Dr. Helen Lees Biomedical Sciences Award for Veterans

Roger Frye and Chuck Least (Charles J. Least, Jr.), the donors who established the Dr. Helen Lees Biomedical Sciences Award for Veterans, both enlisted in the Military Services of the United States.

A message from Charles J. Least, Jr., MS ’73, BS ‘68

I, Chuck, earned a B.S. Degree in Medical Technology from UB in 1968 and was accepted into the US Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport R.I. I Graduated from OCS and was given the choice to be commissioned as an Ensign in either the Medical Services Corps, or as an unrestricted line officer. The Medical Services Corps was my choice, and I received orders to the Philadelphia US Naval Hospital which was the Neuropsychiatric and Amputee Center for the East Coast during the Vietnam War.

I served as Laboratory Officer in charge of Blood Bank and Hematology as my first assignment. My opportunity to move to the Clinical Chemistry Lab (my main interest) finally came in 1970. I supervised approximately 60 Navy trained Lab Techs, many of whom had BS degrees and like me, joined the Navy right after college as a preference to being drafted into the Army.

Laboratory service at the Naval Hospital was not typical clinical lab experience. The patient population was mainly young US Marines who lost limbs in combat and were there for surgery and to be fitted for and rehabilitated with prosthetic devices. There were also a significant number of wards dedicated to help returning Marines and Sailors with what we now call PTSD.

I decided that after my Navy enlistment was over, I could enhance my career potential if I worked towards an advanced degree. I contacted the Medical Technology dept. at UB and discovered that there was a brand-new master’s program in Clinical Chemistry that might be the opportunity for career growth I was seeking. Dr. Lees, whom I did not know, encouraged me to apply even though my enlistment had another year to go. I applied and was accepted. With my acceptance in hand, I wrote a letter to the Chief of the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and requested release from active duty to attend graduate school. This was a time when the armed forces were reducing manpower in Vietnam, my request was approved, and soon Dr. Lees and I were discussing my preparation for starting her program in September 1971.

That was the beginning of a relationship with a grand person. We had not even met in person, but Dr. Lees facilitated my acceptance and return back to UB. Throughout the 2 years I spent with her in the grad program, she taught me many lessons, some were academic. Returning to the UB campus in 1971 from the military was not an easy transition. Dr. Lees became more than my “Major Professor,” she became a mentor, confidant and respected friend who helped ease the return to civilian life. Although I never saluted her, I held her in the highest regard.

I developed an int as my project topic the development of a method for flameless atomic absorption of Mercury. Dr. Lees arranged for me to do this work in the Toxicology Lab at ECMC. To this day, I am proud that my paper on this subject was published; Dr. Lees was instrumental in that work.

Dr. Lees also helped with the transition into my first job after earning my M.S. Degree. Her professional contacts and encouragement helped me to secure a position at the Johns Hopkins Hospital where I used skills learned at UB to start my successful career in Clinical Chemistry. As it turned out, classmate Roger Frye also was headed to Hopkins and we started our post-MS experience in the same Laboratory Medicine Department. Dr. Lees and I kept in touch at a minimum once per year at Christmas until her passing. She knew my wife Ann Marie, the names of our children and every career move I made since leaving her. She always showed genuine interest in her students.

I find it interesting that the first four male students into the Clin Chem Grad Program were veterans returning from active duty. I wonder if that is simply a coincidence.

Our award to a UB student Veteran is a small acknowledgement of the help and encouragement Dr. Lees gave to me, to Roger and many others. Now it is our turn to thank and recognize the contribution of those US Service men and women Veterans who returned to join the UB Med Tech Program.

A message from Roger Frye, MS ’73, BA ‘68

I believe that Dr. Lees had more impact on my life than any other teacher. I received a BA in Chemistry from UB in 1968. Draft notice in hand, I enlisted in the Army in 1969 in an attempt to control my fate in the military.

The Army trained me as a Medical Laboratory Technician. I was surprised to find that medical laboratory work, principally clinical chemistry, was a branch of chemistry that I thoroughly enjoyed and prompted me to consider a career as a clinical chemist.

As the Vietnam War wound down, the Army began to offer early release for soldiers returning to school. To transition to medical laboratory chemistry would require additional training. How to take advantage of this opportunity was a challenge, especially from half way around the world and an Army-imposed short time frame.

My wife, Wini, immediately began working to see what educational opportunities were available. She placed a cold call to the UB Dept. of Medical Technology and fortunately was connected to Dr. Lees who coordinated the Clinical Chemistry graduate program.

After Wini explained the situation, Dr. Lees enthusiastically arranged my application and admission to the UB program. When it came time to do my research project Dr. Lees arranged for me to work in the UB Chemistry department under Dr. Garry Rechnitz, a well-known analytical chemist specializing in the then-new field of ion-selective electrodes. In Dr. R lab I experienced the idea of a university as a of Working with the professor, graduate students and post-docs from all over the world was a fantastic experience that always treasure, all made possible by Dr. Lees.

In 1972 I received a Master’s in Medical Technology (Clinical Chemistry specialty). After graduation, Dr. Lees actively sought to keep in contact with her former students. I believe she considered us part of her extended family, offering us mentoring and friendship. I would visit the campus on my occasional trips to Buffalo. Besides showing interest in our careers, she was interested in hearing about our spouses, children and grandchildren.

Every year, around Christmas, she included a newsletter keeping us informed about goings on in the department and present and former students.

Although my experience and that of Mr. Least differ in detail, in both cases Dr. Lees reached out to both of us as students and military veterans, having a significant impact on our lives and professional careers. The Dr. Helen Lees Award at UB is our attempt to honor the memory of Dr. Lees and to the next generation the spirit she showed to us.