Norman L. Talpins, M.D., F.A.C.S.
I received my bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Columbia College in 1960 and then enrolled in
med school at NYU. I have many wonderful memories of my years there, especially my marriage
to Susan after my second year. I met my lifelong love and partner when I was 16, during my last
year of high school. She supported us during my academic years while she attended graduate
school at night. My closest friends were Jerry Roberts, my first-year roommate, Andy Milano, Ed
Curtis, and Bob Smith. The last three were ushers at my wedding. We enjoyed attending New
York’s most economical dining establishments, museums, theaters, etc., while reveling in the new
medical wonders we learned each day.
Upon graduating from NYU, I began six years of training at Albert Einstein in general and vascular
surgery. In my vascular year, I was involved in pioneering the development of the dual-chambered
intra-aortic balloon pump to assist critically ill cardiac patients. Susan and I even managed to
moonlight on Long Island during our weekends off. During my residency, two of our three children
were born.
Under the Berry Plan, I spent two years at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Illinois, where I
practiced general and vascular surgery and we had our third child. It was certainly a different
experience from civilian life and practice.
In l972, we moved to Hollywood, Florida, where I established my private practice in surgery.
Fortunately, I was able to limit my practice to a large teaching hospital, Memorial Regional
Hospital. I became Chief of Surgery and was responsible for establishing and directing the Breast
Center at that hospital, a new concept at that time. Shortly after entering practice, I furthered my
training at the University of Miami where I learned how to perform new vascular access
operations for dialysis. These operations became a prominent part of my practice. I was also the
first surgeon in Hollywood to be trained in laparoscopic surgery and the first to perform
laparoscopic cholecystectomy in our city.
After obtaining her doctorate in child development, Susan became an Associate Dean at Nova
Southeastern University. She developed the Baudhuin School for autistic children. All of our
children, who currently live within ten minutes of our house, attended private schools and
universities. Our son became a lawyer, and married a lawyer; they have one boy age 7. One of our
daughters is an MRI radiologist married to an anesthesiologist who is president-elect of our state
anesthesiology association, the FSA. They have two boys, age 12 and 15. Our younger daughter is
a speech pathologist, married to a lawyer. They have two children, a boy of 10 and a girl who is 8.
Our children grew up reaping the benefits of hard-working parents. We lived on the Intracoastal
Waterway and owned several boats through the years. We enjoyed fishing, scuba diving, and
yacht club activities. Susan and I both worked long hours. However, we always adhered to a
schedule of six weeks vacation each year, travelling across the U.S. and Europe and on our boats
to the Florida Keys and Bahamas Islands (living on our boat). As our children got older and less
interested in these activities, we all moved into the suburbs of Broward County.
In 1995, I retired from surgery and spent a year working part-time to ensure that the Breast
Center was successful. We have had a wonderful life of “leisure”, since we spend every minute of
every day together. To say that we keep busy and active would be an understatement. We begin
each day with brisk walks, and exercise in the gym. We are always on the run, especially with our
grandchildren. We take frequent vacations together as a family, visiting Alaska, the Caribbean,
Europe, and Israel. We are involved in every aspect of our progeny’s lives, carting children to and
from school, having dinner with them several nights per week, etc. We enrolled in the Lifelong
Learning Institute at Nova Southeastern University, where eight lectures are given each week on a
variety of topics: politics, history, music, art, law enforcement, international legal studies, theatre,
etc.
I continue my interest in medicine by keeping abreast of medical developments, maintaining my
membership in the AMA, reading journals, and keeping my CME’s current. I became an avid
amateur photographer, rekindling my childhood interest in developing and printing filmremember that? Of course, digital photography is my modus operandi and I became skilled in
using Adobe Photoshop after taking multiple courses. I regularly photograph my family and
digitally manipulate the images. When I closed my surgical office, I was unable to turn off my four
computers without unplugging them. Today I understand all aspects of computer technology,
almost as well as my grandchildren.
All in all, Susan and I remain very active and feel privileged to live our lives the way we wanted to.
We hope you have all had similar experiences and wish you all the best.
Norman