IN REMEMBRANCE : Leonard Goddy , MD February 26 , 1933 - December 10 , 2023
Leonard graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1958 and started his practice in 1963 , at age 30 . When the banks would not accept his out-ofstate father or father-in-law as cosigners for a loan to get his practice started , a local , well-known general surgeon named Norton Waterman , MD , stepped up to help . His wife , Lynn , not only designed his office , but she also was his marketing department . As he traveled from hospital to hospital drinking coffee in doctors ’ lounges , Lynn would call each hospital in turn and have him paged so other doctors would hear his name and think he was busy and call him in for a consultation .
Leonard first gained a reputation as an expert on children ’ s orthopedic problems when Children ’ s Hospital had a vexing problem in the early 80s . Far too many of their preemie patients were developing pathologic fractures in the NICU . Leonard pointed out that the active form of vitamin D or vitamin D3 may help as the infants had been given only vitamin D2 . The switch was made , and the problem disappeared .
I joined Leonard in 1979 , and for the next 20 years , we ran two children ’ s clinics , one at Children ’ s Hospital downtown and one at the Kosair Hospital on Eastern Parkway . I had completed my training with a one-year fellowship in pediatric orthopedics and had as much interest in treating children with orthopedic problems as did Leonard . The clinics were basically free , serving the less fortunate for the most part . Many children came from families with little or no insurance , and Leonard suggested we donate any reimbursement that could be collected to the Orthopedic Division at the University of Louisville for resident training . Approximately
20 % of our entire practice in those days was dedicated to caring for underserved children .
No discussion of Leonard as a surgeon would be complete without mentioning his experience in Vietnam , the source of many of his wonderful stories . He was drafted in 1967 , at the age of 34 . In those days , doctors would be drafted up to the age of 35 . His practice was finally thriving , and he and Lynn had just built a new house and they now had three children . His first year in the Army was spent in Pennsylvania close to the Army Hospital at Valley Forge . The next year , Leonard was sent to Vietnam and his family returned to Louisville , waiting for him to come home . As a Lieutenant Colonel , he served at the 8 th Field Hospital in Na Trang , where he did his best to repair the wounded , regardless of which side of the conflict that body belonged to . His tour of duty gave him experience with a wide variety of traumatic injuries that most orthopedists never acquire . When the Commanding Officer of the Army Special Forces badly fractured his leg on a parachute jump , Leonard saved his command by treating him successfully in country rather than sending him back to the States . The C . O . made Leonard an honorary Green Beret after that incident .
We worked together at a fascinating time of orthopedic technical innovation , including the evolution of arthroscopic and total joint replacement techniques . It did become progressively more difficult to practice independent orthopedic medicine in the ever-changing environment , but it was always a pleasure and privilege to practice all those years with my colleague and close friend , Leonard Goddy .
-Thomas Loeb , MD
Dr . Goddy was a GLMS member for 60 years .
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