Dr. Jack Vernon of the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), known nationally and internationally for his work on hearing problems including tinnitus (ringing or other noises in the ears or head), passed away quietly in his own home early in the morning of November 11. Jack, who always insisted on being known by his first name, was a co-founder in 1972 of the American Tinnitus Association, headquartered here in Portland. A resident of Portland since 1966, he recently moved from his long-time home (a houseboat on the Willamette River in Portland for which he and his wife did much of the construction themselves) to Tigard, Oregon to be closer to family. Jack was born April 6, 1922 in Tennessee but grew up in southwest Virginia. As a young teenager he became interested in learning to fly and already was proficient at flying small planes when World War II started in 1941. He left college to join the U.S. Army Air Force and soon became a flying instructor, training many pilots to fly the B-24 and B-25. When WW II ended he used the GI Bill to attend the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where he earned a B.A. degree in Psychology in 1948 and Ph.D. in 1952. Jack was immediately hired by Princeton University to teach and do research in psychology. During his 14 years at Princeton, he worked with the eminent Ernest Glen Wever on the physiology and behavior of hearing in bats and many other species. As a Princeton Professor, Jack knew several Nobel laureates, including the famous auditory physiologist, Georg von Bekesy, who stayed at his house—though he and Jack disagreed vigorously about art! In 1966 Jack decided that it was time to abandon research on exotic animal species and instead set to work to study "real problems of hearing in real people." Dr. David DeWeese, Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose & Throat or ENT) at Oregon Health & Science University, learned of Jack's interest in hearing problems and suggested that they join forces to start a research facility in Oregon to study problems of hearing. Together with DeWeese, and Dr. Robert Brummett, also of the ENT Department, Jack designed and built the Kresge Hearing Research Laboratory. The Laboratory included facilities for graduate students and ENT Residents (young doctors in training) to conduct research projects. As Director of the Hearing Research Laboratory, Jack insisted that the Laboratory's research be directed to important clinical problems. One of the most important research topics was tinnitus (ringing or other noises in the ears or head). Jack attended the Otolaryngology Department's weekly Grand Rounds, where he repeatedly heard that patients with all types of hearing problem experienced persistent, bothersome tinnitus. In 1970 Jack resolved to study the problem in Rhesus monkeys, after training them to signal when they heard ringing, noise, or other types of sounds. Not long after starting that research Jack was approached by Dr. Charles Unice, a California M.D., who had contacted the U.S. National Institutes of Health and learned that Jack Vernon was the only researcher in the country who was studying tinnitus. Dr. Unice had contracted severe, unrelenting tinnitus and hoped that Jack could help him. Jack protested that he knew little about how to help people with tinnitus, but Unice arrived in Portland to meet with Jack. During the course of their interaction they had a brown-bag lunch sitting next to one of Portland's many beautiful fountains. Jack noticed that his guest stood for a long time, right beside the fountain, and went to inquire whether his guest was feeling all right. Dr. Unice said with great excitement, "Standing here, I can't hear my tinnitus!" Jack said that he felt as though a light-bulb had lit up right over his head: "I realized," he said, "that we couldn't leave Chuck standing by that fountain forever—but we could duplicate that sound for him if we could only find the right technology!" Jack succeeded in working with three different hearing-aid companies to develop wearable devices (similar to hearing aids) that presented pleasant sound much like the gentle noise of the fountain. Jack then started the world's first Tinnitus Clinic within the Otolaryngology Department at OHSU. With the help of chief audiologist Dr. Robert Johnson, the Clinic provided treatment for hundreds of patients annually. By 2010 over 9000 tinnitus patients had received treatment there, and many additional people worldwide have benefited from the use of "tinnitus masking" or similar approaches to presenting acceptable sounds to the ears of tinnitus patients. Eventually a staff of seven researchers and many research assistants and graduate students worked together under Jack's leadership to tackle a wide range of hearing-associated problems over the years. By 1995 the Laboratory had outgrown its space and moved to a new building on the OHSU campus, and its name was changed to the Oregon Hearing Research Center. Since Jack’s retirement in 1996, the Tinnitus Clinic has remained an integral part of the Center, and cutting-edge research in the state-of-the-art labs forges ahead, investigating how hearing loss happens and how damaged hearing might be repaired. There is now a staff of over 70, with many new researchers and clinicians receiving training before they move on to staff other hearing research and treatment centers across the United States. Jack continued to work at OHSU every Friday until September 2010, receiving calls from tinnitus patients all over the country. Many callers expected to hear a computerized greeting and expressed surprise when they learned they were actually speaking with Dr. Jack Vernon himself. Jack has an outstanding record of achievement. He published six books on professional topics and well over 125 research articles. Among many honors, he has been honored by the Triological Society (Otology, Rhinology, Laryngology), the American Auditory Society, the First International Tinnitus Seminar, served as the second President of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, and served on the Board of Directors of the American Tinnitus Association for many years. In addition to his professional activities, Jack was well known for his woodworking, having created many useful and beautiful objects of wood. In his later years, his great artistic talent was expressed in carving what he called "totem poles"—though they are nothing like the well-known Native American totem poles of the Pacific Northwest. Jack’s carvings are abstract and exotic looking, ranging in height from 20 inches to 8 feet. He said “the wood spoke to him” as he carved each piece. His carvings are now located all over the United States, as many people requested them after the American Tinnitus Association advertised that they could be acquired through donations to the ATA Research Fund. Jack is survived by his son, Stephen Vernon, and daughter Victoria Vernon; by stepson Rick Meikle and stepdaughter Susan Meikle Mandell; and by his wife of many years, Dr. Mary Meikle, also a Professor in Otolaryngology at OHSU. At Jack's request, she established the world's largest database of clinical information from tinnitus patients, a valuable source of information concerning specific clinical characteristics of tinnitus. Jack's family have suggested that if anyone wishes to acknowledge Jack's legacy of scientific and clinical achievements, contributions may be made to the Jack Vernon Endowed Fund for Hearing Research, a new fund established to advance the work at the Oregon Hearing Research Center.