William R. “Bill” Cheek, M.D.
1927-2021

William R. Cheek, Jr., died peacefully on January 3, 2021 after an extended battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
Bill Cheek was born on December 26, 1927 in Springfield, Missouri. He was an only child. Both of his parents were teachers. His father had a Ph.D. in Education. Bill graduated from Missouri State University at age 19 and then attended medical school at Washington University in Saint Louis, graduating in 1951. He served an internship in General Surgery at Yale University and then became an assistant resident in Surgery at the University of Virginia. In 1952 he joined the Navy and served as a medical officer attached to the United States Marines, stationed in Korea. After honorable discharge from the military, he began several years of extensive training in the neurosciences that included fellowship training in Neurology, Neuropathology and Neuroradiology. Remarkably, he was the first Research Fellow for Roger Guillemin, who was building a reputation in Neuroendocrinology at the Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston. A few years later Guillemin would win the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology.

Dr. Cheek then completed neurosurgical training at Columbia University in New York, and subsequently returned to Houston to join the Department of Neurosurgery at Baylor and what is now known as Houston Methodist Hospital. Over time he undertook more and more pediatric cases and became the go to neurosurgeon for the local pediatricians. At that point Dr. Cheek decided to specialize in pediatrics and so with the support of the Department and the administration of the nearby Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH), he established the first full time neurosurgical service at TCH. He remained the Chief of the Neurosurgical Service until his retirement in 1995. During his tenure at TCH, several BCM residents became interested in and pursued careers in Pediatric Neurosurgery. Many are actively practicing in academic centers today. He also trained several post graduate fellows in the era prior to the establishment of standardized pediatric neurosurgery training. Even after his retirement, and as long as his health would allow, Dr. Cheek regularly attended neurosurgical conferences at the hospital and the College. The award for best resident on the TCH service was named for him and when he was able, he came to the end of year banquet to present it. In 2014, Texas Children’s Hospital designated Dr. Cheek as a Distinguished Surgeon in the history of the institution, along with Dr. Denton Cooley and Dr. Franklin James Harberg. A paper describing the legacy of Dr. Cheek at BCM and TCH is forthcoming in the Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics.

During his career Dr. Cheek served in every leadership position then available in Pediatric Neurosurgery. He was President of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons, Chairman of the Joint Section on Pediatric Neurosurgery of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He was a Charter Member of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery. He was an editor of the textbook Pediatric Neurosurgery and lead editor of its companion text The Atlas of Pediatric Neurosurgery. Finally, Dr. Cheek was instrumental in the development of standardized post-graduate training in Pediatric Neurosurgery. He was a founding Director and Chair of the Accreditation Council for Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowships that established minimum criteria for training programs. He was a founding Director and Chair of the American Board of Pediatric Neurosurgery which certified the subspecialty and is now a recognized subspeciality of the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

Dr. Cheek was known for his interest and skill in golf. He maintained a golf shop above his garage and undertook club repair as well as creating custom clubs for his friends. He donated clubs to many children who would otherwise be unable to enjoy the sport. Bill Cheek was well known by major players and professionals in the Houston community having been a member at River Oaks Country Club as well as at Champions. He was a joy to play golf with, unless if you did not care to strictly honor the Rules of Golf. In fact, after retiring from practice, Dr. Cheek became a USGA rules official and worked at tournaments around the country.

He is survived by Mary, his wife of 32 years, as well as his son and daughter and their families, including five grandchildren. Dr. William Cheek, master surgeon, educator, and pioneer of the current specialty of pediatric neurosurgery was 93 years old.

Thomas G. Luerssen, MD, FACS, FAAP, FAANS(L) (Indianapolis, IN)
Andrew Jea, MD, FACS, FAAP, FAANS (Oklahoma City, OK)
Marion L. Walker, MD, FACS, FAAP, FAANS(L) (Salt Lake City, UT)

Link for memorial details: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?n=william-cheek&pid=197465771&fhid=6290