LAUREN D. HOLINGER,MD

In 1987, through the initiative and generosity of Gabriel F. Tucker, Jr, MD, the Gabriel F. Tucker Award was established under the auspices of the American Laryngological Association to provide an honorarium for a guest speaker at Association meetings on a subject of pediatric laryngology, or to honor an individual of noted achievement in that field.

The Award commemorates two individuals, father and son, who made major contributions not only to pediatric laryngology, but to laryngology and bronchoesophagology in general. Gabriel F. Tucker is probably best remembered for the Tucker retrograde esophageal bougie, the instrument that he presented in his candidate's thesis for the Triological Society in 1924, the same year that Gabriel Jr was born.

Gabriel F. Tucker, Jr, who established the Award, regarded his own discoveries in the Laryngeal Development Laboratory at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago to be his most important contributions to medicine. His identification of the elliptical cricoid cartilage was the first of several discoveries that contributed so much to our understanding of subglottic stenosis.

It is particularly appropriate that the recipient of the 2001 Award is an individual who had particular interest in both esophageal stenosis and laryngeal stenosis. He is an individual who has met all criteria of the Award, in that he is a Fellow of the American Laryngological Association, and he has made significant contributions to pediatric laryngology, and to laryngology and bronchoesophagology in general. Dr Hawkins is one of the few pediatric otolaryngologists who did residencies in both pediatrics and otolaryngology. He ultimately achieved the rank of Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Southern California School of Medicine.

Professor Hawkins made four major scholarly contributions to the management of disorders in infants and children that are treated by otolaryngologists. From our perspective in May 2001, we may not fully appreciate how visionary he was at the time of his pioneering endoscopic techniques and research endeavors.

For example, we now regard steroids as routine for use in the management of laryngotracheal bronchitis. But it took years for otolaryngologists to convince pediatricians that short-term use of steroids was effective and without complications. In his 1980 paper, Professor Hawkins reviewed all published studies on the subject. He wrote, "In each of the studies cited in this paper, there was at least some benefit shown in the corticosteroid treated patients over the control patients. In those studies using small doses of steroids, the benefit was slight. In those using larger doses, the benefit was more obvious. None of these papers cited even one case of an adverse reaction to the short-term corticosteroid therapy."

In his second initiative - another example of his visionary and pioneering work-Professor Hawkins was the first otolaryngologist to present and publish the use of flexible laryngoscopy in a series of pediatric patients. This technique, which we now use safely and routinely in the office setting, was first presented by Dr Hawkins at the ABEA meeting in 1986. His approach was met with skepticism, and he received some "very unfriendly questions."

His third area of expertise and academic endeavor was the use of steroids in the management of caustic ingestion with esophageal injury. His annual instructional course at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, "Corticosteroids in Otolaryngology," was well attended and highly regarded.

But Dr Hawkins regards his most important scientific contribution to be his 1970s work regarding the effects of prolonged endotracheal intubation in neonates and children. At that time, the subject was very controversial, and his investigation helped resolve some of the controversy by demonstrating the difference in laryngeal cartilage with growth, from premature neonates to after puberty, with the younger cartilages being more pliable and. resilient. His work was presented as his thesis for membership in the Triological Society and won the Harris P. Mosher Award, one of the greatest honors that can be earned by scholarly activity in otolaryngology.

Dr Hawkins has always been an excellent citizen in medicine in general and in otolaryngology in particular. He has served our scientific publications as reviewer and editorial board member, including the New England Journal of Medicine. He has served as officer and council member of some of our most prestigious regional and national organizations. His curriculum vitae contains a very impressive list of peer-reviewed publications, textbook chapters, audiotapes, abstracts, and invited lectures.

But Dr Hawkins regards as perhaps his greatest contribution overall, and the one that gave him the most satisfaction, his presence at the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center, where his dedication to the care of indigent children made such a significant difference in the lives of many who had nowhere else to go for medical care.

Since retiring, Don has lived in Palm Desert, four miles east of the Marriott, where he plays golf year round and enjoys the lovely view from his home. Don, you sound as if you are happy in your retirement, and as successful in this part of your life as you were in your professional career.

It is my privilege to present the 2001 American Laryngological Association Gabriel F. Tucker Award to Donald B. Hawkins, MD.