H. L. Newbold (1921–1994)

Worked long hours in his private medical practice--six days a week. He did his writing in the wee hours. He suffered rickets and a reading disorder in childhood, a heart attack in his forties, a serious case of hepatitis in his fifties, and lymphoma in his sixties, but lived on until his early seventies. While taking chemotherapy, he cut his practice to five days a week and wrote on his back when he couldn't stand. He did go into remission; his cause of death was apparently kidney failure and an infection. He received his MD when he was only 24 and served as a doctor in the army during WWII. He was survived by two daughters and two grandchildren. Rhea Perlman worked briefly as his assistant in the 1970s. His patients included Shelley Winters, James Jones, Sheree North, Ralph Rosenbloom, Douglas Edwards and Barbara Harris. He was friends with Linus Pauling. He appeared on many radio and TV talk shows, including interviews with Tom Snyder and Merv Griffin. He was noted for his generosity and mordant wit. His favorite quote was "Persistence is the horse that wins." The words are on his tombstone.