In memoriam: Joseph Michael Foley, MD (1916-2012).

J oseph Michael Foley, MD (March 9, 1916–June 13, 2012) was an outstanding clinical neurologist and geriatrician, educator, academic leader, and professional statesman. His charisma, unending enthusiasm, joie de vivre, warmth, kindness, compassion, dedication, and genuine interest in people earned him friends and devotees among colleagues, trainees, nurses, and countless patients. An unequaled raconteur with a marvelous and sometimes impish sense of humor, who enjoyed conversing with people from all walks of life, Foley collected crowds around himself in social and professional gatherings as he told jokes and stories, some at his own expense. In 1-on-1 interactions, though, Foley gave his full and undivided attention to the person in front of him, no matter their background or circumstances. Foley was a first-generation American, born to Irish immigrant parents in the Boston suburb of Dorchester, Massachusetts. His father was a garbage collector and his mother was a homemaker. Although his parents had little education, his mother emphasized the importance of educational attainment for him. He attended Boston Public Latin School, where he was class president, then received a full scholarship to Holy Cross College, from which he graduated magna cum laude in 1937 (and which later awarded him an honorary doctorate of science). His intention at this point was to become a psychiatrist. In 1941, Foley graduated cum laude from Harvard Medical College, where he was the John Ware Memorial Research Fellow and Harmon Scholar.