Science is like baseball: You keep swinging

 

 

 

Related article * WSU gives highest alumni award to physician, athlete Olerud

PULLMAN, Wash. – 1965 was a big year for John E. Olerud: he was captain and catcher for the Washington State University College World Series team, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in zoology, was drafted by the California Angels baseball team and was accepted to medical school.

 

Unwilling to choose between his love of baseball and his goal of becoming a doctor, Olerud spent the next seven years playing professional AAA baseball while also attending the University of Washington medical school. Today, his is a celebrated physician, researcher, professor and volunteer—and he continues to play competitive baseball.

 

On Saturday, during the WSU fall commencement ceremony, Olerud was honored with the 2011 Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award (RDAA), the highest accolade the university confers on its alumni.

 

The day before, he visited with the baseball team, toured campus facilities and delivered the annual RDAA lecture to an enthusiastic audience in Bryan Hall Theatre.

 

“When I drove into Pullman for the first time,” Olerud recalled, “I saw these crimson buildings on the hill, and I could not have known at that time the incredible impact on my life this campus would have.”

 

Olerud is a practicing dermatologist who specializes in diabetic wounds healing and engineering the interface between the skin and medical devices that pass through the skin.

 

His research and collaborative work have led to significant advancements in the understanding of the effects of biofilm—a thin layer of bacterial film that can form on nearly any surface and produces molecules that inhibit healing. He is collaborating on developing porous materials that could reduce infections associated with medical implants such as dialysis catheters and glucose sensors.

 

He is also head of the Department of Dermatology at the UW, a position he has held for 23 years, where he was instrumental in creating a skin biology course. According to Olerud, his administrative role ties together his efforts in patient care, education and research.

 

“It gives me the opportunity to be the general manager of a team,” he explained with a smile.

 

During his lecture, “How Life and Science are Like Baseball,” Olerud paid homage to his mentor and WSU baseball coach, Chuck “Bobo” Brayton, in his six lessons about life:
1. It’s great to be a Cougar.
2. Don’t let anyone outwork you.
3. Don’t let anyone be better prepared.
4. Make the most of where you are.
5. A swinging bat is a dangerous bat.
6. Quality wins.

 

“Science is a lot like baseball,” Olerud explained. “You don’t always get a hit, but you keep on swinging” and aiming for a home run.

 

Olerud was the first in his family to attend college and, during the lecture, acknowledged the profound influence the late Professor Herb Eastlick had on his life. Like Brayton, Eastlick took an interest in Olerud’s success and offered him support and guidance.

 

“I grew up here, basically,” he said, “and discovered that you can really be what you want to be if you work hard at it.”

 

He also discovered Lynda Daley at WSU. They married and have two children who attended WSU, Erica and John. John Jr. also played for the Cougars and went on to have a successful baseball career of his own.

 

Family is paramount in Olerud’s life. Ten family members met in Pullman for his lecture and award presentation.

 

“I am incredibly humbled to receive this award. I never dreamed that I would be honored this way,” he said.

 

He serves on the advisory board of the WSU Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering and has agreed to serve on other university boards as well.

 

And Olerud literally does keep on swinging his bat: in November, he and his Washington Titan teammates successfully defended their national championship title in the 60+ Classics AAAA division of the Roy Hobbs World Series Baseball Tournament.