Sometimes a family is blessed with a line of intelligent, caring people who strive to contribute to society. There have been a number of such families in the United States since its beginning. There are the Kennedys, the Roosevelts, the Vanderbilts, and others.
One of America’s leading families in the medical field is a family that sprang from a little boy who grew up on a farm in Birmingham, Alabama. His parents were devout Christians and filled their son with morals, ambition, and care for his fellow human beings. His name is Griffith Rutherford Harsh, III, named after his father and grandfather before him.
The Accomplishments of Griffith Harsh III
This little Alabama farm boy grew up to be a revered neurosurgeon and fathered three sons, two of whom also became neurosurgeons, the third a lawyer and investment banker. Along the way, Griffith Harsh, III served with distinction in both WWII and the Korean War and spent 24 years pioneering new techniques while practicing his specialty, treating thousands of people who suffered neurological illnesses. He then turned his talents to teaching and became a Professor and Director of the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical School.
Carrying on the Legacy
His son, Griffith Harsh, IV, also distinguished himself as a neurosurgeon. The younger Harsh earned his degree from Harvard University, and then went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. His invaluable research earned him the Research Fellowship of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Harsh is now a Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University Medical Center, an Associate Program Director of Neurosurgery Residency at Stanford, and the director of the Stanford Brain Tumor Center.
Griff Harsh III has now been honored for his dedication to his profession, his many significant accomplishments, and his commitment to the education of future neurosurgeons. Together his family, colleagues, and friends have funded and created the Griffith R. Harsh Endowed Professorship in Neurosurgery at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. A special dinner was held in his honor to celebrate this enduring tribute to a man that has made numerous advances in the neurosurgical field. Many of his family members attended the dinner, including his grandson Griffith Harsh V.
When we think of family dynasties in America, most people’s first thoughts will be of some of the families mentioned earlier or they make think of the Hiltons, the Bushes, or the Tafts. The Griffith Harsh family deserves to join those ranks as well, however, because the modern day miracles of neurosurgery would not be possible without their countless contributions to the field.