The man who helped convince the Board of Visitors to fund the present-day University Hospital, former University Vice President for Health Affairs William 'Harry' Henry Muller Jr. passed away Thursday in Irvington, Va. at the age of 92.
Irving Kron, chairman of the department of surgery, emphasized the integral role Muller played in overseeing the establishment of the new University Hospital, which opened in 1989 - just in time for Muller to retire a year later.
"I am sure [the new hospital] would not have happened without him," Kron said.
Muller came to the University in 1954 at age 35 to serve as the chairman of the department of surgery and division chief of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. He was a graduate of the Citadel and received his M.D. from Duke in 1943. He then went on to complete his surgical residency at Johns Hopkins.
During his time at the University, Muller continued to contribute extensively to the field of cardiovascular medicine, helping pioneer cardiovascular surgery by developing the pulmonary artery banding procedure used to treat high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, as well as congenital heart defects, Kron said.
"No one else had thought about it," Kron said. "It was much simpler than open heart surgery and got the kids to the age they could have open heart surgery. It was an incredible thing."
Medicine Prof. Robert M. Carey, former dean of the Medical school, said Muller also introduced "the very first aortic valve replacement in a patient with aortic valve disease."
Before retiring, Muller served on the American Board of Surgery and the Conference Committee on Graduate Training and Surgery. He was a member and later the chairman of the Surgery Study Section of the National Institutes of Health. He served as president of the American College of Surgeons in 1976 and was president of the Society of University Surgeons, the Southern Surgical Association and the American Surgical Association at various points during his career.
"He was a man of deep faith and conviction and was extremely well-organized," Carey said. "He always had the best interests of the University of Virginia and the health sciences in mind."
Muller is survived by his wife Hildwin Headley Muller, three children and their spouses, nine grandchildren and their spouses, and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held yesterday at 11 a.m. in the University Chapel.
"He took great care of his faculty, friends and family," Kron said. "I do not think enough people knew how great a man he was"
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