RON CHASE...Class of ...1953

MEET OUR "RENAISSANCE MAN"

There were very few jobs for philosophy majors by the time Ron graduated from college.

He was no stranger to the circuitous road after leaving high school without a career choice.At age 15 he played tournament golf in the Hearst Newspapers tristate open and shot a 78. But, it was held that there was no future in golf so it was dropped. He made the papers the following year and tied for distance driving prizes with a blast of 295 yards (old clubs). And they thought he was doing homework at JMHS. Between golf, track, and dance there was no time to get serious about studies.Some may remember that he held dance classes for all that were interested in the latin music resounding from the garage adjacent to the house.

In 1953 he went to study with Jose Limon in NYC. Modern interpretive dance was a passion. He found that world was not for him. The life of an athlete or professional dancer was not to be for this Jewish boy from Brooklyn. He knew he had to get more education so he went off to college.

Now, armed with the sheepskin from college and hardly a pre-medical degree he found his way to Rome, Italy to study medicine. There he learned to become the student he never was in earlier years. He would have made the Latin teacher, whose name was long lost, quite proud. Ron could never pass amo, amas, amat but was able to master Italiano, French, and Spanish. Yes he does speak English.

While in Rome...he played baseball for the Italian league and revitalized his golf interests by playing with the aristocracy there. In Italy it was all about La Dolce Vita and who you knew. Ron chose to hang with the crowd at Cinecitta' (the Hollywood of Italy) where films like Pink Panther and spaghetti westerns were made. Yes, the divas were the best teachers. He adored opera singers and would be seen in their company in Nice or Cannes.

He often would muse that a huge mistake was made. The great students in high school and college that knew, at an early age, what they wanted were admitted to Harvard, Yale, and other highly respected schools to be educated. They were able to persevere and go on to even higher learning institutions in medicine, engineering, law, etc. They studied diligently and deserved the benefits earned. On the other hand, Ron ended up on the Via Veneto in the best of all worlds. Ron said "God should have sent those students to Rome for all their hard work but sent me instead!"

Ron became a renaissance man enriched by languages and culture before his return to the states ten years later. After internship he was accepted to the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland for residency training in psychiatry. The Vietnam War was raging in 1968.

He was a Lieutenant Commander in the Medical Corps of the United States Navy and treated the emotional casualties of combat (PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder over the ensuing five years. He completed a fellowship at Chicago Medical School in psychosomatic medicine and became a convocated fellow of the academy of psychosomatic medicine before entering private practice. He continued his interest in PTSD and was recruited by the Veterans Administration to establish treatment programs for combat veterans.

He always had an affinity for the underdog and disenfranchised. His idealism and zeal often made him appear controversial. Ron was outspoken and his writings reflected the passion. He took a position with the Office of Mental Health in New York State working in forensic services in 1985.

Ron worked with the Division of Parole and Bureau of Special Services in the five boroughs of N.Y. He was a frequent visitor to Rikers Island and later decided to test the correctional institutions as a clinical challenge.

In 1994 Ron was asked to critique the Miranda rights statements that the LAPD obtained regarding the O.J. Simpson case on national television (Inside Edition). Today his work still concerns the underserved populations of the correctional institutions as a forensic psychiatrist. Ron has also contributed many articles to the media dealing with the lost art of medicine.

Well, just for fun let's include some cool stuff under the rubric of interests. In the April 1979 edition of "Southern Living", guess who appeared for three recipes including Clams Chase and Scallopine di vitello al sorriso. Well, he did own the first gourmet utensil shop in Jacksonville, Florida: The Kitchen Shop.

Ron still takes dance class when he is in NYC. He is in class with his dear friend "Luigi" the Maestro of Jazz dance. In fact, Ron appeared with Liza Minnelli, Ben Vereen, and Tony Roberts in a documentary about the life of "Luigi" which aired in NYC last year. He put together a jazz group in NYC giving them the name of "Jazzberry Jam" They played Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and still appear around town.

He did not have time to finish a documentary in the field of psychiatry but will get back to that later.The current creative issue is the forthcoming book which will be published by Amazon.Com entitled "Aftermath: A war of memories"

Ron and his wife have three children and live between central Florida and Brooklyn,( Bedford Avenue believe it or not)

So my friends this is our" Renaissance Man" a guy who can do almost everything and did do it well

By the way Rons book has been published, Check it out...

Sherry