Dr. C. Everett Koop, 1916-2013, in Tribute
Firestorm, along with the country, mourns the passing at his home in Hanover, New Hampshire, of one of our original Expert Council members, C. Everett Koop. Dr. Koop was 96.
Dr. Koop was the 13th Surgeon General of the United States, from 1981 to 1989 during the Reagan administration and the early months of the administration of George H.W. Bush.
“Dr. Koop will be remembered for his colossal contributions to the health and well-being of patients and communities in the U.S. and around the world,” said a statement released by Chip Souba, dean of the Geisel School of Medicine and Joseph O’Donnell, senior scholar at the C. Everett Koop Institute. “As one of our country’s greatest surgeons general, he effectively promoted health and the prevention of disease, thereby improving millions of lives in our nation and across the globe.”
He is best remembered for his official 1986 report on AIDS – a plain-spoken 36-page document that talked about the way AIDS spread (through sex, needles and blood), the ways it did not spread (through casual contact in homes, schools and workplaces) and how people could protect themselves.
This speech by Dr. Koop was delivered in 2008 at the Firestorm “Every Crisis is a Human Crisis” Symposium at Georgetown University. A short introduction precedes the speech.