 VIP, December 1996
Flash Gordon, M.D., F.A.C.E.P.
Flash Gordon, M.D., F.A.C.E.P.,
is a founding member, principal mover, organizer, and friend of H.E.A.R.
One evening at a concert at the Kennel Club at which Flash, musician
and Medical Director of the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic met Kathy
Peck at a show both happened to be attending. As part of Flash's contribution
to the musical community in San Francisco he had graciously provided medical
care at rock concerts for performers and patrons during the late 1970's.
During the show at The Kennel Club that night, Flash saw one of his patients,
who was also a rock musician, walking past the speaker stack, with his
fingers in his ears. It occurred to him that rock musicians were both
at risk of hearing loss due to high-level sound exposure, and yet in need
of good hearing to function effectively in their profession. He didn't
know of any organized effort to educate the public about this issue.
Flash realized that Kathy, an established and respected rock musician
who'd suffered a hearing loss would be an ideal person to champion this
cause. Flash talked with Kathy that evening at the Kennel Club about starting
such a program, knowing that rock musicians and fans would be more likely
listen to her than to him.
Kathy was immediately enthusiastic about the idea; so much so, in fact,
that she and Flash started H.E.A.R. Initially a program of the Haight
Ashbury Free Clinic, H.E.A.R. later became the independent entity it is
today.
Flash is now in the private practice
of medicine in San Rafael, California. He still considers himself a frustrated
keyboardist, but to everyone at H.E.A.R. Flash is music to our ears.
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