yankel > Why can’t you write R Chaim Volozhiner ???
just to clarify, I did not mean to deny his semicha from (sic) Vilna Gaon. See, you don’t need to say R Kramer, just Gaon is enough. Same with other famous people – Hillel, Shammai, Berdichever. At the same time, not using with less-known people or using Dr but not R is usually an intentional opinion disparaging not just the person but also the movement that gave him the semicha.