Dr. L. Weston Oaks, whose
funeral service will be held
tomorrow, will be
remembered as one of Provo’s
most illustrious long-time
physicians and surgeons.
More than that, he will be
remembered as a warm,
friendly person who served
humanity well, stood up
fearlessly for what he believed
to be right, and set an example
for hard work, integrity, and
common sense.
For nearly a half century,
Dr, Oaks was a practicing
physician in the fields of eye,
ear, nose, and throat. In the
more recent years of his
practice – before he retired in
1969 – he narrowed his
specialty to opthalmology in
which he became widely
recognized as an authority.
In the medical profession he
displayed the same trait, long-
time friends recall, that he
exemplified as a young man in
athletics – the will to win
to be a leader and perfect his
ability, How well he succeeded
can be gauged by the demand
for his services. Patients
came from far and wide.
Dr, Oaks was willing to pay
the price in hard work and
stick-to-itiveness. Colleagues
recall of his going to work in
mornings long before office
hours in order to study, write,
and prepare.
His leadership afforded him
many opportunities for service
within his profession – as
president of the Utah Medical
Association, president of the
Pacific Coast Ophthal-
mological Society, president
of the Utah Valley Hospital
Medical Staff, etc.
He took special pride in
providing volunteer medical
service to the Navajo Indians
of Southeastern Utah. An
experienced pilot, he would fly
to the Bluff region often
during the 1950s to provide
much-needed professional
help.
Early in his career he had
served as medical director at
BYU (1923’31) and helped
organize the ‘Y’ student health
service. Later he served as
president of the BYU Alumni
Association – and in 1957 was
honored with the
Distinguished Service Award.
His extensive writing
included medical papers and
two books on medical aspects
of the Word of Wisdom. In a
lifetime of devotion to his
church, he served three
decades as a high councilman
in Utah Stake, in a bishopric,
as a temple worker, and as a
patriarch.
Calvin Coolidge once noted
that “no person is ever
honored for what he receives;
honor is the reward for what
one gives.” The Herald joins
in honoring Dr, L. Weston
Oaks for what he gave – ser-
vice to his fellow men and his
church, professional skills that
contributed to the health and
well-being of the community,
the wise counsel and
encouragement of a friend,
and the devotion of a loving
husband and father,
Justice Tempered
With Mercy… =
A new law in Libya provides
for cutting off the right hand
of felons convicted of stealing,
and of the left foot for armed
robbery.
But justice will be tempered
with mercy, says the Hastings
Center Report.
The law also permits the
amputation to be done by a
surgeon, using anasthetics.