WILLIAM JOHN HOLMES

Dr. William J. Holmes was born May 7, 1911 in Budapest, Hungary, the son of Alexander Charles and Rona Paula Holmes. He received a B.S. degree from the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, in 1930 and his medical degree from Rush Medical College, Chicago, in 1934. His internship was served at Cook County Hospital, Chicago, from 1933-34. He was a resident in ophthalmology at Presbyterian Hospital, Chicago for 6 months (1935) and at Cook County Hospital, Chicago from 1934-35 and 1935-37. The American Board of Ophthalmology certified him in 1941.

Dr. Holmes came to Hawaii in 1938 and opened an office for the private practice of ophthalmology at the Alexander Young Building in Honolulu. He was appointed wartime chief of Hawaii's Light Control Committee concerned with blackout during World War II. He was Consulting Ophthalmologist at the Tokyo Army Hospital under the Surgeon General, U.S. Army. In 1952 he was Visiting Professor of Ophthalmology at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India. He was a guest lecturer at Indian eye societies under the sponsorship of the Watumull Foundation. In 1958 he visited Asia under the auspices of MEDICO and the U.S. State Department to organize ophthalmologists in Asia into the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Holmes contributed many scientific articles to the medical literature. He co-authored "A Treatise on Night Vision". Under the sponsorship of the University of Hawaii and the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research, he conducted original research on special vision problems. He was a member of many medical organizations, both national and international. Some of the organizations are: the American Medical Association, the Hawaii Medical Association, the American Ophthalmologic Society, Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology, International College of Surgeons, World Medical Association, the Aero-Medical Association and the Honolulu County Medical Society. He served on the Medical Advisory Boards of MEDICO and Project HOPE.

Dr. Holmes was President of the Friends of the East-West Center, University of Hawaii from 1963-64. He was a member of the Pacific Club, the Outrigger Canoe Club, the Chamber of Commerce of Honolulu and the Board of Governors of the Hawaii Visitors Bureau.

Dr. Holmes was married to Gisela Estenfelder in Honolulu on March 3, 1945. They had three children: Charles Thomas, Barbara Maili and William Ward. Dr. Holmes died on September 20, 1989 in Honolulu.

Medicine in Hawaii: Oral History Series

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