David Sackin 1931-2015

In April 2015, the Toronto Psychoanalytic Society lost a member who was not widely known, who exemplifies the foot soldiers of our society who are not in the spotlight but whose unique contributions are so important.

David grew up in Toronto, went to the University of Toronto Medical School, then in 1956 moved to New York City, where he did his residency in psychiatry and child psychiatry. In 1961 he was accepted into the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. He and his wife Pauline moved to Milwaukee, where he was the founding director of the Child Psychiatry Clinic at Milwaukee Children's Hospital. He commuted the two hours to Chicago and finished both adult and child psychoanalytic training.

In 1982 he returned to Toronto and was on staff at the Hospital for Sick Children, and in June 1985 he joined the tps. In 1982 I was a resident at SickKids and David was my supervisor, a role he continued to play in my life for a number of years after I finished my residency. David taught residents and medical students, and in that role he influenced many of us to have a better psychoanalytic understanding of children and adolescents. I know he influenced me to make work with children and adolescents a big part of my career, and I still think of him when I am puzzled by a child and I think of what David would have said to help me get a deeper understanding of a child.

David worked at SickKids for fifteen years, and then he was in private practice in Toronto until his eighty-second birthday in 2013.

David was an avid participant in the tps study group for psychoanalysts working with children. That was his role in our society, but as a psychoanalyst supervising residents and teaching medical students he inspired me and others to pursue psychoanalytic training. He will be missed.

In passing he leaves behind his wife, Pauline, son, Daniel (Toey), and was predeceased by daughter Julia.

Douglas Weir