Dr. Carl Nelson passed away on January 12, 2005, after suffering a massive
stroke. His death was sudden and unexpected. His colleagues, patients, and
family were stunned and stricken with grief. His passing was observed at a
memorial service on Friday, January 14, at the Arkansas Cancer Research Center
in Little Rock. University Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, Dean Albert Reece,
faculty, and colleagues had a chance to pay tribute to Dr. Nelson before a
packed auditorium.
A native of Indiana, Dr. Nelson graduated from Purdue University in 1955
and from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1959. Following internship
at Los Angeles County General Hospital in Los Angeles, he completed
residencies in general surgery and orthopaedic surgery at The Cleveland Clinic
Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. After two years in the Army, he was Nuffield
Scholar at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Center in Oxford, England, in 1968-69. He
returned to the Cleveland Clinic and stayed on the faculty as head of the
Section of Orthopaedic Research until 1974.
In 1974, he was recruited to Arkansas to organize the orthopaedic training
program. Although a Midwesterner by birth, he was able to carve a niche for
himself in the southern state of Arkansas by his affable, hard-working,
no-nonsense manner. When he arrived, he was the second of two on the
orthopaedic faculty. He took it upon himself to build a strong orthopaedic
residency and a name for himself. He began the task of program-building by
recruiting, providing excellent patient care, establishing a research program,
and systematic orthopaedic education.
Carl Nelson was a lifelong scholar. He read voraciously and encouraged his
colleagues and residents to do the same. He endeavored to stay up-to-date on
what was happening in orthopaedics. He loved to verbally joust with other
learned individuals over dinner and never backed down from a debate. He loved
the term "paradigm shift" and used it whenever he could. He
described himself as a "pragmatist" and "an enlightened
cynic." He belonged to a legion of professional societies and was a
leader of many. Dr. Nelson was surgeon, administrator, teacher, and
researcher. Although an acknowledged expert in joint replacement surgery, he
lectured nationally and internationally and wrote on orthopaedic education,
musculoskeletal infection, psychomotor skills, and bloodless surgery. He
contributed to more than 200 scientific publications.
Carl Nelson was a devoted teacher. Educating orthopaedic residents never
took a back seat to anything. He taught by the Socratic technique as well as
by example. He kept a tight rein on his residents and did not accept any
slack. Though he was quite firm at times, he was the residents' strongest
advocate. He protected them from burdensome service commitments, believing
that "the residents are here not just to work, but to learn."
Although he commanded excellence in academics and patient care from his
residents, he always preached "family first" and was the first to
send a resident home if there was a family illness or crisis.
Carl Nelson was a leader. He was Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic
Surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences from 1974
continuously until his death. He personally oversaw the education of 122
orthopaedic surgeons—many of whom have stayed on to practice in
Arkansas. During his tenure, the orthopaedic faculty grew from two to a team
of fifty professionals devoted to orthopaedic research, education, training,
and patient care. He charismatically led the nonphysician departmental staff
as well. He was careful to protect their interests. He treated them like
family, and they, in turn, were devoted to him. Dr. Nelson was a good
negotiator and stood his ground protecting the mission of orthopaedics in
various turf battles in the University community. He liked to read and preach
about leadership, and he proudly served as mentor for the American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons' Leadership Fellows Program.
Carl Nelson was an expert surgeon. He became one of the nation's foremost
specialists in hip and knee replacement. He developed the first practice in
Arkansas dedicated to joint replacement surgery. He was proud to be a member
of both the Hip Society and the Knee Society. As a technician, he was superb.
Many residents were astounded when, during particularly difficult surgery for
which there seemed little likelihood of a satisfactory outcome, Dr. Nelson
would pull something from his bag of tricks and salvage a good result. Outside
the operating room, he was a savvy clinician and an expert in human relations.
He was a tireless advocate for his patients.
Carl Nelson was an innovator. He developed a psychomotor skills lab for the
residents years before his colleagues did the same. It was his conviction that
if the surgeon could run through a procedure "in the mind's eye"
before an operation, he or she could perform the case with ease at the actual
time of surgery. He developed innovative techniques for managing orthopaedic
infections—particularly with regard to total joint replacements. He
developed and refined techniques for blood conservation, leading to so-called
"bloodless surgery," which enabled even Jehovah's Witness patients
to benefit from joint reconstructive surgery. He was quick to incorporate
emerging technologies that he believed were likely to succeed. He adopted
robotic surgical techniques and minimal incision techniques in the twilight of
his career.
Dr. Nelson was a researcher. He was involved in orthopaedic research
throughout his entire career. He was not content to carry out his studies in
isolation; rather, he realized that the future of orthopaedic research
depended on a multi-disciplinary approach. He was thus instrumental in
creating the Center for Orthopaedic Research at the University of Arkansas for
Medical Sciences. In this setting, basic scientists and clinicians from many
areas work together on projects relevant to orthopaedics. Dr. Nelson expected
his residents to be active in research and included them in his projects. He
insisted that each resident complete a research project before graduation, and
he established the annual Arkansas Orthopaedic Forum to showcase their
work.
Dr. Nelson was a celebrated individual. He received numerous honors over
the years, including the Walter Selakovich Outstanding Teaching Award; the
Arkansas Caduceus Club's Distinguished Faculty Award, and the Jeanette Wilkins
Award from the Musculoskeletal Infection Society, and he was recognized as one
of the "Best Doctors in America" in 2002 and by Town &
Country Magazine as one of the "Best Medical Specialists in the
USA." Dr. Nelson was formally recognized for his accomplishments in 2000
with the Carl L. Nelson Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery. The chair was
established at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in an effort to
continue the standard of excellence set by Dr. Nelson and was designed to
support research in orthopaedic disease and musculoskeletal injuries.
Carl Nelson approached life with a serious mind but always kept his sense
of humor. He generally started each speaking engagement with a humorous story.
He was always a sportsman. He was proud to have played rugby as a young man
and frequently related stories about his sports adventures. He was an avid
competitor and loved to win. He played tennis throughout his adult life. Duck
hunting was a passion for him, and the times he spent in the duck blinds of
South Arkansas with friends and colleagues were among his best memories.
Nelson is survived by his wife, Mindy Morrell; his sons, Eric Nelson and
Jason Neidhardt of Little Rock; his daughters, Kristine Harms of Pea Ridge and
Kathleen Nelson of Little Rock; and his grandchildren, Kambrea and Kerry
Nelson of Prairie Grove, Kachet Nelson of Springdale, and Katie Harms of Pea
Ridge. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alma and Carl Nelson, and his
son, Kurt Nelson of Prairie Grove.
Carl Nelson managed to touch the lives of many. Students, residents, and
patients will all remember him for his vision, energy, and commitment to the
cause. His sudden departure leaves us with a sense of void, but his legacy
lives on.