Obituaries

Winthrop Fish, FACP

Winthrop Fish, FACP, an Alaskan and an oncologist, died on April 15, 2010 at the age of 86.

Dr. Fish spent his freshman year of college at California Institute of Technology before joining the U.S. Army to serve in World War II. When he returned, he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley and then received his medical degree from Columbia University's School of Physicians and Surgeons.

After completing internships at Francis Delafield and other New York hospitals, Dr. Fish moved to Alaska in 1957. He was the first board-certified oncologist and nuclear radiation specialist in the state. He practiced primarily at Providence Hospital, where he chaired many committees and served as chief of staff, until his retirement in 1986. Dr. Fish was also involved in medical education, serving on the board of the WWAMI program, which helps students in Wyoming, Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho become physicians.

Dr. Fish became a Fellow of the College in 1969 and served as ACP Governor for the Alaska Chapter from 1981 to 1985.

A full obituary is online.

Coy D. Fitch, MACP

Coy D. Fitch, MACP, an endocrinologist and educator, died on May 26, 2010, at the age of 75.

Dr. Fitch earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas and then a Master's of Science and his medical degree at the University of Arkansas Medical School. He also completed his residency at the University of Arkansas and held his first faculty appointment there.

In 1967, he became an associate professor of internal medicine and biochemistry at St. Louis University, where he would serve on the faculty for the next 43 years. He was director of endocrinology from 1977 to 1985 and chairman of internal medicine from 1985 to 2000. Dr. Fitch also served in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. Since 2005, he had been the chief of medicine at the St. Louis VA Medical Center.

Dr. Fitch became a Master of the College in 2000 and served as ACP Governor for the Missouri Chapter from 1995 to 1999. Dr. Fitch received the Laureate Award in 1993. He served on the clinical skills, education and career development, and medical student and associate activities subcommittees.

A full obituary is online.

Edward D. “Ted” Harris, MACP

Edward D. “Ted” Harris, MACP, a noted rheumatologist, died on May 21, 2010, at the age of 73.

Dr. Harris received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth University and his medical degree from Harvard University. He specialized in rheumatology and coauthored “Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology,” a standard in the field. He taught and practiced at Stanford University, where he was a past chairman of the medicine department and served as a professor emeritus at the time of his death.

He was also the leader and executive secretary of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society, from 1997 until his death. Dr. Harris had also served as president of the American College of Rheumatology.

Within ACP, Dr. Harris became a Master of the College in 2007 and served as ACP Governor for the Northern California Chapter in 1987-1988 and again in 2001-2005. He received the Laureate Award in 2009 and also served on the publications and the strategic planning committees.

An obituary from the New York Times is online.