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by Nina Beckwith FEATURED UCSF ARTIST | NINA'S ARTS NOTES 1st appeared 06 July 1998 Frank Hinman Jr. -- The Pursuit of Art and Science
He did retire from clinical practice in l985 -- September 25 of that year was proclaimed Frank Hinman Day at UCSF with a big banquet in Toland Hall -- but every year since, he has been called back as clinical professor of urology: he teaches third-year medical students and residents, and he puts in an eight-hour working day, leaving at 6:20 p.m., he says, "only to get my car out before the garage closes." For almost all of this century, Frank Hinmans have been associated with urology at UCSF. The first chairman of the department was Frank Hinman Sr., who arrived in 1915. His son began urologic residency in the UCSF rotation after medical studies at Johns Hopkins and surgical residency in Cincinnati, and after two years as surgeon on the aircraft carrier Intrepid, which took frequent hits during Pacific battles in World War II. Hinman Jr., became a clinical professor at UCSF in l962; he was chief of the Urology Service at SFGH from l958 to l977 and Chief of Urology at Children's Hospital from l959 until 1985. This year on June 19 he was awarded the top medal in his specialty at the Dean's annual recognition ceremony. In the accompanying brief summary of his career ("Always curious about how things work, Hinman has made several contributions to basic knowledge and practice") the Dean devoted half of his statement to Hinman's professional leadership activities and awards -- national, international, and those connected with his special research field of pediatric urology and surgery. One of the latter has the charming name of Wee Willie Award, given by a group of younger pediatric urologists in tribute to an outstanding senior scientist.
"When you get older," he says, "you find that oils take too long to dry. For acrylics all you need is a hair dryer. They're much more practical, cleaner, and less smelly." Among other projects, Hinman is at work on a book called The Pursuit of Art and Science . Can one person really pursue both art and science at the same time? His answer is No. "A lot of scientists are artists and a lot of artists are scientists," he says, "but they don't do it at the same time." For this book Hinman confines himself to visual artists and he has amassed a great deal of historical and documentary evidence to support his premise -- from Galileo to Humphrey Davy and Louis Pasteur, a professional artist "before he got sidetracked into science," Hinman says -- to Harvey Cushing, who gave up art for neurosurgery, and Frederick Banning, the Canadian discoverer of insulin and a former painter. Leonardo da Vinci, as always, exceeds all limits and categories. Hinman himself, who sketches on his travels and paints large figures and abstractions in his studio, has had two one-man shows and is always represented in the annual UCSF Art Show. He gave up painting for some years while at intensive work on NIH-funded research, bearing out his own theory of creativity.
Open Your Golden Gate Everything you ever wanted to know about all the live performing arts in the San Francisco area -- who, what, where, and when, from Day One to last night -- can be found in one wonderful place, the San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum, or PALM. From its unique collection, the largest of its kind on the West Coast, PALM presents several exhibitions each year. The current show is "San Francisco in Song," featuring colorful sheet music covers of songs about the City from Gold Rush days to the present. Sure, you've heard that song from the l936 movie San Francisco, starring Clark Gable and Jeannette MacDonald, sung many times since by Tony Bennett, Judy Garland, etc., etc. But among less familiar songs inspired by the l906 'quake with dramatic depictions on their covers are San Francisco Our Beloved, Arise, Arise, The Stricken City, and Of Earthquake and Fire. For the Pan-Pacific Exposition of l915, the City's rebirth was celebrated by such songs as Meet Me at the San Francisco Fair and Frisco, You're a Bear. Hello Frisco Hello came from the l915 Ziegfeld Follies, inspired by the first transcontinental phone call from New York. The original cover of I Left My Heart in San Francisco is here, along with many other songs and materials about the artists who performed them. Sheet Music Exhibition runs until August 29. Open free of charge Wednesdays 1-7; Thurs. & Fri. 11-5, and Saturdays 12 to 5. Appropriately, PALM is on Grove Street, corner of Gough, close to the Opera House and Davies Symphony Hall whose archives it houses, along with those of the SF Ballet, Stern Grove Festival, and other performing groups. Its materials also include over 9,000 books; thousands of biographical files on performers; 3,000 scripts of plays and musicals; a large musical theater collection with many original cast recordings, and more than 1,000 dance and music videos -- all available for consultation free of charge. * * * * * Musical Summer in the City An exciting and very varied lineup for l998's summer concert series kicks off on July 9 and 10. Presented by the SF Art Commission and the SF Symphony, the concerts are held in Davies Hall, one of this country's most beautiful and comfortable places to hear music of any kind -- and along with the music you can enjoy light suppers, desserts, and drinks in the food pavilions. Series starts with a bang: Beethoven's Big Bang, his magnificent Ninth Symphony with its soaring "Ode to Joy" finale, sung by the splendid SF Symphony Chorus. The soloists are all superb young singers. On the same program is Beethoven's glorious Piano Concerto No. 2, played by Anton Nel. Nicholas McGegan (of Philharmonia Baroque fame) conducts the SF Symphony. (Second performance on July 10 is UC Night: orders had to be in by July 2.) On Saturday July 11, it's Rodgers & Hammerstein & Friends, with Phantom of the Opera star Lisa Vroman, and on July 16 -- right after Bastille Day -- it's Vive La France! with violinist Elmar Oliveira. French music to be performed includes Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy, Chabrier's Espańa, and Ravel's beloved Bolero. Next night, July 17, the one and only Bernadette Peters, and on July 18, an evening with Andrea Marcovicci, the acclaimed cabaret singer. See what we mean by very varied? Summer in the City concert tickets are available individually, at "family prices" and in various packages. For selected concerts Student and Senior Rush tickets may be available at half price. Phone 864-6000; fax 554-0108; website www.sfsymphony. org * * * * * Also re: summer music: on Sunday July 12, at Stern Grove, you can see one of Mozart's greatest operas, his last in fact, The Magic Flute, performed by the brilliant young artists of SF Opera's Merola Opera Program, conducted by Susan Webb. Graduates of the Merola Program are now top opera stars performing on all the world's major stages. At Stern Grove you can see and hear the next constellation of international stars. Performance is free, starts at 2 p.m. but get to Stern Grove (l9th Avenue at Sloat) with your picnic at least two hours earlier as the Merola Opera is always one of the summer's most popular events. |
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Several
weeks ago, we wrote about painter Paul Stempen who is also the UCSF urology department's
medical illustrator, and referred to Stempen's mentor, Frank Hinman Jr., as
"professor emeritus." We were wrong: Hinman is highly meritorious but he is not
emeritus.
Painting is
one of several other Hinman pursuits, one which began in medical school and developed
during his Navy service when he found himself with a lot of time on his hands between
battles. He rigged up a 300-watt bulb to paint by, over the objections of his roommates,
and after returning home, he studied with Joe Hughes at the old SF Museum of Modern Art,
expanding to larger and more ambitious canvases and using acrylic paints rather than oils.
Since boyhood, Hinman has been a sailor: in 30-foot one-design yachts he has
been the SF season champion five times and has three National Championships. In another
area of skill, he learned to make Sheraton-style furniture, an art the French call ébénisterie,
or exquisite cabinetmaking. And the Hinman Christmas cards, usually featuring one of their
beloved black Labradors, have become cherished collector's items.