James Frederick ORoark
James Frederick ORoark was born on February 6, 1929 in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, the only child of Lynn and Claire Haus O’Roark. He spent his idyllic childhood years during the 1930’s in nearby Oakmont, Pa., a small town where he and his friends played ball in the streets and explored, unfettered, in the nearby woods and countryside. Inspired to become a doctor by the example of the G.P who lived next door, he earned his pre-med degree at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., then spent his mandatory two years service in the army during the Korean War. While waiting for deployment at Fort Ord in Monterey, Ca. he was deployed instead as a lab technician to the army hospital in Stuttgart, Germany where he had the opportunity to travel in Europe and where the memory of his brief stay in Monterey made him determined to live in California one day. Returning home he attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine during which time he met and married the love of his life, Joanne Hoy in 1956.
After graduating in 1958 he and three fellow med school grads came to Santa Barbara to spend their intern year at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where an offer by an ophthalmologist to observe a cataract-extraction surgery inspired Jim to choose to practice that specialty. During this time his son James was born. While waiting to begin specialty training, Jim spent a year working as a G.P. in Long Beach and daughter Carolyn was born there. When his three year residency in ophthalmology was completed in 1963 Jim brought his young family back to Santa Barbara to begin his practice, and daughter Elizabeth joined the family here in 1965.
Family was Jim’s chief focus in life. He was fortunate to have his parents move to Santa Barbara to become an important part of his family’s lives. A non-judgmental father, he supported his children in choosing their own paths and always expressed his faith in them as well as his delight in their interests, which were as varied as his own.
As daughter Carolyn commented,”He was always the steady, even-keeled rock in our lives.”Jim loved and explored all genres of music from jazz and the Blues to Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles, even rap music when it first emerged. He was always intrigued to explore new things. He embarked on adventures like rafting on the middle fork of the American River with his son and daughter-in-law, even as Joanne said “no way” would she do that! He went paragliding in Mexico, balloon riding over the Masai Mara in Kenya and saw as much of the world as he could.
While devoted to the practice of medicine, Jim still found time to pursue many other interests, one being collecting books.
In childhood he loved the Jerry Todd series of boys’ books and received inscribed copies from the author, Leo Edwards. These books were later read and loved by all three of his children. Jim wrote to many admired authors throughout his life and many wrote back, from Tom Robins to Henry Miller. During his time at Fort-Ord he had been inspired by John Steinbeck’s novels set in that locale and modern literature captured his attention. He began collecting the first editions, slowly building the most complete collection of the works of Henry Miller in private hands. Capra Press publisher Noel Young referred Jim to Miller to consult on Miller’s eye problems. In these visits to Miller for which he charged no fee he was given mementos which added to the collection.
When Jim fell seriously ill with Guillain-Barre syndrome his friend, noted book dealer Ralph Sipper, marketed these books for him as a special collection, the income from which helped sustain the family in the eight months Jim fought back from paralysis to being able to resume his practice. Other ophthalmologists saw patients for him during this devastating time.
In addition to the art and writings of Miller Jim built a collection of the art and writings of English author Wyndham Lewis, later sold at Sotheby’s, and in later years began a collection of Bauhaus books. His tastes ran the gamut, which led to the purchase of a painting by underground artist R. Crumb, later sold to actor Steve Martin, which led to his hand-delivering the piece to Martin at his L.A home.
Jim’s other hobbies included hiking in the Sierras with his family and friends and for decades he made an annual back-packing trek into a remote part of the San Rafael’s with his four hiking buddies. Son James later joined the motley “band of brothers” on some of their later hikes. Jim took many day hikes several times a week up Rattlesnake Canyon with a series of family dogs and Joanne joined him on Jesusita trail treks in search of chanterelle mushrooms, which he sautéed for many of their meals. He soon branched out in his culinary efforts, first making Julia Child’s baguettes and then following her directions explicitly for making her beef bourguignon and coq au vin which were highlights of many family dinners. An interest in wines naturally followed the enjoyment of great food and Jim belonged to various wine tasting groups over the years. When a family room was added to the home a small wine cellar was excavated under the room and a photo shows him coming up through the trap door at 94, proudly holding aloft one of his last remaining bottles.
In later years Jim and Joanne spent weeks in the summer at the 1897 log home on a beautiful lake in the Adirondacks they had purchased with her twin sister and husband in 1972, which provided memorable growing-up experiences for their children and their Connecticut cousins and which they loved to share with their friends. The hunt for mushrooms proved fruitful there too and the next generation still enjoys this beautiful place. Jim’s years in practice were laced with anecdotes, such as when colleague Jerry Ma morstein asked him to make a house call to see the actor Paul Muni. Jim had been fishing and apologized to Muni for the smell of fish on his hands. Mr. Muni replied, “Better fish than perfume. Muni gave Jim a treasured pair of spectacles he’d worn when performing on Broadway in the play “Inherit the Wind”. A group of practicing and retired “eye guys”and friends in that field, like optician Jerry Geneau liked to meet for Tuesday lunch, settling on Mulligan’s in recent years as their venue. Jim was a participant until the end of his life. Such was Jerry’s friendship with Jim that when Jim was acutely ill with Guillain-Barre he told Joanne he was giving up a chance to help crew a sailboat from France to America because he didn’t want to leave Jim. Joanne insisted he not give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so Jerry went. Such was the feeling for Jim by so many who knew him.When SEE International in it’s early years recruited local opthamologists to perform eye surgeries in Mexico Jim was among the many who answered the call and took part in eye screenings in local eye clinics but he was never a “joiner” seeking to advance his career. In his thirty-three years in practice his loyal office manager, Janee Harkin used one word in describing the office atmosphere: “FUN.” Assistants Dinah Fisher and Sharon Soto also added to the merriment.
Jim never hesitated to help, whether in signing onto a mortgage to help a friend recovering from bankruptcy; to testifying in juvenile court to the character of a young man who had helped him down a mountain in a thunderstorm after he had torn a ligament in his knee; to smuggling for a publisher friend a copy of a book by the author Paul Bowles that the publisher wished to get to Bowles but which was banned in Morocco, where Jim planned to travel. Mission accomplished. Being an only child Jim had always wished he had a brother and a raft of friends filled this need. He enjoyed their companionship in hiking, engaging in the “book game,” enjoying great wines, traveling or just getting together for lunch.
Many touched his life and made it richer—George, Ed, Jim, John, Ralph, Edwin, Nick, Antonio and Bill among them. Family was his lodestar and he loved those added to it over the years. Sons-in-law Ed and David, daughter-in-law Patricia and grandchildren, Greta, Schuyler, Marshall, Danielle and Marquel. Grandson Schuyler expressed his grandchildren’s admiration well in writing in Jim’s 94th birthday card: “To an amazing person that I’m so lucky to call my Grandfather. I wouldn’t be who I am without you and can only hope to be half the person you are! Love you with all my heart!” Brother Marshall added.”I’m so happy that you are my G-pa, you’re one of the coolest, kindest, generous people I know, and I hope I can be as great as you one day.” Granddaughter Greta traveled back from the lake one time with Jim and remembers him running to catch their next flight burdened with gallon cans of NY maple syrup. And great-nephew Nick remembers how Jim inspired in him the curiosity and courage to chase his dreams in the film industry. The “kids” saved up to honor their parents’ 50th wedding anniversary in some way, and enthusiastically embraced their unusual desire to go with everyone to Doris Day’s Cyprus Inn in Carmel, where dogs were allowed, so that’s what they all did. (See photo). Having witnessed Jim’s evolution from the time he was in medical school, Joanne is proud of how he balanced his focus on both his career and other interests in his life. She is especially proud of his dedication to his medical ethics. When he sent his retirement letter to his patients, he received a response from a new patient which she cherishes.
(Quote) “The news of your retirement was no source of pleasure to me as your patient though I now write to say I hope it is in every way a source of satisfaction and pleasure to you. Though a new patient of yours I can tell you I know you to be completely professional in your dealings with a patient—which bearing does not exclude a certain dry sense of humor—and that bearing is of real and positive meaning, especially to one who comes to you with anxiety as to what you may uncover in the course of your eye examination. The heartiness and concomitant moral tone of too many other physicians does not come close to matching the steady and reassuring quality of your professionalism. What is more, your advice about drug store reading glasses has revolutionized my reading habits. Thank you.” (Unquote)
These thoughts were echoed in notes from other patients.When Jim passed the exams to be a board-certified surgeon the professor in charge of the residency program sent him the advice sent to all who attained this goal: “Always do what is best for your patients.”
Jim O’Roark, in his thirty-three years of practicing medicine, did just that. In his almost 95 trips around the sun he leaves behind a wealth of friends, a loving family and many relatives who will always be inspired by his integrity and adventurous spirit and last—but certainly not least— his beloved Joanne and a “certain little white dog” who completed their very happy home.
