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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E180-E181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING DR. WILLIAM CATON
______
HON. JUDY CHU
of california
in the house of representatives
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the
life of Dr.
[[Page E181]]
William Caton, who passed away on February 6, 2020 at the age of 74.
Dr. Caton was a lifelong leader in the field of neurosurgery and led a
distinguished career that had lasting impacts on my district in the San
Gabriel Valley and throughout California.
Dr. Caton was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on July 7, 1945 and
spent his childhood in Georgia and Massachusetts. He received his
bachelor's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and
then moved to California to attend medical school at the University of
Southern California (USC) School of Medicine. He received his M.D. in
1971 and completed his residency in Neurosurgery at the Los Angeles
County--USC Medical Center in 1977. After completing his residency, Dr.
Caton began his practice in Pasadena, a community he would serve for
the next forty years.
Dr. Caton's dedication to his patients earned him the reputation as
one of the top neurosurgeons in California. He was a representative for
the California Association of Neurological Surgery (CANS) at National
State Council meetings for twenty-five years and served as President
from 2009 to 2010. He also represented CANS in meetings with LA County
that resulted in developing a county-wide system of trauma care centers
in 1983. He was appointed to serve as Chairman of Neurosurgery at
Huntington Memorial Hospital, the leading trauma center within the San
Gabriel Valley, a position he would hold for over twenty years. His
work was also well known around the globe. He collaborated on a project
in Bangalore, India, where he advised the development of a brain cancer
treatment center, and he created an international symposium on
healthcare, also located in India.
He was a strong advocate for higher education and passed his
knowledge on to multiple generations of students. For almost forty
years, he was a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Neurological
Surgery Department at USC. He was also a long-time faculty member at
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the Department of
Biology and Bioengineering. While there, he founded the Caltech
Students Medical Mentor Program, served as director of the Caltech
M.D.-Ph.D. Clinical Outreach Program, and became director of the
Pasadena Neuroscience Fellowship. Because of his distinguished service
and contributions to higher education, Dr. Caton received an honorary
graduate degree from the Caltech Alumni Association in 2008.
Additionally, he was a strong advocate for the education of women and
served on the Board of Trustees for Mayfield Senior High School, an
all-girls college preparatory high school, from 1986 to 1997.
Dr. Caton leaves behind an enduring legacy of service, patient
advocacy, and leadership to the San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles County,
and California. He is an inspiration to all who knew him, and it is my
distinct honor to commemorate his life.
____________________