I went to visit Dick McCray this week. Sadly he is unwell.
We met first in 1971 in New York. I was on my first trip to USA, traveling across west to east on my way back to England after spending 3 weeks in
Japan looking at and learning a breakthrough technique that became known as ERCP. I had contacted the rather few people and centers that were writing about endoscopy at that time. Dick had published a classic paper about GI bleeding.
His response to my tentative enquiry was typical – terrific, come and stay – which I did. That began a lifelong friendship. We sailed his yacht in Long Island sound
, a little scary when the wind got up. We ate a lot and drank a little (or maybe the other way round) at his favorite restaurants in New York and at numerous international conferences around the world. We climbed the pyramids in Mexico 
and celebrated the bicentennial by taking a boat from Budapest to Vienna, and on to my back yard in London.
He helped found the New York Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and kindly invited me to speak at their first and 30th (I think) meetings. NYSGE has become a very important professional organization. The photo shows Dick and other past presidents at a recent meeting.
Dick’s early domestic life was somewhat turbulent, but he was enormously fortunate to meet and marry Carol 26 years ago
She has been and remains his guardian angel.
Marion and I cherish the times spent at their lovely old farm house in the Berkshires, where he and Carol love to entertain
Proud to know you, best buddy
Peter
What a lovely post. I remember Dick visiting us in England several times and him taking me out to dinner in New York once. He was always witty and good fun and I think of him with great fondness.
Thank you for the lovely tribute. I read it to Dickie and he had a big smile on his face.
So nice to see you.
Peter, you are a gem as always. This is a fine and glowing tribute. Thank you so much. I have always been so proud of my dad’s professional life. What an exciting time it was for you early GI doctors- the pioneers!! And what a magnificent impact you have had on the world. I have such fond memories of you and dad as close friends. He spoke of you so often. So many great tales. And yes, he is blessed to have found Carol. She is indeed his angel.
I have been living and working as an artist and teacher here in Costa Rica for the past sixteen years. If you ever make it here, I will walk you through the jungle and feed you fresh mango and fine coffee. I’m so glad you were able to visit with him. I know it must have cheered him up. Thank you so much for this tribute. It brings me tears of joy.
Hi Peter,
How extraordinarily kind of you to visit Dick in the Berkshires and to send those wonderful pictures that touch on your combined lives.
It has been painful to see Dick deteriorate from the vibrant, wickedly humorous individual that he was. My memories of course go back much further- to the time that Dick was a resident vaguely interested in gastroenterology and how I as a confirmed non endoscopist pushed him to try resulting in the building of the first endoscopy unit in New York City at St. Luke’s.
Many memories.
Cheers.
Peter
Peter R. Holt
Senior Research Associate
The Rockefeller University