Wilton Allen Doane
Dr. Doane was born in Mansfield Pennsylvania to a family of doctors-His father, his uncle, and his two brothers. After attending the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, he served in WWII as a lieutenant in the Navy. He interned and did his surgical residency at the Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital established in the United States and on whose Board of Directors Benjamin Franklin served. While there, Dr. Doane worked with Dr. John Gibbon, who was one of the innovtors of the first heart-lung machine in the country. In 1951, he and his wife Carol moved to Boston where he had been awarded a Fellowship at the Lahey Clinic in thoracic surgery. When war was declared in Korea he was drafted back into the Navy and served on the aircraft carrier Essex for the duration.
Dr. Doane had always wanted to join a multi-specialty medical group. He believed that was the best way to practice medicine, where specialists in every medical discipline could consult with one another in the diagnosis and treatment of patients most effectively. In 1956 he joined the Santa Barbara Medical Clinic, soon became Chairman of the Board of Trustees, helped develop a large multi-speciality organization, and, with legal advice, worked to form a medical foundation, in order to better serve Santa Barbara and environs. He served two terms as Chairman of the Board of the Santa Barbara Medical Foundation Clinic, and worked towards the merger with the Sansum Clinic. He served as Chairman and a member of that Board of Directors for many years.
Dr. Doane was certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1952 and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery in 1959. His reputation as a gifted surgeon is widely known, but he was also an innovator and a leader in medical matters nationally. He helped design the concept of pre-paid medical insurance in an effort to counter federal government single-pay insurance. He was national President of the American Group Practice Association and often went to Washington, D.C. to lobby for that cause.
Dr. Doane was the author of many important scientific papers published in medical journals. He was a member of the following professional organizations: The American Medical Association, California Medical Association, Santa Barbara County Medical Association, American College of Surgeons, Pacific Coast Surgical Association, and the Western Thoracic Surgical Association. Other national and local Boards on which he served include Direct Relief, the American Mutual Fund(Capital Group), National Childhood Cancer Foundation, California Blue Cross Medical Policy Committee, Hope Ranch Board of Directors, Montecito Retirement Association, and Senior Warden of All Saints By-the-Sea Episcopal Church.
During all the years of his busy career he never lost the urge to travel to exotic areas. He and his wife Carol camped on the banks of the Nile River, drove from Teheran to Shiraz to Persepolis in southern Iran, were driven up the Indus River from Peshawar Pakistan to Gilgit, to the Chinese border in the Karakorum Himalaya, and in 1968 they went to Kabul Afghanistan to work for Care Medico.
Dr. Doane is survived by his wife Carol, his three children Richard Doane, Nancy Doane Babbott(David Babbott) and John Doane(Kerry Doane), and ten grandchidren- David Babbott-Klein, John Babbott, Ben Skye-Babbott, Wilton Stewart, Elizabeth Stewart, Keenan Doane, Jameson Doane, Jed Doane, Cheney Doane, and Kim Doane, one great-grandchild Zilpha Babbott-Klein, and two grand daughters-in-law Libby Babbott-Klein and Ariana Skye-Babbott.
He was predeceased by his daughter Kimberly Doane Stewart.
As busy as he was, he found time to play his beloved trumpet, to learn how to sculpt, to enjoy tennis, skiing, and hiking at the family cabin in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. But his family came first! They all not only adored him but respected him. His patients and his co-workers loved and admired his gentle compassion, as well as his skill as a surgeon. He was a remarkable man, a happy man, a noble man- And he had a remarkable life.
A Celebration of his life will be held Saturday February 11 at 2 p.m. at All Saints By-the Sea Episcopal Church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Direct Relief or the Sansum Clinic.