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t m c » p u l s e | d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6 6 HOLLAND MANON KAPLAN For Holland Manon Kaplan, bow ties are "a fun way to look more formal, but whimsical at the same time." While bow ties are traditionally a menswear accessory, she has the type of personality that can pull one off. "I think bow tie-wearing people are very much fun-loving people," Kaplan said. "If someone's wearing a bow tie in a not-so-formal setting, you know they're going to be fun and interesting. You just know." She favors the satin white bow tie her fian- cée gave her for their one-year anniversary and looks forward to growing her collection with the addition of the one she'll wear to her wedding in April. Holland Manon Kaplan is a medical student at Baylor College of Medicine. ERIC BERNICKER, M.D. A framed, hand-drawn painting of colorful bow ties hangs in Eric Bernicker's office. A patient gave it to him as a token of her appreciation, as well as for his recognizable look. "I'm sure I initially started doing it because I was pseudo-intellectual and eccentric, and I thought it was different. It just became a thing," said Bernicker, a thoracic oncologist. "Now, if I don't wear the bow ties, the patients get really pissed." His collection of multicolored, sometimes psychedelic bow ties reflects his personal- ity: friendly and droll, yet intelligent and respectable. Bernicker finds that a bow tie can offer levity to a solemn situation. "I spend a lot of my time giving people really bad news," Bernicker said. "It's not so much that the bow tie can take away from the fact that I'll tell someone they have metastatic cancer, but it cheers a lot of patients up." Eric Bernicker, M.D., is a thoracic oncologist at Houston Methodist Cancer Center. ARTHUR "TIM" GARSON, M.D. When Tim Garson was a student at Princeton University, he managed the Princeton Triangle Club, a touring musical comedy show. Every night, Garson had to wear a tuxedo to the show and to the after-party. Because he simply couldn't fathom wearing a clip-on bow tie the whole night, he decided he needed to learn how to properly tie a bow tie. As a fellow at Baylor College of Medicine, Garson delivered a presentation to an audi- ence of 200, which included renowned heart surgeon Denton A. Cooley, M.D., Garson's chief of pediatric cardiology Dan McNamara, M.D., and all of the surgical staff and fellows. Garson wore an unusual outfit: a shirt with large yellow and blue checks and a bow tie made of blue jeans with the word "Yes" emblazoned upon it. The get-up captured the attention of Drs. Cooley and McNamara, serving as a source of amusement during the presentation. "Being a first-year, brand new fellow, I took my tie off, put it in an envelope and wrote Dr. Cooley, whom I had never met: 'Dear Dr. Cooley, I understand you like my shirt and tie. I would have given you both, but the sleeves on the shirt would have been too short. Signed, Dr. Garson.'" In return, Cooley gave Garson his long tie with a note: 'Dear Tim, thanks so much for the tie. I've left you mine. It's one of my favorites. Maybe if you wear it, it'll make you look older.' Years later, Garson had a pair of scrubs made into a bow tie for Cooley's 60th birthday and attached a note to the gift that read: 'Dear Dr. Cooley, maybe if you wear this, it'll make you look younger.' Arthur "Tim" Garson, M.D., is director of the Health Policy Institute at the Texas Medical Center. I spend a lot of my time giving people really bad news. It's not so much that the bow tie can take away from the fact that I'll tell someone they have metastatic cancer, but it cheers a lot of patients up.