William F. Donaldson, MD
1921 - 2006
William Fielding Donaldson, Jr, MD, died Wednesday, November 22, 2006, surrounded by his family. He was born in Beaver, PA and graduated form the University of Pittsburgh, where he received his medical degree in 1943. Following internship, he served in World War II in the South Pacific as the medical officer on a destroyer escort. After his military service, he completed his orthopaedic residency in Pittsburgh and took a scoliosis fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery. He returned to Pittsburgh and practiced at the Children's Hospital and University Hospital for 40 years. He served as medical director of Children's Hospital for 13 years. He also was Chair of the Orthopaedic Advisory Board of the Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children.
He was in the first group of newcomers invited to join the newly formed Pediatric Orthopaedic Society in 1971. He served as associate editor of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and served as chairman of its board of trustees. He was also on the editorial board of Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics.
He was devoted to the teaching of medical students and residents. He served as a trustee of the University of Pittsburgh and sat on its admissions committee. The Donaldson Chair in Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery was established at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in his honor.
Dr. Donaldson was a devoted fan of Pitt Panther Football and Basketball, and of the Steelers. In 1983, he climbed to the base camp of Mount Everest, in support of the only successful summit expedition from the mountain’s East Face.
He is survived by Jean, his wife of 60 years, his four children, and 15 grand children.
