A longtime physician-educator for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, William F. Gust, M.D., died Thursday in his Omaha home. He was 69.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, at Dundee Presbyterian Church, 5312 Underwood Ave. Visitation with the family will be from 5 to 7 p.m., Sunday, at Heafey-Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler Funeral Chapels, 7805 W. Center Rd.
At the age of 33, Dr. Gust was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in his neck region. He was successfully treated with extensive radiation, but the high doses of radiation resulted in a series of complications later in his life. These complications led to progressive voice, breathing and swallowing difficulties, which ultimately contributed to his death.
An Omaha native, Dr. Gust retired earlier this year after 37 years on the faculty and staff of UNMC and the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1963 and his medical degree from UNMC in 1967.
Dr. Gust was assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine and served as director of the UNMC Hypertension Clinic for many years. From 1984 to 1997, he was director of UNMC’s continuing education program and played a key role in UNMC’s state-of-the-art distance education system, which delivered medical education programs via satellite to health professionals throughout the state and the country.
His posts at the VA Medical Center included section chief of general internal medicine, director of the primary care program, and associate chief of staff for education.
“Bill was kind, very understated, easy to work with and would do anything to support the medical center,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. “He will be missed.”
In 1994, a serious throat infection required an emergency tracheotomy, which forever gave his voice a gravelly quality. Three years later, while boarding an airplane in Omaha, Dr. Gust experienced cardiac arrest which resulted in a quadruple bypass. He is believed to be the first person whose life was saved by the newly installed defibrillators at Eppley Airfield.
Many people knew Dr. Gust in his role as a communicator. For more than 20 years, he was co-host of a weekly radio program, “Community Health Line,” on KIOS-FM (91.5). The program, which concluded in 2007, is believed to be the longest running health program ever on an Omaha radio station.
In addition, Dr. Gust also served as host of “The Wellness Connection,” a monthly television program on Cox Cable’s Health and Wellness Channel, and “VA Affairs,” a monthly television program produced by the VA Medical Center.
“To my knowledge, Dr. Gust was the only radio host with a tracheotomy on the air, anywhere,” said Wil Perry, who served as station manager at KIOS from 1985 to 2005. “Radio is about communication, and Bill was an impeccable communicator. In an industry that prides itself on ‘voice of God’ announcers with ‘pipes of gold’ – many times in lieu of meaningful content, Bill was the antidote.”
He was past president of the Nebraska Chapter of the American Heart Association and received the Special Achievement Award – Communications Volunteer of the Year from the organization in 1990. He was frequently tabbed for media interviews dealing with heart issues.
“With all his health issues, Bill received amazing care from his many colleagues at the medical center,” his wife, Mary Beth Gust, said. “They kept him going, and Bill loved to keep busy. Someone always had the net under him to catch him.”
Dr. Gust had a distinguished military career serving two years as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during the Vietnam War. His military awards include a Bronze Star with V device and first oak leaf cluster, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Combat Medics Badge.
Rowen Zetterman, M.D., dean of the Creighton University School of Medicine and a longtime colleague of Dr. Gust when he worked at UNMC, said: “Bill earned several commendations in Vietnam and never talked about it; he endured serious personal illnesses and never complained; he worked hard at being a physician, teacher and mentor and never asked for thanks. We are all better for having known and worked with him.”
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Delrahe and Sandra Gust, Nebraska City; his daughter and son-in-law, Melodie and David Rice; his son and daughter-in-law, Geoff and Kym Gust, Philadelphia; and five grandchildren, Jordyn Daubman, Evan Rice, and Adam Rice, of Omaha; and Kylee Gust, and Harper Gust, of Philadelphia.
The family has requested memorials go to Dundee Presbyterian Church, the Nebraska Chapter of the American Heart Association and the Suburban Rotary Club.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $100 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 3,200 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.