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UFS pays tribute to Prof Bob Frater

20 February 2024 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo SUPPLIED

The Robert WM Frater Cardiovascular Research Centre (the Frater Centre) at the University of the Free State (UFS) received the sad news of the passing of Prof Robert (Bob) Frater at the age of 95 on 29 January 2024 in New York.

“Prof Frater was and will continue to be regarded as an international icon in heart surgery, especially in mitral valve repair where he described the use of artificial chordae, which is still the international standard today. Since 2006, he has been intimately involved in the establishment of the research programme in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the UFS, which culminated in the establishment of the Frater Centre in 2015. This would not have been possible without the combined efforts of the UFS and the generous financial support by Glycar – a Pretoria-based company established by Prof Frater,” says Prof Francis Smit, Director of the Robert WM Frater Cardiovascular Research Centre and Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the UFS.

Prof Frater was born in Cape Town and attended Bishops Diocesan College from 1937 to 1946. He excelled at school, both academically and as a sportsman. He was a prefect, captained the tennis team, and played first team rugby. He studied medicine at the University of Cape Town (UCT), achieving a first class in Surgery. He qualified as a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Mayo Clinic and after a stint back in Cape Town, spent the rest of his illustrious career at the Einstein and Montefiore university hospitals in New York. Despite this distance, Prof Frater always maintained and cherished his South African roots, palpably demonstrated by his notable collection of Africana books and art.

“He was an inspiring mentor and educator, and constructively influenced generations of cardiothoracic surgeons trained at the UFS and internationally. His enthusiasm for scientific research and deep understanding of heart valves and tissue engineering have largely determined the research focus of the Frater Centre to this day. He received an honorary doctorate in Medicine from the UFS in 2011 in recognition of his immense contributions to cardiothoracic surgery during his lifetime. Apart from his international recognition and awards, the other outstanding award he received and cherished in South Africa, was the Robert Gray Medal from his old school, Bishops Diocesan College,” says Prof Smit.

At the UFS, he was Prof Smit’s promotor for his PhD on human heart valve transplants (homografts) and inspired an additional five PhD studies (four of which addressed tissue engineering, and one in re-designing a poppet mechanical heart valve, which was named the Frater valve). Studies on heart valve mechanics and hydrodynamics conducted at the Frater Centre in support of these valve developments resulted in three cum laude Master of Engineering degrees awarded by Stellenbosch University. Over time, the Robert WM Frater Cardiovascular Research Centre’s research output steadily increased in scope and quality, mainly due to the values of curiosity, excellence, integrated interdisciplinary collaborative teams, integrity, and mutual respect instilled by Prof Bob Frater.

“Prof Frater was always received ostentatiously in Bloemfontein. The registrars crowded around him, our research team was inspired, wisdom was gained from his vast experience in surgery and research, and no-one was left untouched by the deep humanity of this remarkable man. He was truly an exceptional individual, and a memorable South African.”

We wish to express our sincerest condolences and deepest sympathy to his wife Eileen, sons Hugh, Dirk, and the rest of the family,” says Prof Smit.

News Archive

Mandela statues and the issue of public representation

2015-09-04

Prof Grant Parker, Associate Professor of Classics and Co-Director of the Centre for African Studies at Stanford University, USA, presented a public lecture on the Bloemfontein Campus on 27 August 2015, in which he explored the topic of ”Memorialising Mandela after Rhodes Must Fall”. What stories do the multitude of Mandela statues tell us about the man? Our society? Ourselves? These were some of the questions Prof Parker addressed during his lecture.

Paradoxes
Prof Parker discussed some of the paradoxes presented by the Mandela statues. The huge 9m high Mandela statue at the Union Buildings in Pretoria does not necessarily reflect his humility. Iconic statues strewn across the world do not reveal Madiba’s appeal. “Madiba’s charm,” Prof Parker said, “was all about his ability to relate to people of very different backgrounds. People who were his enemies would – to their surprise – find a humanity they were not expecting. It’s very hard to reconcile that with the colossal statues.”

Rhodes Must Fall
On the topic of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign, Prof Parker said that “the debates around it seem to express the frustration of deepening equality in general and lack of demographic change.” He also believes that, although the campaign centres on statues, there are much deeper issues at play that need to be addressed.

Artists should be part of the conversation
Prof Parker also advocated that artists’ voices should be incorporated into the creative processes of public art. “There is a much greater need for creative artists,” he concluded, “to be part of conversations, not only about what we as South Africans want to commemorate, but how we do that. I would very strongly suggest that this be done by non-figural representations.”

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