Document RYxL7MLRbN5Ne4gryO8mwgea

October 24, 1973 Lawrence E. Blanchard, Jr. Executive Vice President Ethyl Corporation 330 South Fourth Street Richmond, Virginia 23217 . Dear Larry: I have not written to you for a long time, and I consider it necessary (or at least wise) to do so at this time. I have been aware for some time, and up to the present time through correspondence, telephone talks and other conversation with various people, of some of the things that have occurred in the affairs of Ethyl Corporation, with particular reference to the Medical Department. I have been consulted with reference to a Medical Director to succeed George Roush, and I have given some help and advice in this matter and will continue to do what I can. Incidentally, I am not at all certain that I earn any portion of my keep as a Consultant to the Corporation, and I am fully prepared to be discarded in that role, whenever it is thought to be appropriate by yourself and others with whom you deal. I say this not because I wish to be relieved of any and all responsibility for medical and hygienic affairs which may or might be referred to me, but because I do not like to be, so to speak, pensioned, in recognition of my past activities of one kind or another. I have, however, given thought to certain medical matters in the Corporation, and I am willing to continue to do so if that is desired by you. For example, I have talked (confidentially, of course) with your people at Baton Rouge about a successor to George Roush and I've talked also with Mitchell Zavon who has, I believe, been offered the position and has accepted, at least, in part, subject to his clearing up his affairs in Cincinnati. He will, no doubt, continue to talk with me about certain matters (as he chooses) unless you instruct him otherwise. At present, however, my relations to him and others who act for the Corporation are confined to personal talks about things that seem worthy of some discussion. I think, at this point, I should tell you something about myself and my physical and mental condition, as well as what, it seems to me, I can expect of myself in the future. I am, it seems, in a fairly good state physically, and I do not look like a sick old man or a decrepit and "finished" one. Some three years ago, I developed a middle ear (semicircular canal) disability. Just what happened, or is continuing to happen, in this connection, I do not know. That is, I do not understand, fully, where I am in this connection, and I don't know any way of finding out from thoroughly competent medical advisers. What I do know is that I am often somewhat out of balance, so that I do not move quickly and 0006200 N 7520 Lawrence E. Blanchard, Jr Page 2 October 24, 1973 confidently, although I do not stumble, stagger or fall down periodically. How much was contributed to this by my illness is not apparent, but I believe there was little, if any, effect. A much more serious matter to me is the fact that I am developing cataracts in both eyes, that my acuity of vision is slowly diminishing, and will, no doubt, continue to do so until the cataracts "ripenv and can be removed surgically, when I should be (with proper lenses) almost as good as new in this respect. This probably will take about two more years. In consequence of my disabilities, especially visually, I have disposed of my car, so that I go back and forth daily between our apartment in the Highland Towers and the Kettering Laboratory in a taxicab. I walk without much difficulty, or appearance of difficulty, unless the terrain is rough, but there is not much pleasure in doing so, for I feel a bit insecure. Therefore, I go out walking very little, and I go out at night mostly with Mrs. iiehoe as both driver and companion. My work at the Kettering Laboratory, as a retired person, is continued on 5 days per week from about 9:30 a.m. until about 4:30 p.m. Here, I have a very considerable backlog of experimental data worked out over the years but not published in detail but only episodically in what hasseemed to be its more important aspects. Incidentally, I have nearly completed a long report on certain aspects of our work on lead, of which I'll send you a copy soon. A shorter version of this will appear soon in a published book on a number of metals, and I'll obtain copies of this for distribution also. I'll send you one, and put some of the others in the hands of certain members of the staff of Ethyl Corporation. This book will be published, not by me, but rather by an international pharmacological group. I have lost touch with Bernie Sobel, with whom I was working before my illness of March 1972, but I shall try to pick this up again, and if he is willing and able, we shall attempt to get in shape the statistical work on my experiments with lead. As you can judge, I am at a disadvantage, so far as traveling about isconcerned, but I hope I shall still find it possible to completesome, or all, of ray unfinished work on lead. With the best of regards and wishes, Sincerely, RAK:wb Robert A. Kehoe, M.D. Professor Emeritus of Occupational Medicine 0006^01