Richard P. Albertson, 87, of Wynnewood, retired anesthesiologist, past chairman of the medical staff at Lankenau Hospital, international medical volunteer, military veteran and philanthropist, died Thursday, June 13, at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital from a pulmonary embolism.
Inspired by his future father-in-law, also a physician, Dr. Albertson decided to pursue a career in medicine and graduated from Temple University School of Medicine in 1963 before embarking on a 40-year career at Lankenau, where he was noted for his leadership of the university’s medical staff, the founding of a school of anesthesia for nurses and the merger with Bryn Mawr Hospital in 1984.
He helped increase the hospital’s staff, address rising costs, develop a two-year anesthesia nursing program in collaboration with St. Joseph’s University and merge resources and goals with Bryn Mawr to form Main Line Health System. “He was a physician his whole life,” said his daughter, Ann Michelle.
Dr. Albertson also served as president of the Montgomery County Medical Association and the Temple Medical School Alumni Association and was a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Board of Directors for 20 years. He served as president of the Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists in 1984 and 1985 and received its Distinguished Service Award in 2001 for “outstanding clinical, educational and scientific achievements and exemplary contributions to the Society.”
He has funded service grants, scholarships and building projects at Temple University School of Medicine for decades, and in 2003 he co-founded the 1963 Medical School Alumni Scholarship Fund. His philanthropic work was featured in Temple Medical Journal in 2003 and 2010, and he said in 2003, “Time flies, and medicine has changed a lot. But at Temple University, the philosophy that matters most in medicine – respect for the patient – has not changed.”
He served as director of the southeastern Pennsylvania chapter of the American Red Cross, spent his 1972 vacations in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and Dallas helping victims of Hurricane Agnes, and volunteered in Guyana, Nigeria and other places to train doctors and nurses in new techniques and treat underserved patients.
He served as a captain in the Army and Army Reserves in the 1960s and ’70s, often serving at the 300th Army Reserve Field Hospital in Ashley, Pa. “He was a larger-than-life person,” said his daughter, Ann Michelle. “He was totally my best friend.”
Richard Potter Albertson was born in East Orange, New Jersey on November 23, 1936. He grew up in Cranford, New Jersey, and spent memorable summer holidays with his family in Manasquan, New Jersey.
He played basketball in high school, collected dozens of baseball autographs, stocked shelves at a local grocery store and earned the title of Eagle Scout as a teenager. He graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in the 1950s and completed an internship at Lankenau after medical school and a residency in anesthesiology at Temple University. He also took science and Spanish classes at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
He met Charlotte Ann Satura at Smokey Joe’s Bar on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, married her in 1961, adopted daughters Ann Michelle and Christine, and adopted son Peter, and lived in Wynnewood. He also enjoyed spending time with family and friends at his homes in Harvey’s Lake near Wilkes-Barre and Marco Island, Florida.
Dr. Albertson was a Flyers season ticket holder for many years and an avid supporter of the Phillies, Eagles and New York Yankees. He also played tennis, was an avid golfer and bridge player and rowed with the Bachelor’s Barge Club.
He was a member of the Freemasons and Shriners, had a generally cheerful disposition, and served as a reader and communion minister at Our Lady of Victory Church in Harveys Lake. “His faith guided his career as a physician,” his family said in a eulogy. “It helped him define and follow moral boundaries with strict ethics.”
He was president of the Alpha Tau Omega Foundation; his friends at the University of Pennsylvania nicknamed him Moose because he was 6 feet 6 inches tall; later, his classmates at Temple University School of Medicine voted him most likely to succeed; longtime friend Terry Gilhany called him a “gentle giant” and “one of the kindest people I’ve ever known.”
He was watching mash He has appeared on television with his daughter Christine, played golf with his daughter Anne-Michelle, and taken cruises with his wife, traveling throughout Europe, South America, China, Asia, Australia, Canada and Mexico.
He has made it a point to attend every reunion for his Temple University School of Medicine class of 1963, saying in 2010, “I have never missed a reunion and look forward to seeing everyone at our 50th anniversary in 2013.”
His daughter, Christine, said: “Dad loved spending time with his grandchildren and we are so grateful that he was there for so many of their childhoods.”
“He had high moral values ​​in what he believed in,” his wife said.
In addition to his wife and children, Dr. Albertson is survived by seven grandchildren, one great-grandchild and other relatives. One brother predeceased him.
Visitation with the family will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at Presentation Blessed Virgin Mary Church, 240 Haverford Ave., Wynnewood, Pa. A Mass will follow, followed by a ceremony to remember his life.
Donations in his name may be made to Lankenau Hospital Institute for Medical Research, 240 N. Radnor Chester Rd., Suite 340, Radnor, Pa. 19087, St. Ann’s Monastery and Shrine Basilica, 1233 St. Ann St., Scranton, Pa. 18504, and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, 333 E. Lancaster Ave., No. 414, Wynnewood, Pa. 19096.
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