In honour of Harry Foster a memorial celebration of his life was held in Victoria on the afternoon of October 27, 2009 at the University of Victoria's University Club. It was very fitting that the memorial be held at the University Club because this was a favourite spot for Harry to entertain his friends and colleagues for lunch and the preferred venue for his long standing monthly get together with his friends and colleagues Drs Hoffer and Campbell. These lunch time chats gave rise to many fruitful collaborations.
Family, friends, university colleagues, graduate students, undergraduates, research collaborators, business associates and people whose health had benefited from Harry's work were all in attendance. Harry's life and work touched a very broad array of people. Brian Holmes, of the Harold Foster Foundation (www.hdfoster.com) and Steven Carter of the International Schizophrenia Society (www.orthomed.org) welcomed everyone, introduced a host of speakers and paid their own respects to Harry's memory. Harry's enormous contributions to nutritional medicine were obviously central to many of the speakers but following close behind was Harry's love of horse racing.
Steven Carter started everyone off down this road with his story of trying to present Harry with the "Orthomolecular Doctor of the Year" award in 2004. The award is typically presented at lunch during the Nutritional Medicine Today conference hosted by ISOM. Unbeknownst to Steven the Kentucky Derby was running that day and rather than stick around for lunch Harry slipped out to find a place where he could place a bet. After giving up the search for Harry, Steven had to announce him as the winner of the award in his absence. Once Harry reappeared for the afternoon presentations Steven found an opportunity to bring him to the podium and present him with his award at which time Harry confessed as to his absence at lunch. This story preceded a variety of speakers each with their own unique experiences with Harry Foster. Norman, a very fit and healthy looking former AIDS patient outlined his gratitude to Harry for providing him with the nutritional protocol that led to his recovery. He described himself as a most reluctant landlord to the HIV virus. Marnie Bradfield, the Honourary Chair of the Harold Foster Foundation, described her success in using Harry's nutritional approach to AIDS with the staff at her family's farm in South Africa. She then went on to describe her own success in dealing with her multiple sclerosis using a nutritional protocol very similar to that outlined by Harry in his recent book titled "What Really Causes Multiple Sclerosis".
JP LeFleur finished off the list of speakers by recounting his own stories of Harry and outlining Harry's plans and ambitions for the Harold Foster Foundation. In addition, JP filled us in on the significance of the various horses that Harry's books were dedicated to. We are all grateful to JP, Jacquie, Colin, Brian, Marnie and all of those at the Harold Foster Foundation and Foster Health Inc (www.fosterhealth.ca) for carrying Harry's plans and research forward.
Harry's family, the Foster Health Foundation and Steven Carter of the International Schizophrenia Society did a wonderful job of providing all of us with this celebration of Professor Foster's life. Thanks to all of you. Harry will be sorely missed.
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Dr. Brian Schaefer
Acquired Intelligence Inc
Victoria B.C.
Canada
1 250 483 3640
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