Dr. Eugene Temkin
A Very Lucky Guy
Dr. Eugene Temkin has spent the past two and a half hours reflecting upon some of the most important moments of his life. It's only taken two and a half hours to cover the high points because, at the very beginning of the interview, Dr. Temkin handed his interviewer his 18-page curriculum vitae, 2 books in which he and his many accomplishments figure prominently, several copies of hospital newsletters and a couple of speech transcripts, "Just," he says with a smile, "to save us some time."
Dr. Temkin's thoughtful advance planning probably saved us lots of time, because when you look at the breadth of his career, Dr. Temkin has an abundance of accomplishments for which he can feel extremely proud. Yet, when asked to sum it all up, he smiles and, with no hesitation, simply says, "I'm a lucky guy."
That calm and completely informed manner that Dr. Temkin still carries with him in his retirement is no accident. In fact, that manner has everything to do with why Eugene Temkin decided to become a doctor. While an undergraduate at UCLA, Dr. Temkin was riding his bicycle when he was hit by a car. His injuries required multiple hospitalizations, and during one such hospitalization, Dr. Temkin found himself sharing a hospital room with a patient who, due to post-operative complications, was suffering from extreme depression.
This patient had no visitors, but Dr. Temkin observed an intern who came in and spent forty-five minutes sitting at this patient's bedside, holding the patient's hand, just talking with the patient. After that, the patient's depression lifted, and within a day, the patient's complications had disappeared. And in observing that, Dr. Temkin knew that he wanted to be a part of that kind of doctor-patient relationship, a relationship that was so powerful that it seemed to hold healing qualities that could truly help people.
Born in Chicago in 1921, Dr. Temkin came to Los Angeles in 1936. He received his undergraduate degree from UCLA in 1943, and then attended USC Keck Medical School while participating in the U.S. Army Specialized Training Program. He was stationed in the Philippines from 1947 to 1949, and in 1948, was named interim commanding officer of the
COMMUNITY PROFILE DR. EUGENE TEMKIN
LBJL March 2014 | www.lbjewishlife.com