Dr. George W. Weinstein completed his medical school and ophthalmology residency at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, in 1963. He then served in the U.S. Public Health Service as a commissioned officer and as executive secretary of the Vision Research Training Committee of the National Institutes of Health. In 1965, he joined the faculty of the Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, on a fellowship where his focus was on retinal physiology research. Eventually he left Wilmer to become the first head of the ophthalmology program at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. There he was instrumental in helping the program evolve into a recognized department rather than remain a division of the department of surgery.
Many remember Dr. Weinstein’s elegant and genteel demeanor. One would assume he would enjoy classical music, but surprisingly enough, his favorite stringed instrument to play was not the violin, but the banjo. He became enough of a banjo virtuoso that he was invited to play on several occasions at Preservation Hall in New Orleans.
Dr. Weinstein’s preferred physical exercise was basketball, keeping one in his trunk for games wherever he found them particularly street pickup games. Reportedly, his signature move was a hook shot about three steps from the foul line.
During his career, Dr. Weinstein served on essentially every prominent American Ophthalmic organization as an officer including his election as the president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (1991); he served on the board of directors of the American Board of Ophthalmology and chaired the council governing the American Ophthalmological society. Dr. Weinstein generously gave of his time to be editor in chief of several prestigious Ophthalmic journals. He had a tremendous intellect and could spontaneously give lectures to residents on topics from optics to retina physiology to modern surgical techniques.
Please join us today in honoring Dr. Weinstein through a gift to a memorial fund in his name, the George W. Weinstein, M.D., Memorial Fund in Ophthalmology. We thank you in advance for your gift or pledge to help this fund grow and keep his memory close to our hearts.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Philip Garza, Senior Director of Development, at (210) 567-2598.