Dr. Srebro Davidovski, a retired ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon, died from pneumonia Sunday at Edenwald Retirement Community in Towson.
The former Roland Park resident was 95.
His death marked "the passing away of a breed," said Dr. Samuel D. Friedel, a former student who is chairman of the department of ophthalmology at the University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus.
"He was the old-fashioned doctor we all hoped to be," said Dr. Friedel.
"He was a gentleman, a fabulous teacher and good to his patients. He had wonderful surgical skills and, as a professor of surgery, was a great teacher and mentor to us all," he said. "We have lost someone very special."
The son of Veljan Davidovski, a tailor and agricultural land owner, and Dala Shareski, a homemaker, Srebro Davidovski was born and raised in Leunovo, Macedonia.
At age 11, he was accepted to the Gymnasium, a prestigious state high school in Tetovo, Macedonia. From 1942 to 1944, he attended the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sofia in Bulgaria.
His studies were interrupted by World War II. After the war, he returned to school from 1947 to 1955 and completed his medical degree and residency at the Sorbonne in Paris, with a specialization in otolaryngology.
While in Paris in 1951, he met Olga Tognet, a philologist. The two were later married.
The couple lived on the Left Bank of Paris until 1955, when they emigrated to Baltimore as Dr. Davidovski joined the staff of the old Baltimore Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Charity Hospital, at Eutaw Place and Lanvale Street.
While working at the hospital he was able to demonstrate "new techniques in microscopic ear surgery from his European training, not yet available in the United States," wrote a daughter, Mira Davidovski of Kensington, in an email biographical sketch.
Dr. Davidovski also received training as an ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon while working at the hospital. He eventually became chief resident.
In 1959, he went into private practice with Dr. Harold C. Dix in an office at 405 N. Charles St., and then established his own practice, Davidovski Eye Associates, with offices in Towson and Catonsville.
"As a surgical instructor he was able to relate concepts, philosophy, attitude and concentration. He was an excellent teacher," said Dr. Friedel, who trained with him at the old Maryland General Hospital.
"In my own teaching, I go back to his statements and philosophy," he said. "He is the model. I try to teach my students the same way he treated me. He really was one of a kind."
Dr. George S. Malouf, a Washington ophthalmologist and a resident under Dr. Davidovski, called him "one of the most influential teachers I ever had."
"He had such a light surgical touch that we used to say his 'instruments danced upon the cornea,'" Dr. Malouf said. "From a surgical point of view, I never saw anyone with a better hand. I always had a great sense of wanting to be as good as him. He just had great hands."
He described Dr. Davidovski as "very patient as a teacher."
Dr. Malouf recalled a specific corneal transplant surgery they performed together on July 4, 1982. "He had me resuture the cornea, and he would not let me go until the sutures had the right tension. If they were too tight, he'd make me take them out and do them again," he said.
Dr. Davidovski was affiliated with Maryland General Hospital, now University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, and St. Agnes Hospital.
During the 1970s, Baltimore magazine listed him as the leading ear specialist in Baltimore, and in 2009, the Maryland Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons honored Dr. Davidovski for his 50 years of practice.
"As a prominent surgeon, he treated hundreds of patients over his 50 years in practice in Baltimore," wrote his daughter.
He retired in 2006.
Dr. Davidovski was a resident of West University Parkway from 1965 until moving to Edenwald in 2009.
He was a student of European history and world affairs, and enjoyed listening to classical music and gardening.
Dr. Davidovski was a "convivial host and raconteur," wrote his daughter. She said he liked preparing elaborate gourmet meals for friends and family and lingering over conversation until late in the evening.
"He was very cosmopolitan and suave and treated all marvelously well. He was a role model. I love the guy," Dr. Malouf said. "I remember going to visit him at Edenwald and he ordered a bottle of champagne. How many people do that? It was so Continental."
A polyglot, he spoke Macedonian, his native language, in addition to English. He was also fluent in Serbian, French, Russian, Albanian and Italian.
His marriage ended in divorce.
Services are private.
In addition to his daughter, he is survived by two other daughters, Florence Davidovski of Towson and Lulu Kauffman of Roland Park; and five grandchildren.