Dr. Fried retired from the practice of surgery and urology in 2000. At the time of his retirement he was Professor of Surgery and former Chief of the Division of Urology at the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill. For some time before that he began to write vignettes about his experiences as a teacher, researcher and clinician. In so doing he collected a number of stories that focused on his forty-year career in academic medicine. He has assembled these tales in chronological order. At the start of each piece he sets the scene with italicized comments. The White Coat Chronicles stands as a tribute to Brooklyn College, The University of Chicago and The University of North Carolina as well as the outstanding teachers patients and students that have illuminated his path.