Dr. Lyman T. Meiks became the first full-time pediatric faculty member in 1931. Two decades later, in 1951 with five residents in the department, Dr. Meiks was named the first full-time Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. On occasion, Dr. Meiks was known to say when residents complained about their pay – “by gosh they have nothing to complain about, I had to pay for my residency.” He served as chair of the department until October 30, 1967.
During Dr. Meiks’ tenure, the number of full-time faculty grew to seven and pediatric residents to 12. Additional faculty included Dr. Morris Green who would become chair in 1967.
Other faculty included Dr. Doris Merritt who later would become the Special Assistant to the Director of the National Institutes of Health where she helped develop the National Institute of Nursing. She returned to Indiana University School of Medicine as an Associate Dean.
Dr. Malcolm Holiday, a well-known expert in fluids and electrolytes, joined the staff in 1951. Dr. William Segar, a former resident, also joined the faculty and later became the chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Jack Spevak was hired to be the first director of the new section on pediatric hematology/oncology.
Upon his retirement in 1971, Dr. Meiks received many letters of tribute from past students and colleagues, including one from Dr. Morris Green.
Lyman Thompson Meiks was born in Shelbyville, Indiana, in 1902. After graduating high school, he earned his AB degree from DePauw University. In 1927, he received his MD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He served his internship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and completed a residency in pediatrics at the Yale University Hospital. Dr. Meiks was widely known as an authority on infantile paralysis (polio) and served as chair of the Indiana State Medical Association’s Committee on Infantile Paralysis.
Dr. Meiks died on January 25, 1972, at Methodist Hospital. He was 69 years old.