Letters THE SECRET MIDNIGHT SWIM
I so enjoyed reading the April 2022 WITSReview until I came to the “In Memoriam” section where, much to my dismay and sorrow, I learned that Dr Khalid Ismail (MBBCh 1963) had passed away on 12 August 2021. Khalid was a classmate of mine at Wits Medical School, and in reading his beautiful obituary, I was not surprised to learn that he had been a revered physician and humanitarian during his many years of practice in Polokwane. He justifiably received many achievement awards during his years of service to the community, but there is one story I would like to share with your readers who probably are unaware of this small anecdote, but it says a lot about who Khalid was and what he stood for. In 1963 our final year medical school class was divided into groups called “firms”, each consisting of five white students and one non-white student. In our firm, Khalid was the token non-white student. During one of the rotations through the different medical subspecialties, we were assigned to the Department of Surgery at Baragwanath Hospital. We spent 24 hours a day at Bara for several weeks, and for recreation there were two sets of tennis courts, one for whites and one for blacks, and “never the twain shall meet.” It was forbidden to play inter-racial tennis at Bara. In addition to the separate tennis courts, there was one beautiful, almost Olympic size swimming 6 WITS REVIEW
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pool, and you guessed it, it was for whites only. One day, out of the blue, Khalid said that he wanted to swim in the whites-only swimming pool. Khalid was a quiet, gentle soul, and his motivation was unspoken, but I think we knew why. So, one night at midnight, we all climbed over the fence surrounding the pool, five of us stood guard and without further ado, Khalid dove into the water, and much to our delight, swam the length of the pool. Even though we hadn’t brought about the end of apartheid, thanks to courageous Khalid, we all felt wonderful as we ran back to our segregated living quarters. I’m not sure why I’m relating this story, but it happened 60 years ago and I remember it like it occurred yesterday. David Levy (MBBCh 1963)
May the past be a prelude to yet a second century of academic leadership. With warmest regards and sincere good wishes, Professor Geoffrey Sperber (BSc 1954, BDS 1956, BSc Hons 1958, PhD 1973)
I HAVE SUCH FOND MEMORIES OF THIS LECTURER
I have just read about “influential readers” in civil engineering the latest WITSReview and wondered whether you might consider doing something similar about those who have led the construction management discipline. I have such fond and clear memories of Prof Doug Calderwood who, as I recall, steered the BSc building programme in its early days. His jovial character and accessible explanations on a range of topics have stayed with me throughout my career. Of the many phrases I can clearly hear him say, “be humble” is one of them. He was true to his word... As an BSc building alumnus and a member of staff in the 1980s it would be fitting to see Prof Calderwood acknowledged and for our discipline gain some exposure. Willy Sher (BSc Building 1973)
THANKS FOR THE EFFORT MAY IT BE PRELUDE TO A SECOND CENTURY
My heartiest congratulations on your magnificent Centennial publication of WITSReview. The magazine encompasses the remarkable history of Wits University and the accomplishments of its alumni and alumnae in different parts of the world. It is truly an international powerhouse of education and research in diverse fields of discovery.
WITSReview really has to be one of the highest quality University alumni magazines around. I’ve seen the tremendous care and effort taken on my article, I can just imagine the thought and effort, which must go into producing the magazine as a whole. I’m sure there are many of my alumni compatriots who feel the same way and who, as a result, feel all the more proud of being a Wits Alum. Tom Lewis (MBA 1972)
