Cesar V Reyes, MD, of Downers Grove, Illinois, chairman of the CME committee of the FEU-DNR School of Medicine Alumni Foundation and editor of its monthly online alumni publication Ectopic Murmur and the newsletter of the Philippine Medical Association of Chicago, passed away at 1:30 AM on December 4, 2017. He was 73.
He was survived by his beloved wife of 48 years, Elisa A. Reyes, RN, children Emily (Stan) Telford and Carlo (Julie) Reyes, and grandchildren Katherine, Isabelle, and William Telford, Tomas and Amy Reyes.
Tributes from various Filipino-American association leaders across the nation poured in as a testament and recognition of Cesar’s lifetime achievement as a medical colleague and leader of high caliber, always working hard behind the scene. Some of the condolences and eulogies and his brief bio-data follow:
Noli Guinigundao, MD, chairman, FEU-DNR-SM Alumni Foundation
Almighty and most merciful father, we adore thee as the God of time and eternity. As it hath pleased thee to take from the light of our abode one dear to our hearts (Cesar Reyes) we beseech thee to bless and sanctify unto us this dispensation of Thy providence. Inspire our hearts with wisdom from on high, that we may glorify thee in all our ways and continue to bless Cesar, his family, through eternal ages,may he enjoy fadeless light and immortal life in that kingdom where Faith and Hope shall end and love and joy prevail through eternity. Amen.
Licerio V. Castro, Jr., MD, president, FEU-DNR-SM Alumni Foundation
Dr. Cesar Reyes was a man of service and a man of God who persevered knowing full well he would not receive all the beautiful things he was promised. He firmly believed his efforts would deliver a better life for those who followed. He belonged to a generation of men with ignity, integrity, honesty, courage, and strong convictions.
He had the vision that one day his life would be devoted to healing and sharing the vicissitudes of life and uplifting his countrymen. He encouraged progress not by pushing his ideas alone but by seeking your ideas partnering with you to make things happen.
Dr. Reyes showed his character in his devotion to his family. He was a proud father a loving husband, a proud grandfather and a concerned healer as well, here in United States of America and half the globe, the Philippines, the country he loved best.
He prides himself as a very caring man, as a physician and as a friend. He always possessed that burning desire to extend a helping hand when necessity dictates. He was endowed with a sense of community, a life of worship, a reception of the Lord’s word and an enlistment of indeterminate challenges.His vision was beyond imagination.
As everybody knows, Dr. Reyes had a passion for writing. Being the editor of Ectopic Murmur, our foundation newsletter, for many years he was blessed with journalistic prowess. As charge of the Continuing Medical Education, he insured we always had respected speakers for our yearly convention.
Dr. Reyes is truly a pillar of the foundation. This loss would be hard to fill. His noble deeds serve as a great inspiration for others to work for positive changes and also for others to emulate. He had insurmountable courage, integrity, and an unwavering faith.
Dr. Reyes, we are so thankful and so blessed for the times we have spent together; the things we have accomplished together; the medical missions we have fulfilled together; the arguments we have pursued together but most of all the laughter and tears we have shared together. We will always love you and you will be in our hearts forever.
Cosme Cagas, MD, president emeritus, PEACE
I had known Cesar since before 1980 when I assumed the editorship of the Chicago-based NewsMagazine, the Philippine American Medical Bulletin, founded and edited by the late Dr. Antiquio Janairo. Cesar was a regular contributor with articles on interesting and often unusual case studies in Pathology coming out of Hines Hospital near Chicago. Cesar's copious production of those articles reflected his passion, diligence and intelligence. In the last several years, Cesar's literary output was simply incredible and and I could only sigh in disbelief when he edited three medical-organization based newsletters! Month after month!
In 2015, I nominated him PEACE Humanitarian of the Year. Reading his impressive CV, the Committee chaired by, Dr. Carmelo C. Dichoso, a very literary man himself, differed with me-- it thought my nomination did not justify his many accomplishments and therefore chose to award Cesar with the PEACE Lifetime Achievement Award of the Year, instead. Cesar showed his appreciation of the award, coming to O'Fallon, IL to accept it bringing wth him his wife and two of our mutual friends, Dr. Ramon G. Lopez and his wife Marylyn from Joliet, IL.
Cesar became a PEACE member that year. He and his wife graced the occasion of my "80th birthday celebrations" in St. Louis. He funded a PEACE artesian well in Ozamis City and had generously contributed to ihe PEACE scholarship program.
It is with deep sadness that I witness the untimely passing of a great man, a leader, a humanitarian and a man I absolutely respect, hold deep affection for and admire without reservations. In the silence of my room, I say a prayer and recite the last stanza of William Cullen Bryant's Thanopsis and in closing bid, "Pleasant Dreams, Cesar, my dear friend!"
Eusebio C.Kho, MD, former president, UP Medical Alumni Society
The saw news of the passing of Dr. Cesar V. Reyes highlights the great achievements of this unassuming but brilliant person--in administering health care, in literary pursuits and in his intense patriotism. I had the honor to know him peripherally but through the newsletters he edited and published, I know him quite well. May God take him into His presence in the heavenly mansion where he will dwell in perfect peace, solace, health and serenity for eternity.
Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, chairman, Filipino United Network-US
Quietly into the night - Farida and I are saddened to hear of Cesar’s passing. This a great loss to his family, to our alumni Foundation, and to the Philippine-American communities as a whole. We all mourn his passing. As a distinguished leader, Cesar had unselfishly and quietly contributed enormously to all the great causes of our sector and society in general for 5 decades of his life. He used all his faculties, skills, and resources to serve all of us. His legacy will continue to impact and inspire all of us and the future generation. Cesar certainly had left a great legacy behind, one his family and all of us, his friends and colleagues, could be proud of. The great void he left behind will be hard to fill. We are all diminished by his passing. We will miss him. Our condolences, sympathy, and prayers for Elisa and the entire family. May Cesar walk with God and enjoy eternal peace.
Carmelo Dichoso, MD, past president, APPA, chair, PEACE Award
I never met Cesar --- he had been known to be unassuming, non-flamboyant and unob- trusive, qualities of real achievers. But I had known of him for quite a while from his friends, news items and his writings, and admired him from a distance. He truly deserved the Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed on him by PEACE in 2015.
Ben Daus, MD, president, PEACE
I am saddened and shocked by the sudden news of Cesar passing away. We met once in 2015 when he was awarded the PEACE Lifetime Achievement Award at O'Fallon. Having read several of his numerous articles published in the PMA Chicago newsletter which he likewise edited for several years, I have come to know him even before we met. I found him to be an affable, unassuming, humble and a soft-spoken colleague. These qualities provided an admirable underpinning to his numerous humanitarian contributions and superb literary achievements that ranks him high in the rarefied realm of accomplished and well-meaning Filipino writers. For this, I consider myself fortunate to have met him. As I am currently visiting in the Holy Land, I have just offered a special prayer today for the eternal repose of his soul in the loving care of Our Lord and Savior. May his family find solace and comfort in their hour of loss, So long, Cesar.
Danny Fabito - Chairman Emeritus, FEUDNRSMAF, president, PAAN
A man for all seasons - With the untimely demise of Cesar Reyes, we truly lost a very dear friend and a dedicated and passionate fellow FEU Medical Alumni. His visionary leadership, loyalty, and unwavering support for the FEUDNRSM Alumni Foundation and the FEUNRMF School of Medicine to make it one of the best Centers of Medical Education in our country is inspiring. I have known Cesar for about 30 years now, working closely since I started my active leadership in our Alumni Foundation. He was instrumental with his Chicago FEU Medical Alumni to secure the Continuing Medical Education sponsorship through the Chicago Medical Society’s CME program that benefited not only the PMA of Chicago but also the FEUNRMFSM Alumni Foundation. Since being the Chairman of the CME program, he single handedly invited well-known lecturers from all over the United States and from the Philippines including special Memorial speakers during our Annual Conventions and Reunion. He completed the CME brochure very much earlier than the scheduled dates of our convention and digitally sent to all Alumni, friends and colleagues of our Foundation.
When Dr. Jesus B Nolasco, retired as editor/publisher of the ECTOPIC MURMURS, our Alumni Foundation Newsletter, Cesar accepted and embarked on this task. He made sure it came out regularly each month and distributed to Alumni. As if he did not have enough to do, he also took on the publication of the PMAC newsletter. We all tasted his stern requirement of meeting his deadlines.
Cesar has contributed a lot to the Annual Medical-Surgical Missions, serving as our Patholgist with his instant Fine Needle Biopsy. He proved to us the practicality and importance of his developed Fine Needle technique specially for breast, thyroid and other skin tumors. He has combined continuing medical presentations during the mission week to benefit the local doctors and nurses on current and new technologies He was with me when we undertook the first Medical-Surgical Mission at the FEU Medical Center and Hospital in 1993 with his Class !968 as the main sponsor, a very successful humanitarian endeavor.
I will miss Cesar very much His infectious smile that exuded a special aura of confidence and sincerity made him well-loved and respected by everybody. He had served his position without pretense but pure leadership, dedication, with a little touch of stubbornness, which I believe is inherent with scholars and intelligent persons like him.
Melinda and I extend our sincerest condolences to his wife Elisa, children and g grandchildren. His fruitful and good life will continue to live on, in the lives of his dearest family, friends and classmates as well as to his colleagues in our Alumni Foundation. Goodbye my Friend.
CESAR V. REYES, M.D.
June 13, 1944 – December 4, 2017
CESAR V. REYES, M.D., topped the Philippine Medical Board Examination (PMBE) basic sciences in 1966. At graduation, he was voted most outstanding intern at St. Luke’s Hospital Quezon City, and placed 9th in the PMBE clinical sciences of 1968 when he was the lone Far Eastern University alumnus among the topnotchers.
Dr. Reyes had a rotating internship at St. Luke’s Hospital of Quezon City as requirement for the degree of doctor of medicine, and another from July 1968 to June 1969 at Grant Hospital of Chicago. He completed anatomic and clinical pathology at the Hines Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital, Illinois, from July 1969 to June 1973. He is a diplomate in anatomic and clinical pathology (1974) and in cytopathology (1996) by the American Board of Pathology.
His records indicate that he had served as acting chief of the clinical laboratory section (July 1974-October 1976), section chief of clinical laboratory section, and director of blood bank at Hines VA Hospital (November 1976–June 1980); assistant professor of pathology at the University of Illinois Abraham Lincoln College of Medicine in Chicago (September 1976–August 1996); acting chief of anatomic pathology section of VA Medical Center in Reno NV (October 1992); assistant, later associate, professor of pathology at Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (September 1996–July 2002); and lead pathologist (July 2001–June 2002), staff pathologist (July 1973–July 2002), and chief of cytopathology section (July 1990–July 2002) at Hines VA Hospital.
Dr. Reyes was recognized Alumnus of the Year 1991 by the Far Eastern University Medical Alumni in Illinois, Alumnus of the Year 1993 by the Far Eastern University Dr. Nicanor Reyes School of Medicine Alumni Foundation USA, Distinguished Physician of the Year 1994 by the Philippine Medical Association in Chicago, the 26th annual Dean Lauro Panganiban MD Memorial Lecturer in 2004, and the 16th annual Dr. Nicanor Reyes Jr. Memorial Lecturer in 2011.
To date, Dr. Reyes has published at least 127 refereed scientific reports and 57 abstracts in international medical journals and has presented 47 clinical papers at medical meetings held in the United States.
He retired from Hines VA Hospital in July 2002, after an uninterrupted 35-year service. Dr. Reyes, however, continued to practice full time pathology at Morris Hospital in Morris IL for another 11 years.
He also concurrently worked as a volunteer (without compensation) consultant in cytopathology and dermatopathology at Hines VA Hospital for 10 years; executive director for the 25 years and continuing medical education (CME) committee member for 10 years of the Philippine Medical Association in Chicago; adviser for 20 years for the St. Luke’s Alumni Nursing Foundation - USA; executive director for 10 years, CME committee chairman for 20 years, and ECTOPIC MURMURS editor for 20 years of the Far Eastern University Dr. Nicanor Reyes School of Medicine Alumni Foundation; vice president and editor of the FEUMAANI; and PMAC News editor.
