Troy Hietpas HIST 386 Devlin Annotated Podcast Script Troy Hietpas (TH): Being in college the question

of what comes after graduation is on everyones mind. Often wondering what kind of job they will end up with or whether or not they are going to continue their education. My name is Troy Hietpas and I am a student here at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, I often wonder where my life will take me after graduation. This is a topic that I was curious about going into the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Alumni Centennial oral history project. In an interview I conducted with William (Bill) Klish, an alum from Eau Claire, that graduated in 1963, one main focus of the interview was his life after graduating. Bill double majored at Eau Claire in chemistry and biology and what he did after leaving Eau Claire is a demonstration as to what possibilities await students after graduation. William Klish (BK): I ended up getting two majors, I double majored in biology and chemistry. Then went to Madison where I spent four years at the medical school in Madison at the University of Wisconsin. After that I did my internship in Baylor. I sort of have the wanderlust so I decided I wanted to get as far away from Wisconsin as I could. (4:20-4:47) I actually volunteered for the draft even though I was on the Berry Plan and I could have been deferred but I volunteered. Went into the marine corps and spent two years in the marine corps at which time at the end of my two year stint I came back to Baylor and finished my residency in pediatrics. Im a pediatric gastroenterologist. Which was two years so now that makes me 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 years after college.1 (5:225:52) TH: After his graduation from Eau Claire Bill Klish went on to do more schooling and even signed up for military service. These are two options that any student has upon graduation and can take advantage of. Dr. Klish (MD) learned from his experiences in the Marine Corps and it helped him in determining the path he wanted to follow at the end of his service.2 He went back to Baylor to finish up his residency and to start a career in pediatric gastroenterology. To provide context for his career, a pediatric gastroenterologist has the expertise to treat children if the child has a digestive system, liver, or nutritional problem. Digestive, liver, and nutritional problems in children often are quite different from Interview of William Klish by Troy Hietpas, September 27th, 2013 Centennial Oral History Project 2 Interview of William Klish by Troy Hietpas
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those seen in adults and that is where the pediatric portion is important. They choose to make pediatric care the core of their medical practice, putting emphasis in the care of children.3 So after finishing his residency Dr. Klish began his career, and it was an extensive one at that. BK: I stayed at Baylor as an Assistant Professor of pediatrics, pediatric gastroenterology and for was probably I think three years, four years, in 1978 I went to the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York and built a department, they didnt have a department of pediatric gastroenterology. I started the entire program, I then went on and stayed there for till 1983 at which time I was recruited back to Baylor to head the program at Baylor, so I stayed there for 20 years as head of the section on pediatric gastroenterology. We did liver transplants, you know that kind of stuff. And then the about four, five about four years before I retired I decided I needed to turn the reins over to someone else so I started an obesity program at Baylor, obesity center actually. (7:11-8:16) TH: Dr. Klish, was honored for a lifetime of leadership and academic accomplishment.4 He received the first Baylor fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition. Later in his career, Klish was the moving force in the establishment of board certification in pediatric gastroenterology.5 BK: I did other things in my career. I was the president of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology in its early days. Sort of built it and made connections to the Europeans, and the southeast or the Pacific Rim countries. I was the chairman on the Committee of Nutrition for the Academy of Pediatrics and made all these nutrition pronouncements regarding children. I was there for eight years. I was on the National Institutes of Health Advisory Board for a few years. I was, I started, actually developed the, the boards in pediatric gastroenterology with the American Board of Pediatrics and was the first chairman of the board for and then spent another three or six years on that board after I chaired it. I wasnt very, most of the people, my friends werent real happy with me because they had to take another test.6 (11:05-12:13) TH: Going full circle with his career it all comes back to the University. It is all because of an experience Dr. Klish had at Eau Claire with a counselor of his, he feels

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/health-management/pediatricspecialists/pages/What-is-a-Pediatric-Gastroenterologist.aspx 4 http://www.chaausa.nonprofitoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={6A0B1F27-ADBC-48B7BDB6-C837AD18BADA}&DE={DA4656C5-B45D-45CB-9610-32BD5DC2348D} 5 http://www.chaausa.nonprofitoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={6A0B1F27-ADBC-48B7BDB6-C837AD18BADA}&DE={DA4656C5-B45D-45CB-9610-32BD5DC2348D}

Interview of William Klish by Troy Hietpas, September 27th, 2013 Centennial Oral History Project
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he owes it to the school to give back. Here he is talking about why he feels so inclined towards Eau Claire.7 BK: If it wouldnt have been for Eau Claire I wouldnt have done anything Ive done in my life because it was, there was a guy in the biology department by the name of Arnold Bakken. I came in with a C- average, which was hard to build that up. And Arnie took it upon himself after the end of my 5th year when I applied to medical school and since I didnt really have any money I could only apply to University of Wisconsin, it was the only place I could afford to go because there was no reciprocity with Minnesota at that time. And he, ya know, I sent in my application, got it sent back and it was no we cant, you dont your grade point average sucks sort of thing, and he actually drove to Madison on my behalf, talked to the admissions committee and got me admitted to the medical school. (30:26-31:54) TH: After serving time in the Marines Dr. Klish went on to an extensive career in pediatric gastroenterology. Truly helping to make the field into what it is today. Through his hard work and schooling Dr. Klish became a prominent figure in the medical field. Maybe Dr. Klish is a unique individual that graduated from Eau Claire in that he has obtained nation wide recognition but he is still one individual that portrays the possibilities that any graduate from Eau Claire can strive towards. No we all wont go on to be founders of a medical field, respectively, but we all have the opportunity to put our education to use in whatever direction we choose to go. Dr. Klish sums it up perfectly. BK: If you have this mantra of completion in your mind you can go a long ways in life.8

Interview of William Klish by Troy Hietpas, September 27th, 2013 Centennial Oral History Project 8 Interview of William Klish by Troy Hietpas, September 27th, 2013 Centennial Oral History Project
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Topic Choice The reason I selected life after Eau Claire is because as of right now I am not very sure where I am going to end up after I obtain a degree and I feel many people think the same way about college, maybe Im just making a generalization. But I enjoyed hearing about Dr. William Klishs experiences after graduating from Eau Claire and going on to medical school. He offers a very good point and it is how I am ending the podcast in that he says And a lot of my life was if you want to go do something do it and complete it. So many people start off something and then drop it. If you have this mantra of completion in your mind you can go a long ways in life, hearing this from someone as successful as Dr. Klish makes you believe even more, that if you put your mind to something you can truly achieve it.