Dr. William Daley, who started medical school relatively late, said he was once asked what he planned to do after his residency, which ended when he was 40-something.

“I said, 'Retire,'” he recalled.

If he had been serious, it would have been a loss for the Medical Center's education mission, if winning the Regions Bank TEACH PRIZE is any kind of standard.

At Monday's Nelson Order luncheon, Daley, professor of pathology in the School of Medicine, learned that he is the 2017 recipient of the Toward Educational Advancement in Care and Health honor; he also received a check for $10,000. 

“When they called my name, the blood drained from my head,” Daley said afterward. “I was shocked.”

Not so shocked: Dr. Kristen Adams, a pathology resident who joins the UMMC faculty in July.

“If you made a card with the name of every student he's helped it would have to be the size of the new School of Medicine building,” Adams said.  

“He's a superstar of the Medical Center and deserves all the accolades he receives.”

Seed-sized beads drop in a bottle as tears fall.

The beads are a personal ritual of chaplain Linda McComb, a way to cope with the sadness and grief that can be an inherent part of working in a hospital setting. For every sadness, a tiny white bead drops in, and for every time care is offered in a compassionate way, for every time kindness is witnessed, a purple bead joins in.

The result is a mix of beads signifying celebration and pain, said McComb. “It's a visual symbol that life is a mix of joy and sadness. It reminds me of the strength and healing discovered alongside the challenges, suffering and pain.”

Photos and images for this story can be downloaded here.

A national honor society adds a School of Dentistry faculty member and five students to its roll.