Remembering Dr. Doolittle, who was tireless in caring for the people of Fairbanks

Before Fairbanks had a cardiologist, an oncologist, a rheumatologist or any number of other medical specialists, it had Dr. William Doolittle.

Doolittle, who died in April at 86, arrived here with the U.S. Army in the 1960s and found his calling in caring for Alaskans.

Nina Burglin described the doctor/patient relationship with Doolittle this way: "He made me feel like I was his only patient."

Years ago, two other patients with the same level of trust were about to be discharged from Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. They didn't have a car and they insisted to former social worker Sharon Smoyer there was no problem because Doolittle would drive them home.

They lived 100 miles from the hospital, near Delta.

Informed of this transportation plan, Doolittle told Smoyer, "Won't that be a nice drive for Marla and me," referring to his wife, a nurse.

In the early years, with specialists in short supply, Doolittle had to be prepared for anything in Fairbanks.

"He was a true 'internist' — a careful listener who established rapport with his patients and a thoughtful diagnostician," said Dr. Sean Stitham, 61, in an online note of condolence to the family.

"The last time I saw him 18 years ago he was retired, but still learning, reading difficult clinical cases online and getting most of the answers right," said Stitham, who shadowed Doolittle in Fairbanks in 1977 during the summer of Stitham's freshman year in medical school.

Doolittle, born in 1929, studied medicine at the University of Vermont and came to Bassett Army Hospital at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks as chief of medicine from 1964-67.

He left Alaska to become chief of the general medical section at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., only to return as director of the Arctic Medical Research Laboratory from 1968-73.

Doolittle worked for a time in Greenland and became an authority on treating hypothermia and other cold-weather injuries. In 1970, he revised the chapter on cold injuries for the NATO emergency war surgery handbook.

Retiring from the Army as a lieutenant colonel, he became a prominent leader in the medical community in Fairbanks, not only in terms of caring for patients, but also in helping set standards of care at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

He served as chief of staff at the hospital for five terms and volunteered as a member of the professional affairs committee for the nonprofit foundation that owns the hospital.

Dozens of Doolittle's friends gathered at the Wedgewood Resort Monday evening in his honor on what would have been his 87th birthday.

Many took note of the private and professional teamwork between Doolittle and Marla.

"He and Marla were always very accessible," said Margaret Soden, a pharmacist who served with him on the professional affairs committee.

She said that unlike some other doctors, he was willing to listen to pharmacists and discuss what was best for the patient, always his top priority.

Doolittle retired in 1997, a decision that left many of his patients devastated, she said.

Mike Powers, the former hospital CEO, praised Doolittle's integrity and commitment to quality patient care.

"How fortunate Fairbanks and Alaska was to have Dr. Doolittle as a citizen, and how fortunate Fairbanks Memorial and all of us were to have such a medical practitioner and leader and champion," said Powers, now the interim chancellor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Bill Mendenhall, a retired UAF engineering professor, said Doolittle's work in retirement as a much-in-demand volunteer instructor in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute capped a remarkable career.

"His effect on the community was great," Mendenhall said.

Retired from daily medicine, Doolittle became a key figure on the board of trustees of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. He served as chairman of the trust for seven years, the longest tenure of anyone who has held that position.

He often said that working as a physician he never could deal with any of the underlying mental health and substance-abuse issues that afflicted many patients. Working with the trust allowed him to make a contribution to those aspects of health care, he said.

As he put it once during a legislative confirmation hearing, he was "addicted to the concept of beneficiaries first."

Any successful person has a blend of attributes. In Doolittle's case that meant at the right time and place, he could dispense a wry brand of medical advice to patients and colleagues. He knew how to deliver a joke.

Carl Benson, a retired UAF scientist, said three Doolittle directives stand out.

"No. 1, medicine is bad for you. No. 2, surgery is worse. No. 3, avoid both," he said.

Dr. William Wennen, a longtime Fairbanks surgeon, said Doolittle came in for a quick office visit a year or so ago. "Marla was insistent that I send him a bill," he said.

Wennen worked up an elaborate bill for his friend with all sorts of charges, professional discounts and a warning that late payment would mean a penalty.

"It got paid. My only regret is that I didn't save the check and frame it," Wennen said. The bill was $1.40.

Columnist Dermot Cole lives in Fairbanks. The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.