Dr. Fred Payne Sage died on March 20, 1999.
He was born in Drew, Mississippi, on December 13, 1923. After
graduating from high school, he enrolled in Mississippi State College
in Starkville, but his undergraduate studies were interrupted by World
War II. In 1943, at the age of twenty, he left college to join the
United States Army Air Corps. For two years, he piloted a B-24,
towing gliders and dropping Allied troops behind enemy lines. For
his bravery and skill, he was awarded an Air Medal with six Oak
Leaf Clusters and an ETO Campaign medal with nine Battle Stars.
In 1945, he returned to Mississippi State, where he served as student-body
president. After completing his college education, he moved to Memphis,
Tennessee, where he obtained his medical degree from the University
of Tennessee College of Medicine. He then returned to his hometown
of Drew and hung out his shingle as a general practitioner. In 1952,
he decided to further his education in orthopaedic surgery; four
years later, he graduated from the Campbell Foundation-University
of Tennessee Orthopaedic Surgery residency program and joined the
staff of the Campbell Clinic in Memphis.
Encouraged by the success of intramedullary nail fixation of
femoral fractures, Dr. Sage turned his attention to the use of intramedullary
nails for forearm fractures. In a classic article (Smith, H., and
Sage, F. P.: Medullary fixation of forearm fractures. J.
Bone and Joint Surg., 39-A: 91-98, Jan. 1957), Dr. Sage
and Dr. Hugh Smith described the disappointing results with this technique
and called for modifications in nail design and technique, especially
for use in the radius. Two years later, he provided a detailed description of
the anatomy of the radius, derived from studies of 100 cadaveric
radii (Sage, F. P.: Medullary fixation of fractures of the forearm.
A study of the medullary canal of the radius and a report of fifty fractures
of the radius treated with a prebent triangular nail. J.
Bone and Joint Surg., 41-A: 1489-1516, Dec. 1959). On the
basis of this information, he designed a prebent triangular nail for
fixation of radial fractures and a straight triangular nail for
fixation of ulnar fractures. He reported union in almost 90 percent
of the first fifty radial and ulnar fractures fixed with these nails. This
landmark article describing the Sage nail and the basis for its
design was among the first to emphasize the importance of maintaining
the radial bow, and it presented the forerunner to modern radial
and ulnar nails. Another of Dr. Sage's classic publications, co-authored
with Dr. Harold B. Boyd, was a study of congenital pseudarthrosis
of the tibia (Boyd, H. B., and Sage, F. P.: Congenital pseudarthrosis
of the tibia. J. Bone and Joint Surg., 40-A: 1245-1270,
Dec. 1958). Dr. Sage also was a consistent contributor to Campbell's
Operative Orthopaedics, writing chapters for five editions
of the text.
Over time, Dr. Sage's practice became more focused on children,
especially those with poliomyelitis, cerebral palsy, and muscular
dystrophy. He served as chief of staff at the Crippled Children's Hospital
for eighteen years, and he was active in organizations involved
in the treatment of children with neuromuscular diseases, such as
the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy, the American Academy for
Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, the Tennessee Council
for Handicapped Children, and the United Cerebral Palsy Association.
After his presidency in 1981, the American Academy for Cerebral
Palsy and Developmental Medicine established the Fred P. Sage Award, which
is given for the best audiovisual presentation at each annual meeting.
However, his participation was not limited to such organizations.
He also was a member of the American Orthopaedic Association, president
of the Tennessee Orthopaedic Association, and president of the Russell
A. Hibbs Society.
Despite the high regard in which he was held by his colleagues
and despite his national and international reputation, most of Dr.
Sage's patients knew little about his professional and academic
accomplishments. It was his down-to-earth approach, his practical
advice, and his obvious commitment to the welfare of his patients
that endeared him to them and their families. His unswerving commitment
to always do the best for his patients earned him the sobriquet
of "the conscience of the clinic" from his partners.
As clinical professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
at the University of Tennessee-Campbell Clinic, he was a favorite
instructor of medical students and residents because he encouraged
their questions and opinions and was never too busy to discuss a
problem or to explain a procedure. With a few succinct, often humorous, comments
he could distill the important points of diagnosis or treatment
of a particular condition in a way that was sure to be remembered.
He decreased his surgical and clinical activities in 1993 in
order to spend more time with his family and to pursue his favorite
pastime, fishing. He was a senior warden at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church
and served for many years on the board of trustees, including one
year as president.
When his illness was discovered in the summer of 1998, he faced
that adversary as he had all others, with courage and grace. All
of us who knew him will miss his wise advice and his unfailing good humor.
He was truly a member of that "greatest generation," serving his
country, his profession, his church, and his community with loyalty
and humility.
Dr. Sage is survived by his wife, Anita; a son, Payne; three
daughters, Alicia, Christina, and Katherine; and two grandchildren.
S. T. C.