Some of the most iconic sketches of Rochester landmarks were done by a man who drew body parts for a living.
John Whitney Desley was a medical illustrator at Mayo Clinic. Normally, he applied his artistic talents to, as the Post-Bulletin described it, “drawing intricate surgical procedures to illustrate medical papers and reports.”
In other words, he spent time in operating rooms and labs, observing what might make a lot of us squeamish.
Away from his day job, though, Desley “may be found, sketch pad in hand, plunked down somewhere in the city or its environs capturing Mayo and other local historical sites.” the newspaper said.
Many of those sketches, which were done in the 1970s and 1980s, were included in his book, “Perspectives on Mayo.” Collectors of his work included Conrad Hilton, who reportedly owned Desley’s original pen-and-ink drawing of Mayo’s Hilton Building. Alistair Cooke, writer and TV personality, was the holder of Desley’s original drawing of the Guggenheim Building on the Mayo campus.
In 1982, the Rochester Chamber of Commerce Diplomats offered prints of Desley’s “Aesthetic Artistry” at a premiere showing at the Kahler Hotel’s Heritage Hall. “Aesthetic Artistry” featured a panoply of Rochester views in one large sketch: the Plummer Building, Mayowood, the Foundation House, the IBM campus, and the corn cob water tower, among others.
“The limited edition prints will become a permanent source of pride in the community for those who own them, and a wonderful gift for those who are entering or moving from the community,” said Jack Van Straaten, chamber president.
Desley himself, like so many talented people connected with Mayo Clinic, had moved to Rochester from elsewhere.
He was born in 1925 in Mystic, Connecticut, and had by all accounts an idyllic boyhood, rowing his boat in Mystic Harbor.
With World War II underway, he joined the Navy in 1943 and was stationed on the destroyer USS Shubrick. The ship was stationed off the coast of Normandy for the D-Day invasion. Later in the war, the Shubrick was transferred to the Pacific where, on May 29, 1945, it was hit by a kamikaze plane. Thirty-five of Desley’s shipmates were killed in the attack.
After the war, Desley attended the Vesper George School of Art in Boston. Graduates of the school, now closed, included cartoonist Al Capp, comic book artist Bob Bolling and children’s book illustrator Robert McCloskey.
Desley began his career as a medical illustrator at nearby Massachusetts General Hospital, where he met his wife, Janice Reed, who was also a medical illustrator. “I think she’s a much better artist than I am,” Desley once said.
Desley made stops at the University of Alabama Medical Center and the University of Minnesota Hospital before joining Mayo Clinic.
For several years, Desley’s illustrations were featured on the cover of the annual Mayo Clinic directory. He said his drawings could take up to 10 hours to complete, including preliminary sketches and photographs.
After retirement, Desley moved to a log cabin in the woods of North Carolina, where he painted watercolors of rural scenes. He also enjoyed returning to New England to paint views of the rugged Atlantic coast in Maine. He died in 2021.
For those who have seen or collected Desley’s sketches of Mayo Clinic and Rochester, the drawings live on as part of our definitive vision of this community of healing.
Thomas Weber is a former Post Bulletin reporter who enjoys writing about local history.
Thomas Weber is a former Post Bulletin reporter who enjoys writing about local history.