John F. Daly, MD, who in 1979 was president of the then American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, passed away at the age of 86 on October 21, 1998, after a long illness.

Dr Daly was founder of the modem Department of Otolaryngology at the New York University School of Medicine, and served as chairman of the department from 1949 to 1980. While at NYU, he played a critical role in the planning of the Medical Center and in particular of the University Hospital, at which he served as Chairman of the Medical Board.

John Daly was born in Jersey City, NJ, and graduated from Fordham University in 1933. He received his MD from what is now Downstate Medical Center of the State University of New York and did his training in otolaryngology at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital and Harvard University. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force as a Medical Officer.

John Daly was one of the founders of the American Society for Head and Neck Surgery and served as president in 1966-67. He was also president of the Society of University Otolaryngologists the same year, as well as president of the American Laryngological Association in 1978. In addition, Dr Daly was the vice-president of the Eastern Section of the Triological Society in 1971-72, and a member of the American Otological Society, Inc, the American Broncho-Esophagological Association, and numerous other local, national, and international societies having to do with our specialty. He was an active participant in the separation of the American Academy of Otolaryngology and Ophthalmology and the formation of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, as well as the incorporation of the American Council of Otolaryngology into the Academy. He served on the Residency Review Committee for Otolaryngology from 1964 to 1972, and was a member and councilor of the American Board of Otolaryngology from 1969 to 1977, and a senior councilor from 1977 to 1980.

As chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at NYU Medical Center and director of the service at Bellevue Hospital Center, Dr Daly trained generations of otolaryngologists, many of whom became chairmen in the United States or abroad. He was a superb and innovative surgeon, not only in head and neck oncology, for which he was best known, but in literally all other branches of our specialty, in which he showed equal expertise.

Dr Daly is survived by his wife of 57 years, Annette O'Mealia Daly; a daughter, Sharon Ann Butler; 3 grandsons; and a great-granddaughter.

The NYU Department of Otolaryngology plans a memorial for Dr Daly in the spring of 1999, at which alumni and former faculty will join in paying tribute to one of the giants of our field.

Noel L. Cohen, MD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Otolaryngology
New York University School of Medicine