As I try to characterize the tenure of John Talbott as Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland, I am reminded of the pundit's view of a dog riding a bicycle. The amazing thing was not that the dog rode well, but that the dog could ride at all. In 1985, psychiatrists measured lengths of hospital stay in weeks, and often months, drafts of DSM-IIIR worked their way through committees, SSRIs had not appeared in the clinical setting much less on the cover of Newsweek, and the second term of the Reagan administration promised little in terms of new social programs for psychiatric patients with severe and persistent mental illness. Computers did not grace every desk, the full impact of AIDS was still sinking into the minds of both medicine and society, and thoughtful people mused about the possible effect of a healthcare strategy known as the HMO. Despite these turbulent times, the Department of Psychiatry not only survived but prospered. Much of this is a tribute to John Talbott.

In 1985 John arrived with a national reputation as a prominent spokesperson for psychiatry and for those with chronic mental illness. As president of the APA, he articulated the need for more research, more care, and more creative approaches for our most vulnerable, stigmatized and problematic patients. As chairman, he would preside over a department that made strides in all of these areas. He arrived wearing a clinician's white coat, providing the residents with an easy target for spoof, but conveying a message that psychiatry stood shoulder to shoulder with the other medical specialties.

What did the department accomplish while John was chairman? The Maryland Psychiatric Research Center continued to grow in size and stature while wrestling with the problem of schizophrenia. The Center for Mental Health Services Research was established and has achieved a wide reputation for excellence. The Hospital and Community Psychiatry, now Psychiatric Services, has become a leading psychiatric journal. The department worked with the State of Maryland to train residents and medical students while trying to improve the care of many of society's outcasts in novel ways. The residency training program merged with Sheppard Pratt’s and combined the expertise of both. The areas of child psychiatry, substance abuse, psychotherapy, and geriatrics all underwent profound changes as a reaction to new information and forces within the field. The list could go on and on and on.

What was John Talbott like as a chairman? First, he is seemingly connected to the entire world. New York, Paris, DC, a meeting here, a speech there, a conference in Italy. The telephone put him in touch with a national and international collection of friends, colleagues, and collaborators and forced the department to think of itself as one piece of a vast network devoted to mental health. Second, John rarely took an impassive psychoanalytic stance as chairman. A hearty laugh, a look of total disbelief, an angry shrug and wave of the hand, a wandering gaze during meetings, and an urgent clipped verbal message were all part of the repertoire. Whenever patient care suffered or our medical colleagues slighted psychiatry, the response was swift. His righteous anger and trademark beard combined to bring several Biblical prophets to mind. The listener might expect that fire and brimstone would shortly follow. He did what was necessary to preserve the core values of the department of psychiatry.

What is John Talbott like as a person? He is a restless, uncompromising intellectual with a gentle soul. The combination of his high-octane education, his service in Vietnam, and his work with severely ill psychiatric patients have etched a sad wisdom around his eyes. John loves travel (especially to France), new ideas, and good food. He is a delightful dinner host. One finds good food, fine wine, and John holds court while his wife Susan provides commentary.

Certainly John didn't know what he was going to face as our chairman. The Department of Psychiatry not only survived, but thrived through these turbulent times. My words can hardly do justice to his efforts and to the department’s successes.