While bright young students have helped propel the UF College of Medicine forward throughout its 60-year history, influential early faculty members were the backbone that held the classes together. From imparting scientific wisdom and teaching best patient care practices to serving as friendly faces and mentors for students far from home, legendary professors such as J. Robert Cade, Thomas Maren, W. Jape Taylor and Gerold Schiebler helped students grow from fledglings to physicians.

Perhaps the most beloved faculty member throughout the college’s history, the late Hugh M. Hill, MD, known affectionately as “Smiley,” endeared himself to generations of medical students with his signature laugh, down-to-earth demeanor, unforgettable catchphrases (“Not on this planet!” “You can run but you can’t hide!”) and knack for forging lasting relationships.

“Even after 25 years he would remember not only your name but your spouse’s names and your kids’ names and what you were doing and where you were,” said Nell Potter, MD ’63. “He must’ve had a catalog of thousands of people’s names he could call up spontaneously.”

Hill, who came to the college in 1959 as an assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, became the college’s first associate dean for student and alumni affairs in the early 1960s and held this position until his retirement in 2001.

At orientation, Hill welcomed the bright-eyed students with his Roses Speech. At commencement, he congratulated the newly minted physicians and placed the ceremonial hood on every graduate, with the exception of the first class in 1960. And in between, he was ever-present for life’s milestones, even delivering the babies of countless students.

An ideal role model, he was the first faculty member to receive the Hippocratic Award, an honor established by the class of 1969 to allow each graduating medical school class to recognize an exceptional professor who epitomizes humanism, professionalism and teaching prowess. He would go on to earn this award three more times throughout his 42-year career at UF.

“Smiley’s influence flows continuously through our lives,” said former student and senior associate dean for educational affairs Robert Watson, MD ’69, who delivered a eulogy for Hill at his memorial in 2005. “He taught us courage, caring, compassion and forgiveness. He left an indelible imprint that will live through successive generations of those who want to be like Smiley, who want to emulate him. We are Smiley’s legacy.”