Henry M. Cherrick, D.D.S., M.S.D.
Dean
UCLA School of Dentistry

Friends, colleagues and members of the Schoen family, I would like to thank each of you for coming today to pay homage to a hero, Dr. Max Schoen, a giant who touched and transformed so many of our lives by the undeniable force of his intellect, his integrity, his vision, compassion and unquestioned courage. 

I am Henry Cherrick, dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry and a friend of Max's for many years.

Giant is a word you will hear many times today because probably no other word so well describes Max as a person and a professional.  Despite this appearance, he was still a humble man, unimpressed by himself or others.  Through the trappings of power, position, privilege or education he could see. At the same time the barrenness of a less-privileged person's life did not deter him from seeing each person's nobility and dignity. 

Teaching his students--whether they were dental or public health students,
or the major corporations and unions that consulted with him--was something that inspired him and he evinced this inspiration by teaching in an impassioned way. 

In short, his example will live for decades after his passing. 

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops,” noted Henry Brooks Adams in his Education of Henry Adams.  In Max's case, people all over the world live better, more healthful, more fruitful lives for what he did.  That is a legacy and a benediction that would please our friend. 

Like so many of you, his passing has left an unfilled spot in my world.  However, I think I am on safe ground when I say that Max would not want us to mourn him; rather, he would appreciate a celebration of what he did, both with himself and for others. 

In this spirit, I would like to touch on just a few of his qualities before I turn this meeting over to others who also knew him intimately. 

In pondering what to say about Max, I thought about the many awards, degrees and honors conferred on him during his too-few years.  Somehow a listing of these accolades would not impress, nor do justice to, him.

He was nominated for and won many awards in his life, but the honors that he treasured most were those virtues he aspired to and developed within himself: vision, courage and compassion. 

Max loved his fellow man and he acted, often guided only by that lovingness.  He was a true philosopher, one who would follow his convictions wherever they might lead him.  In today's world many people will not act unless they are certain of the outcome; Max acted with certainty because he knew that acting rightly ensured that the outcome would be proper. 

Thucydides (Thoo-sid-id-ees) noted in his Funeral Oration of Pericles
(Per-uh-clees) that "the bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it."

When I consider the words of this 5th Century B.C. Greek, I wonder if somehow he knew Max, for surely he is describing him. 

Max was a man out of step with our times.  However, he was not living in the past.  He belonged to the future because he could see it.  Max was 25 years ahead of his time.  When he started working here 20 years ago, he was already thinking about the ideas with which the health care industry is wrestling these days. 

To Max, health care was a human right, a right to be equated with life and liberty.  To be human meant safety from terror and tyranny, and that care would be provided when one is sick. 

To many, Max's ideas were extraordinary, even dangerous. They flew in the face of the conventional wisdom, threatening the livelihoods and occupations of many well-established professions. 

This assertion amused Max; he could see that health care as a human right would be a better, more equitable division of work and rewards, not the
death knell of any profession. 

The second unflagging characteristic of Max that so impressed me was his compassion.  In an age where compassion is often and noticeably absent, Max believed we have a responsibility for helping and caring for others. 

Max's message of caring for others is taking on more urgency every day.  Our society is polarizing and stratifying more and more every day. 

In the 7th Century B.C., Lao Tsu (Lao Zoo) noted, "The wise man does not lay up treasure. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own." 

Max was surely like this wise man. He gave little or no thought to accumulating things for himself. That said, look around you at the riches
that Max had won in the friends, colleagues and family and the respect, love, and admiration that you embody. In the truest sense of the word, Max was a wealthy man. 

The lesson from Max that struck me the strongest of all, however, was his conviction. 

The courage of one's convictions is a rare and precious commodity nowadays.  Whether facing the wrath of the House Un-American Activities Committee, organized dentistry, or large corporations, Max stood his ground. 

Considering the power that these groups wield, Max was taking a big risk, but that never crossed his mind.  He was certain of what he was doing and
he did not care who might be offended by what he said and wrote. 

The world does not grow many Max Schoens.  Knowing a Max Schoen
is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Though his body has rejoined the elements from which it sprang, Max is still alive and with us. 

The spirit of Max has touched and transformed each of us, leaving us better people than we were before we met him. 

What a fitting legacy for such a man!  Thank you.