A trio of Prince George doctors became the latest inductees into the Northern Medical Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Civic Centre on Saturday night.
Dr. Chong Lim, Dr. Tony Eckersley and Dr. Joseph Sidorov were the subjects of the ceremony, held as part of the seventh annual Dr. Bob Ewert Memorial Lecture and Dinner, a fundraiser for the Northern Medical Program that drew 520 people.
Here's a look at each of them:
Dr. Chong Lim
Chong's story is typical of many who have moved to the city.
"When I first arrived in Prince George, it was the intention of staying for only three years," he admitted, drawing a round of gentle laughter. "I am amazed that after 45 years, I am still here."
The son of a doctor, Chong, 78, grew up Haeju, North Korea and after earning a degree in medicine at Seoul National University. Always a bit of a traveler, Chong continued his training in radiology first in Chicago and then in London, Ontario. After a brief sojourn in Regina, "for some reason or another," he moved to Prince George in 1965, said Larry Breckon in a tribute.
In those days, Prince George consisted of gravel roads and boardwalks and the hospital's radiology department held two X-ray rooms, one capable of flouroscopy, a wet processor, three technologists and a receptionist.
Things have changed since then. Computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and mammography were among the advancements in medical technology listed by Chong who continues to practice.
Wife Kim "Kay" Duk is a charter member of the Cantata Singers and they've raised two children, Clara and David.
Dr. Tony Eckersley
Eckersley, who grew up in Scotland, lived in Prince George from 1996 until his death in March 2009 and in those 13 years "contributed immensely to our medical community," Catherine Textor said in a tribute.
He was a full-service family doctor who provided care in the emergency department, in labour and delivery, at nursing homes, hospice and in patients' homes.
Textor worked under Eckersley's supervision in the family medicine residency program and later joined his practice"
"That day, I entered the 'Tony Eckersley School of Medicine' and I, like so many students before and after me, would benefit from Tony's teaching and mentoring," Textor said. "His dedication to medicine was infectious."
Eckersley enjoyed rural medicine and would often spend weekends in Fort St. James covering emergency call to give relief to his overworked colleagues.
He and Anne, his wife of 37 years, raised daughters Catherine and Elizabeth.
In 1989, they went on a one-year sabbatical that included stints in Kenya and Saskatchewan and returned to Canada in 1991, first practicing in Moose Jaw before coming to Prince George five years later.
Dr. Joseph Sidorov
Sidorov already had an extensive career in medicine before he moved to Prince George in 1994 at the ripe age of 75 to be closer to his daughter, Jana, who practices in Prince George.
Born in Yalta, Dr. Sidorov was educated at the universities of Belgrade and Zagreb. His training was interrupted, but completed following the Second World War in which he served in the partisan movement in Yugoslavia.
He came to Canada in 1954 to the Department of Anatomy at Dalhousie University in Halifax, earned his Canadian licence and became a gastroenterology specialist through training in Nova Scotia, Montreal and London.
When he and wife Nadia moved to Prince George, Sidorov established a gastroenterology practice, and was instrumental in establishing the Northern Medical Program where he trained and examined students.
Sidorov was an avid outdoorsman who loved fly fishing, hunting and travel. It was only fitting that he died, at age 88, on the slopes of Tabor Mountain doing what he liked, said Dr. Angus Ray in a tribute, "skiing out of bounds."
