My father, Edwin Paul Hoskins, was born on February 27, 1930, in Ithaca, New York, the youngest child of Edwin Ray Hoskins and Ethel Bernice Williams.
He was not a stellar student. He attended Cornell University for a year or so, did not do well, and enlisted in the Army shortly before the outbreak of the Korean Conflict. After his honorable discharge, he finished college and then law school. He spent a few years as an Assistant Attorney General before starting a law practice in Sidney, New York, where he worked regularly until he died. He married Mary Ann McGrath on January 24, 1959.
He became jaundiced in 1994, shortly after our daughter Abigail was born. The doctors originally hoped that removing his gallbladder was all that would be necessary, but quickly discovered pancreatic cancer. After doctors at Johns Hopkins performed the Whipple procedure, he spent the summer of 1994 recovering at our house in Baltimore, resting for many hours in a hammock we had hung on the porch. Although Abby doesn’t remember much about his stay, he enjoyed visiting with her everyday that summer.
He returned to New York in great spirits and spent the next two years living his life to the fullest. At first the prognosis seemed promising, but ultimately the cancer returned and spread to his lungs.
He died on July 13, 1996, on my mother’s 62nd birthday. I left him earlier that day to drive back to Baltimore, explaining that I would visit him again on the next weekend. He died shortly after I finished the drive. We buried him in Ithaca two days later.
My next open water swim is this Sunday at Rocky Point Beach and Park. Together with several friends, I will complete the three-mile Purple Swim to help raise money for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death and it has the lowest relative survival rate of any major cancer. For this reason, of the 45,000 Americans who will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, only 7,000 will be alive in five years. Because of these grim statistics, pancreatic cancer is the least-studied of all major cancer killers with only two percent of the National Cancer Institute’s annual budget dedicated to pancreatic cancer research. With only so much money to go around, cancer researchers have focused their efforts on other, more survivable, cancers where their research can do the most good.
Although the treatment provided my father did not cure him, I am forever grateful to the doctors who did their best and gave my father two years to get to know his granddaughter. And for this reason I will swim on Sunday in memory of him and in honor of the families who are currently struggling with a disease for which there will likely never be a cure.
Edwin Paul Hoskins
February 27, 1930 to July 13, 1996
Finding North 
Tear drop. My sister in law passed from pancreatic cancer 2 years ago. Only 48 years old. Nice tribute to your father. Hope your swim was rewarding. Blessings……
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Dave– thanks for bringing attention and support to the need to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. We were all robbed by the early death of Dad. I’d like to offer one clarification on your post– I believe Dad was a strong student of many interesting things– from geography to Chinese history to human nature. He was a brilliant man who finished high school at 16 and probably started at Cornell at too young of an age. When he returned to Cornell after serving in Korea he graduated with a liberal arts degree. He then headed off to law school where he gained a foundational view of justice that he carried throughout his life. He helped me every step of the way through high school, college, grad school and law school. He was my tutor and advisor. Dad would be so proud that his oldest son has followed in his footsteps, representing people of all means in need of excellent counsel, with a keen eye towards justice. No matter what type of student Dad was, he was indeed a stellar teacher. Thanks again for your thoughtful posts. Anne
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