Edward S. Tauber, M.D.

ED AND I HAD A COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP. We enjoyed mutual affection and loyalty; at the same time we went through some rough times together. He was generous to a fault and it was often hard to respond in kind. Example: In 1972 I fractured my ankle while hiking in England. Ed learned that I was in a hospital and two weeks later as I was boarding a plane in London, returning home in a cast and wheelchair, I was astonished to find that my economy seat had been upgraded to first class, courtesy of Ed Tauber, who also had arranged for a limousine pick-up at Kennedy Airport. In personal as in professional matters, Ed was never one to do things by halves.

Everyone I've met who knew Ed well has an equivalent story about him. Each illuminates a different facet of this complex, powerfully energetic, gifted and sometimes difficult man. He loved in a sturdy way, the embrace of a bear, yet he could be demanding, especially of those he cared for the most. And he could be truculent with someone who did not pull his weight in a mutual endeavor. In the projects that Ed and I collaborated on, he certainly pulled his weight; and in the process he taught by example the sine qua non of what made life meaningful for him: the experience of a wholehearted give-and-take, of serious inquiry, enthusiasm and durability. Given this, Ed's affirmation of the other was boundless. It was when I was less interested in an area that Ed was strongly concerned about and pulled back (sometimes resentfully) that he could be judgmental of me.

It was striking to watch Ed swing into action when someone needed his help. He would go well out of his way to assist colleagues build their practices, obtain promotions, find the best medical help, assist financially, and even prune or take down their trees. He spent countless hours on the phone or at dinners counseling and sustaining friends and patients in need. Many took much more than they ever acknowledged; Ed was pained when this happened. (There is