Kenneth C. Swan was the first full time paid head of a clinical department when he joined the UOMS faculty as Professor and Chair of the Dept. of Ophthalmology in 1944. A graduate of UOMS 1936, he interned in Wisconsin and did his residency in Iowa, becoming faculty there for three years, before returning to Oregon. Three topics dominate the interview: his own research; the development of the department according to the principles of the 褾our Fs�-facilities, funding, faculty and family (of patients and supporters); and the vision of Dean David Baird, which set the course of the institution from the �s to the �s. He goes into detail about his own research which includes the creation of artificial tears and advances in imaging technology. He also emphasizes the importance of the support of the Oregon State Elks Association, which led to the creation of the Elks Children's Eye Clinic, the first in the nation.