Obstetrician

Baltimore Washington Medical Center has appointed Dr. S. Patrick Donegan, M.S.H.S.A., as chairman of the hospital's new Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Donegan will head up the development of BWMC's comprehensive obstetrics program, scheduled to open in the fall. He will oversee all aspects of obstetrics and gynecology operations and work closely with physicians and administrators in creating the new program, according to the hospital. "It is a unique and incredible opportunity to build a brand new obstetrical program that incorporates high quality medical care in a personal and caring environment," Donegan said in a statement.

Dr. John C. Norton Jr., a retired Baltimore obstetrician and gynecologist who during his 46-year career delivered an estimated 7,000 babies, died Monday of complications from a stroke at his Catonsville home. He was 91. Dr. Norton, whose father was a Baltimore obstetrician and gynecologist, was born in Baltimore and raised on Montrose Avenue in Catonsville. By the time he was 9 years old, Dr. Norton had settled on a medical career. "It was a lofty dream, considering he spent two years of his early age sick with rheumatic fever," wrote Suzanne M. Dieringer, a daughter who lives in Davidsonville, in a eulogy for her father.

Obstetrician found liable for malpractice A Baltimore obstetrician and former city councilman was found liable for medical malpractice yesterday, and ordered by a city jury to pay $8.1 million to the parents of a baby boy he delivered in 2003. The jury found that Dr. Emerson R. Julian Jr., an obstetrician in private practice, was responsible for the brain damage suffered by infant Caleb Spence during a difficult delivery at Mercy Medical Center. But the damages would be limited to just over $2.1 million under Maryland law putting a cap on awards for pain and suffering.

Dr. James Henry Shell, a retired obstetrician who delivered more than 5,000 babies in his 40 years in medicine, died of a neurological condition Feb. 25 at the Keswick Multi-Care Center after a long illness. The Towson resident was 86. Born in Greenville, S.C., he decided as a child that he would become a doctor, family members said. While his mother gave birth to his younger sister, he was sent out of his home to a neighbor's. Later, he discussed the birth with the physician, which inspired him. "It became a goal of his at that age," said a daughter, Kathy Shell of Towson.

Dr. J. King B.E. Seegar Jr., an obstetrician and gynecologist who had been deputy director of preventive medicine for the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, died Monday at the Edenwald retirement community of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 97. Dr. Seegar was born in Baltimore, the son of Dr. John King Beck Emory Seegar Sr., a noted obstetrician and gynecologist who practiced in Baltimore for 45 years before his death in 1945. Dr. Seegar was raised in Irvington and Roland Park and graduated in 1927 from Boys' Latin School.

Dr. Christian Frederick Richter, a retired Baltimore County obstetrician and gynecologist who was an avid Civil War buff, died of leukemia Thursday at Edenwald Retirement Community in Towson. The former longtime Ruxton resident was 91. Dr. Richter, the son of a builder, was born in Baltimore and raised in Overlea. He was a 1932 graduate of Towson High School and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 1936. After earning his medical degree from the University of Maryland Medical School in 1941, Dr. Richter worked for the U.S. Public Health Service in New Orleans during World War II. He returned to Baltimore after the war and established an OB/GYN practice in Towson.

Dr. Vincent dePaul Fitzpatrick Jr,, a well-known Baltimore obstetrician and gynecologist, died of a cerebral hemorrhage Wednesday at Stella Maris Hospice. The former longtime Homeland resident was 85. Born in Baltimore and raised on University Parkway in Oakenshawe, Dr. Fitzpatrick was a 1938 graduate of Loyola High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 1942 from Loyola College and his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1945. Dr. Fitzpatrick served as a captain in the Army Medical Corps from 1946 to 1947, and completed a medical residency at the old St. Joseph Hospital on Caroline Street in 1948.

Dr. Robert B. Tunney, a retired Towson obstetrician and gynecologist who delivered thousands of babies during a career of nearly a half-century, died of heart failure Friday at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He was 88. Born in Baltimore and raised in Hampden, Dr. Tunney, the son of a railroad worker, was a 1935 graduate of Polytechnic Institute. He earned a bachelor's degree from Loyola College in 1939 and his medical degree from the University of Maryland Medical School in 1943. After completing his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at what is now Mercy Medical Center, he entered into private practice with Dr. E.P. Smith, then chief of obstetrics at Mercy and clinical professor at the medical school.

Dr. John F. Ullsperger, a retired obstetrician and gynecologist, died of cancer Thursday at his Timonium home. He was 86. Born in Baltimore and raised near Patterson Park, he attended St. James the Less Parochial School and was a 1937 Loyola High School graduate. During World War II he was an Army Air Corps flight surgeon and served in the Philippines. He earned a medical degree from the University of Maryland and practiced at St. Joseph and Mercy medical centers. In his career, until his 1987 retirement, Dr. Ullsperger delivered several thousand babies, family members said.

Dr. Herbert Leonard Yousem, a retired Baltimore obstetrician and gynecologist who was admired by colleagues and revered by his patients, died of bladder cancer Monday at his Owings Mills home. He was 76. Born in Baltimore of immigrant parents from Poland, Dr. Yousem was raised on West Lafayette Avenue. He graduated in 1946 from City College and earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the Johns Hopkins University in 1950. "His parents were uneducated sweatshop laborers who later opened a grocery store, and always placed a great emphasis on higher education," said a son, Dr. David M. Yousem of Lutherville, a staff neuroradiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital.