes
himself to establishing the biomedical engineering research
center, which eventually became the department of Biomedical
engineering, and then most recently the Weldon school of
Biomedical engineering. To him, retirement simply meant
conducting research and teaching only with no administrative
paperwork—and he loved the arrangement. for the next 18
years he served as the showalter distinguished Professor
Emeritus of Biomedical Engineering. He came to his office
before 5 a.m. and finished all his official daily business by 10
a.m. He then went back home to enjoy what he liked most—
thinking. He loved thinking over a drink— a Manhattan. He
mentioned that he came up with many new ideas during these
quiet times.
Those who interacted with les in any capacity knew that
any of his new ideas was followed by experiment in a matter of
hours. one day we were talking about condensing the exhaled
breath for monitoring glucose levels, and in less than 24 hours
he showed me a prototype that he had assembled. He then
volunteered to be the first human subject for the experiment. I
was 30 years his junior but felt like i was 30 years slower with
30 times fewer ideas. one day he left a nice bottle of liquor on
my desk. it was one of the most expensive liquors one can buy.
Perhaps, he wanted me to start drinking Manhattans.
of the many awards that geddes received during his
memorable career the National Medal of Technology shines
brightest. President Bush celebrated his lifelong career, and
Les responded by saying, “I’m not done yet.” He enjoyed
his research life so much that he never thought about doing
anything else. other things simply were not as much fun as
research. following the award ceremony at the White House,
adoring friends and colleagues at Purdue University gathered
together to celebrate the event at a gallery in the new Martin
c. Jischke Hall of Biomedical engineering. after a remark
thanking all of his associates through the years, Les finished
his talk with a joke: “A man had a bottle of the best whiskey
that he cherished all his life. At the time of his final days, he
gave it to his brother and asked him, ‘Would you please pour
this whiskey on my grave?’ His brother said, ‘Yes, of course I
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will, but can it go through my kidneys first?’” If the man were
Les, he could have answered, “Yes, but artificial kidneys only
please.”
a few years ago, over 200 friends gathered at the Weldon
school of Biomedical engineering at Purdue for a tribute to
les’s lifelong achievements. each of more than 100 of les’s
former students had many stories to tell, but they were all
about love and respect. les loved his students as if they were
his own children. One of his former students said that the first
day he joined les’s group, les took him to a shop to buy him
a razor blade to shave his beard off to make him look cleaner
and more handsome. Not only did he inspire his students, but
also many scientists throughout the world. in so doing, he
truly helped shape the modern medical industry. His legacy
will continue to inspire future generations of scientists and
entrepreneurs. To keep his legacy burning brightly, Purdue
University established the dr. leslie a. geddes scholarship
fund in the Weldon school of Biomedical engineering. The
school also established the geddes Professorship through
the generosity of the cook group to pass the torch to a new
generation of biomedical engineers.
Les was never afraid of facing his final days and continued
teaching his class until five days before his death. Prior to his
passing he asked for no funeral and no memorial. i believe
that it was not necessary for him, as he was about to enter a
new world where he would know how much we adored him
and how we felt about his passing. sometimes i wonder what
new biomedical devices he is thinking of in his new place,
maybe over a Manhattan. i would not know, but i can say for
sure that they will be for the health and well-being of others,
just as he left his body for medical research, to help improve
the quality of life for us all.
in the end, it is clear that les lived a life that was full, with
no regrets, by doing what he enjoyed most until his last day.
yes, it was his way. The geddes Way.
He is survived by his wife, laNelle e. geddes; a son, James;
two granddaughters; and four great-grandchildren.
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