November 3, 1996
UW News Release from Health Sciences News
Sherpas digging in 8 feet of snow in a remote mountain valley in western Nepal located the bodies of Philip J. Fialkow, M.D., dean of the University of Washington School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs, and his wife, Helen Fialkow, together with the bodies of their three Nepalese guides early this morning Seattle time.
According to information from U.S. Embassy officials in Kathmandu, evidence at the site in Nepal’s Shey Phoksumdo National Park suggested that all five were buried together in the same tent, most likely by an avalanche.
“My wife, Suzanne (Lebsock), and I treasured Phil and Helen Fialkow’s friendship,” said University of Washington President Richard L. McCormick. “On this tragic day, I feel certain that the loss of these two good people is one that we, along with so many others, will never quite get over. Our hearts go out to their families.
“At the same time, the University of Washington has lost a leader and a distinguished scientist who possessed a rare combination of vision, tenacity and quiet good grace. If there is any single enduring legacy that stands out more than any other, it is that Phil Fialkow left his School and the Academic Medical Center strong and on the move to a continued bright future. For this, and for so much else, we can all celebrate the good fortune of having had him in our midst.”
The Fialkows, both 62, had been vacationing in Nepal on a trek with six guides to visit the 800-year-old Tse Gomba Buddhist monastery. Based on reports from the field, late in the day on Oct. 21, while in Shey Phoksumdo National Park, the party encountered an unseasonably intense snow storm just after clearing a 17,000-foot pass in windy, cold conditions. Exhausted, they made camp for the night. The next morning, with several members of the party complaining of minor frostbite and with concern over the continued extremely heavy snowfall, three of the guides were dispatched to get help. The three reached safety, but rescuers were unable to return to the site for several days due to continuing bad weather. In all, up to 9 feet of snow fell in the camp vicinity, due east of Shey Phoksumdo Lake in the upper Dolpa region.
Embassy officials identified the three guides who perished at the Fialkows’ side as Hem Kumar Thapa Magar, the expedition’s chief guide; Jingbu Sherpa, 24, the cook; and Nuri Sherpa, a helper. Ages for Magar and Nuri Sherpa were unavailable.
