Dr. Fred Shane is a familiar figure in his community. Something to do with his pink hat, perhaps? "I've always sported colorful head gear," he chuckles, peering over his doctor's desk in a brand new clinic in Minato Ward, Tokyo. "This one my daughter bought for me. Before that, I had a red hat — I think my son Peter gave me that one. Also I remember green, and another pink one."
Though in some respects a shy and intensely private man, Shane (Dr. Fred) is quite the fashionista. His tie is patterned with the First Thanksgiving of 1621, showing English colonialists and native Americans sitting down and dining together. The hat has a more practical purpose: "My dermatologist recommended I cover up. Being very fair, it protects my head from the sun."
Born in Houston, Texas, nearly eight decades ago, Dr. Fred decided at an early age that he wanted to be a doctor. He never swayed from that decision. It's a bit of a mystery, he admits, since there was no history of medical vocation in the family. "My father was a traveling salesman!"