Dr. David John Kreis, Jr.

(AUGUST 10, 1951 - OCTOBER 8, 1989)

I'm a historian---and as a historian, I have always been struck by the number of great men whose lives have left an indelible mark on the temper of their own age. These great men--- knowledgeable and virtuous men---were men of achievement and accomplishment. Directly and perhaps sometimes indirectly, some men, by the examples set through their lives, have stood as eternal symbols for other men---they have stood as brilliant torches of light in a proud procession of human enlightenment. We are gathered here today---family and friends---not to mourn or grieve the loss of one so dear to us as was Davey---but to praise him, to eulogize him for the vast achievements he most certainly attained. To list his many accomplishments would take me far too long to enumerate---and it would take me away from what it is I really want to say---it would take me away from what I truly feel in my mind and in my heart.

Great men, their actions exemplary in the eyes of all of us---men who have embodied the classical principles of right action and virtue---these men demand praise. They are the men who have set examples for all of us. They are never forgotten. They stand forever admired and revered as paradigms, as models of fairness, justice, honesty, duty, service and morality. The example which my dear brother Davey set for me throughout his fruitful and prosperous life, will neither be forgotten nor abandoned. His spirit will reside within me forever and beyond. A timeless spirit, Davey reached out his hands and certainly touched my soul. Davey was a champion among men.

So many memories---fond memories, of Davey and I as children. He was the big brother, the example, he was my moral instructor. These memories haunt me now but in an odd way, they fill me with peace and comfort. I clearly remember one Christmas Eve---Davey was ten years old and I was seven. We were playing "Monopoly" in the room we shared as children. We were staying up late with the hope of seeing Santa Claus. I don't know how it happened but I distinctly remember asking Davey that most typical of childhood questions---"what do you want to be?" Davey showed no signs of hesitation---"I want to be a doctor." For more than twenty-five years I watched as Davey went about fulfilling this dream of his youth. A singular purpose seemed to motivate him---it literally possessed him. More than anyone else that I have known, Davey set out to achieve his goal. In that twenty-five years, Davey proved his excellence as an athlete and a scholar. At Hopkins, he earned ten varsity letters, he served on the student council numerous times and was honored as the senior who had done the most for his school. His achievements brought him to Harvard College where he continued to excel as an athlete and scholar. His devotion to his own excellence resulted in his graduation, magna cum laude, the Harvard Class of 1973. Davey went on to Yale Medical School to obtain his medical degree and then served a residency in surgery where he specialized in the care and management of the trauma patient. Behind these many achievements was a singular purpose---a sound and profound motivation brought him the rewards he so dearly deserved. But Davey's motivation went beyond the confines of what Gary Trudeau once called "the Student-Athlete." This same singularity of purpose also made Davey an exemplary husband to his wife Kris and father to his daughters Kelly and Sandy. This moral quality also made Davey a devoted son to his mother and father. In all ways and at all times, Davey carried himself to achieve his self-assigned goals.

The motivation which carried Davey to achieve and accomplish was made manifest in a speech he gave as a senior at Hopkins. This was in 1969---a year marking the end of a decade which saw the United States torn by civil and political strife. Some seniors spoke out against the war in Vietnam, others extolled the merits of civil rights, still others entertained the audience of three hundred. But Davey's speech was something entirely different---it was lofty, philosophical and full of moral insight. Davey imagined he was somewhere in space and was walking down a dimly-lit path. On this celestial avenue, Davey met three men---three great men---Jesus Christ, the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius and Thomas Jefferson. Davey spoke to each of these three men and from them gained intense moral insight. The message was clear: "A man should BE upright, not KEPT upright." The one thing which has always struck me as an essential part of Davey's life was his high ethical standards, his moral rectitude. Above all, Davey had a keen sense of right and wrong, of good and of evil. The ethical quality of Jesus Christ, the quality of leadership and Stoic perseverance of Marcus Aurelius, and the translation of these moral precepts for the modern age by Jefferson---Davey understood without reservation. I believe that when that most noble Athenian Socrates asked "what is the good life?"---"what is virtue?"---Davey was there, listening to these words carefully. Davey not only understood these moral lessons---he embraced them with the totality of his heart and his mind. The virtuous life and Davey's life were one and the same thing. His moral rectitude, I think, was what made Davey the sort of man he was. We can all look to Davey's many solid achievements as well as his important contributions to the well-being of all mankind---he was certainly a man of excellence and distinction. But when we look inward---to the child of the man---I think we find a moral sanctity, a moral excellence, a moral integrity perhaps unmatched in his own generation. Here was a man---let us praise him in his glory.

I think I have said enough. We shall all remember Davey---this is the way with all great men in history. Let us not mourn the passing of our Davey, our champion of ethical principles, our virtuous man---a great man! Let us instead praise and honor him as all great men have been praised throughout time. In this way his spirit of excellence and unmatched moral standards will live through us and guide us---a brilliant and forever shining star.

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