Saul Boyarsky

Dr. Saul Boyarsky, 95, died peacefully January 15, 2019 at Hock Family Pavilion in Durham NC. He was born July 22, 1923, in Burlington VT, the son of Sam and Ethel (Kaplan) Bayer.

Surviving are his wife of 73 years, Rose Sophie (Eisman) Boyarsky; his son, Myer William Boyarsky and his wife, Betty Jean (Spinelli) Boyarsky; daughters, Terry Linda Boyarsky of Cleveland OH, and Hannah Gail Boyarsky and her husband, Walter Fowler of Chapel Hill NC; three grandchildren, Samuel David Boyarsky, Vera Clare Alcorn, and Sarah Isadora Fowler and her husband, Douglas Boemker; and one great-grandchild, Wyatt Earle Boemker. In addition to his parents, Saul is predeceased by his brother, Robert Murray Boyarsky.

Saul grew up in Burlington VT in a close-knit Jewish community. He was always the studious type and combined his love of learning with a love of music. His Burlington High School yearbook lists band and band honors as well as oratory recognition. He continued his interest in music throughout his life even as he became immersed in Medicine and Science.

He graduated Magna Cum Laude from University of Vermont, College of Arts and Sciences in 1943, and Cum Laude from University of Vermont, College of Medicine,1946. After an internship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, he served in the US Army Medical Corps from 1948-1950 in Nuremberg, Germany. Returning stateside, he did his Urology Residency at Duke from 1950-1954, the first step towards establishing the family in Durham.

After residency, Saul practiced urology at New Rochelle Hospital and taught at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NY before moving back to Durham to take a position at Duke Hospital, Durham, NC in 1963. At Duke, he was a Professor of Urology,  Assistant Professor of Physiology, Director of Urologic Research and Director of Rehabilitation. Saul was by training a physician, but his love of pure science led him to add research to his list of accomplishments. In 1970 he moved to St. Louis to take the position of Urologic Surgeon-in-Chief at Barnes Hospital and Washington University.

As a physician and researcher, Saul published many articles, book chapters, abstracts, book reviews, and seven books. He gave countless presentations and lectures, organized and conducted workshops and contributed to exhibits. His interest and support of music was evidenced by his membership on the Board of Saint Louis Conservatory and Schools for the Arts (CASA) for many years.

As his eyesight began to fail, Saul continued his research and began going to law school part time, graduating with a JD from Washington University School of Law in 1981. He went on to use his law degree to lobby for tort reform, to write on malpractice, and to co-author a code for relations between physicians and attorneys. He then looked at malpractice from the patient’s side and became an expert witness for cases he truly believed in.

In St. Louis, Saul began teaching Lifelong Learning Classes on morals and ethics. He also became interested in comparative religions while attending an interfaith dialogue breakfast group there. In 1999 Saul and Rose returned to NC where Saul began to explore the conjunction of science and religion, and wrote a book about it.

Saul connected with the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke to further explore these ideas. Through a gift to the Institute, he and Rose created the biannual Boyarsky Lecture in Law, Medicine and Ethics which brings to Duke campus distinguished lecturers who can “inspire … achievement in social justice and public health through science.”

The family of Dr. Saul Boyarsky would like to express our deep appreciation and gratitude to the caregivers at the Health and Wellness Center, The Forest at Duke for their care

A memorial service will be held The Forest at Duke, 2701 Pickett Road, Durham at 2:30 on Sunday, January 20, 2019. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to remember Saul in a special way may make gifts in his memory to Judea Reform Congregation, The Forest at Duke Benevolent Fund, the Hock Family Pavilion or a charity of your choice.