Obituaries
Wilton H. Bunch, MD
January 12, 1935 - May 16, 2021
The academic world lost an outstanding teacher with the passing of Wilton H. Bunch on May 16, 2021. Wilton was an active member of the SRS, joining in 1971. He served on the Board of Directors (1973-1980), as Treasurer (1976-1980), and as the 17th President of the SRS (1985-1986).
Raised in College Place, Washington, Wilton attended Walla Walla College majoring in Mathematics and graduating in 1956. He received his MD from Loma Linda University in 1960. After interning at Loma Linda, he served in the U.S. Public Health Service, Department of Indian Health, The Crow Agency in Montana from 1961-1963. He attained a PhD in Physiology from 1967 and completed his Orthopedic Residency in 1968 at University of Minnesota where he trained under John Moe. From 1969-1975 he was the Donald Barnes Professor of Orthopedics at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and became the Dr. William M. Scholl Professor and founding Chairman of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Loyola University of Chicago where he served from 1975-1985. While at Loyola he founded and was the first Director of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Center housing rehabilitation research laboratories in Biomechanics, Neuro Research and Vision Research for the Blind at Hines Veterans Hospital. He served as a Secretary–Treasurer of the Academic Orthopedic Association 1981–1984 and President 1984-1985. He was an active member in the AAOS and served as Chairman of the Committee on Prosthetics and Orthotics from 1981–1985. He was an examiner for the American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons from 1976-1989 where he was actively involved in question preparation for the oral examinations. He served on the Committee on Faculty Practice Plans and Dean’s Letter for The Association of American Medical Colleges, as a Representative for the Counsel of Academic Societies and Counsel of Deans. He was active in the Illinois Division of Services for Crippled Children’s and served on the advisory board from 1978-1988. He was an active member in The Association of Orthopedic Chairman, Pediatric Orthopedic Society, Association of Bone and Joint Surgery, American College of Surgeons, Orthopedic Research Society, American Physiological Society, Society for Christian Ethics, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities and Society for Practical and Professional Ethics.
Ever the student, Wilton obtained an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1983 and set his sights on higher academic goals. In 1985 he became to Dean for Medical Affairs and Professor of Surgery (Orthopedics) at the University of Chicago. From 1988-1990 he served as the Dean, College of Medicine, University of South Florida.
In the 1990’s Wilton, the life-time student, pursued additional areas of interest. He became an Ordained Episcopalian Priest in 1997 and obtained a Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in 1998. From 2000-2017 he was back pursuing his passion, teaching as Professor of Ethics, Beeson Divinity School in Sampson University Birmingham, Alabama. He worked as an Assistant Priest in the Episcopal Church, Birmingham Alabama from 2001-2021.
He served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research, Journal of American Medical Association, Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics, Spine and Journal of Society for Christian Ethics. He was an Ethics consultant to the North American Spine Society. During his career he authored 118 peer reviewed articles, wrote 28 book chapters, published 8 books and performed 32 Visiting Professorships. He was honored in 2006 with the establishment of the Wilton H. Bunch Interdisciplinary Faculty Fellowship at Samford University and the Wilton Bunch Lecture in Medical Ethics in Orthopaedic Surgery at Loyola in 2012.
When not teaching or writing Wilton found time to coach the Stanford University Ethics Bowl Team and play the double bass in the Stanford University Orchestra. He was a passionate gardener and student of genealogy, publishing 3 books on his genealogical research.
He is survived by his wife of 38 years Victoria Dvonch, MD, son Brett, grandchildren Owen and Charlotte. He was proceeded in death by son Wesley and daughter Brenda.
During his career Wilton had many titles, pediatric orthopedic surgeon, chairman, dean, colleague, mentor, husband, father and friend. The title he most cherished and will be best remembered is that of teacher. Wilton taught problem solving and critical thinking. He had a gift of inspiring college students, graduate students, medical students and residents to strive to reach their maximum potential. He will be greatly missed.
Fond memories and condolences for the family may be left at: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/homewood-al/wilton-bunch-10196414
Written By:
Michael R. Zindrick, MD
Richard E. Lindseth, MD
April 3, 1935 - May 4, 2021
Dr. Lindseth was born April 3, 1935 and died May 4, 2021 in Indianapolis, IN. He was 86 years old. He joined the SRS in 1976 and was currently an Emeritus Fellow.
He received his undergraduate education from Dartmouth University and his Doctor of Medicine from Harvard University. This was followed by his orthopaedic surgery residency at the State University of New York at the Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. He joined the Indiana University School of Medicine in 1967 where he spent his entire academic career. His major interest were pediatric spinal deformities and myelodysplasia. During his career he published 24 peer-reviewed articles according to PubMed. He was promoted to Professor in 1975.
Dr. Lindseth became the Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1995. In 1999 he was awarded the Glenn W. Irwin, Jr. Distinguished Faculty Award and in 2000 was became the George J Garceau Professor of Pediatric Orthopaedics. He was a member of numerous societies including the AAOS, POSNA (President 1986-1987), AOA, EPOS, SICOT and the Spina Bifida Association of America (Chair, Professional Advisory Committee 1987).
He was an outstanding academician, leader and teacher. Each November the department has hosted the Richard E. Lindseth Pediatric Orthopaedic Lectureship in his honor.
Frank McManus, FRCSI
Date of Death: October 15, 2020
Dr. McManus died on October 15, 2020 in Dublin, Ireland. He became a member of the SRS in 1991 and was an Emeritus Fellow. We were just recently informed of his passing and are awaiting additional information on his life for a more formal obituary.
Gianluigi Siccardi, MD
July 29, 1953 - March 21, 2021
With great sadness and sorrow, I have to announce to all SRS members that my great friend Gianluigi SICCARDI has suddenly and unexpectidely passed away on March 21.
Born in Finale Ligure (Liguria coast) on July 29, 1953, he graduated at University of Genova at the end of 1978: immediately after graduation, he started to attend the Spinal Deformity Dept of Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure, founded and directed by Alberto Ponte, and there he began his activity as fellow on 1984, after completing his orthopedic residency in Florence on Nov 1983.
Gianluigi got married with his beloved wife Paola on 1989 and they had three daughters, Margherita, Arianna and Caterina, now 31, 29 and 25 years old.
He was a charming and honest person during all his life, with a very empathic approach to his patients, especially the youngest ones: his smile and quiet talking were appreciated by parents, making easier their treatment choices, also the surgical more difficult ones.
He was specifically focused on the treatment of severe spinal deformities (kyphosis and scoliosis) during a career initially based for 17 years in Santa Corona Hospital until the retirement of his mentor, Alberto Ponte (1998): he was his first fellow and then partner, helping him to develop and refine the surgical technique well-known as “Ponte osteotomy”, and contributing to several peer review scientific papers.
He was member of Italian Spine Scoliosis Society-GIS and since 2001 an Active Member of SRS, participating on Nov 2007 to FOCOS project in Ghana leaded by Boachie-Adjei.
Due to local interpersonal problems, he had then to leave Santa Corona on 2000, and find professional indipendence and leadership far from it, working as Consultant spine surgeon in several locations (Savona, Cremona, Taranto, Trento) and finally becoming Director of Spine Deformity Dept in Milano between 2009 and 2019 (at first in Città Studi Hospital and then in Orthopedic Institute Galeazzi).
In the last 2 years he worked mostly in Rome, but he began to feel tired to be too often far from home, and that feeling was reinforced by problems caused by pandemia. He had progressively reduced his duties, to be closer to his native land and his beloved family, and we have often talked about his regret not to have had the opportunity to work again and finish his career inside Santa Corona, the first hospital he was working in.
Passionate worldwide traveler with Paola, enjoying the beauty of nature, art, design, architecture, in the last few years his dream was to retire on the hill of Finale, where he had recently bought a land to cultivate olive trees and create a “Prosecco” vineyard, wine he was very fond of.
For all these reasons, he has left now a deep void, of course inside his family where he was the person of reference, but also in everyone who had the lucky opportunity to know him in a more personal and friendly way, as I did.
See you one day again, Giangi.
With sorrow,
Marco Brayda-Bruno, MD