Alex Dubinsky –recollections of Arthur Hyatt Williams
I often think of Hyatt and it is always with deep affection. In these moments I see him, very robust and suntanned after all the gardening which he loved dearly.
I came to know Hyatt when he married our friend Gianna. I was touched by his wrmth. I soon discovered his intelligence and his sensitivity. He also gave me supervisions on some difficult cases, and I found that his loyalty to me and to the task was the bedrock on which I could stand and weather clinical storms – and build some understanding.
During these years I came to realize that, although he could sometimes hate people for their actions, he was the most loyal of friends. He was straight and honest. Although anxious, he was brave and rose to the occasion. I remember how, when Gianna’s granddaughter became distressed on a country walk much too long for a small child, he pushed his way through a thick hedge to take a shortcut and get her home rapidly. I also remember Hyatt talking to her gently and clearly about her feelings, on another occasion.
Although the illness of his final years took away his robustness, the warmth and perceptiveness were still there when I last saw him. I am very aware of Hyatt’s many achievements in a long and fruitful life; but what stays with me most is that he was a good man – and I miss him.