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2HEMOPHILIA TODAY SUMMER 2002EDITOR’SKEYBOARDBARRY ISAAC1942-2002These lines are normally reserved for the wisewords of “your Editor”, as he has called himselfsince he took over the volunteer position atHemophilia Today in the spring of 1991. Sadly, yourEditor, Barry Isaac, passed away suddenly in July.Instead, these lines are devoted to his memory.In his first issue, 11 long years ago, Barry wroteabout his plans for the newsletter, concluding, “Togetherwe can make sure this publication serves all ourmembers.” Under his leadership, Hemophilia Today hasgrown from a 12-page newsletter reporting on CHSactivities into a professional newsmagazine presentingin-depth articles on a wide range of hemophilia-relatedtopics which is read around the world. Much of thecredit for that transformation goes to Barry Isaac.However, Barry’s contribution to the CHS andits members is not limited to Hemophilia Today. He wasinstrumental in the creation of the first hemophiliatreatment centre in southern Alberta in the 1970s andwas tireless in supporting the clinic and the southernAlberta chapter ever since. So knowledgeable was he thatfor 13 years in a row, Barry presented a lecture onhemophilia to Dr. Man-Chiu Poon’s medical students atthe University of Calgary.From 1986-1992 he served on the nationalBoard of Directors and Executive Committee. Barry wasnoted for his knowledge, communication skills and thesound thinking he brought to bear on the difficult issuesfacing the CHS in the ‘80s and ‘90s.Barry was a member of the HIV CatastropheRelief Committee in the late ‘80s and played a major rolein lobbying to secure financial assistance for HIVinfectedhemophiliacs. During a critical time in the1990s when the CHS was pushing for the introductionof recombinant factor concentrates, Barry chaired theBlood Products Committee.Over the last two years, Barry led the workof the CHS Awards Committee. For a man who neverhad an unkind word for anybody, this was an ideal role.He took great pleasure in helping to recognize theachievements of others, whether they were CHSvolunteers or staff, or health care providers. InNovember 2000, Barry himself received the FrankSchnabel Award in recognition of his outstandingachievements over 30 years.Barry chaired the CHS Scholarship and BursaryProgram since its inception. This seemed entirely fitting,given Barry’s own academic road. Growing up withsevere hemophilia in High River, Alberta, in the 1940sand 1950s, Barry had no formal schooling and receivedall his instruction at home from his mother. At the ageof 25, with the support and encouragement of his newwife, Joan, Barry obtained his high school diploma andwent on to university, eventually earning a Ph.D. inEnglish literature. His Ph.D. thesis was on Renaissancealchemy, the process of transforming base metals intogold. At Barry’s memorial service, his colleague andmentor at the University of Calgary, Dr. Jim Black, said,“After graduating, Barry turned to teaching. He was amaster at finding the gold in his students. And theyrealized, without his saying a word, that Barry hadtransformed himself.”I had the privilege of attending Barry’smemorial service, attended by several hundred relatives,good friends and colleagues from both the universityand the CHS. Many shared their memories. Thespeakers were unanimous. What they would miss mostwas Barry’s huge and genuine interest in people, his vastenthusiasm and his smile as wide as the prairies.Our profound sympathies to Joan.David Page, friend and colleague