Deceased October 11, 2016

View alumni profile (log in required)
Read obituary
50th Reunion Book Entry 

In Memory

Charles D. Hummer Jr. died Oct. 11 of cancer.

Charlie was my friend from seventh grade. He was an extraordinary student, played a mean trumpet and excelled in track and basketball. Charlie supplied the fullback power that enabled our 1954 Swarthmore High football team to go undefeated. For 40 years, five members of that team, “The Gang,” met for a week every summer at his condo in Ocean City, N.J.

Charlie and I often chuckled about our first night in Morrow freshman year. Raised by teetotaling parents, we had never touched alcohol. So, when a mass of inebriated classmates broke the fire door next to our room, we hurried down to the local bar and purchased bottles of rum and coke—the only drink we’d ever heard of––and both got very sick!

Charlie studied genetics at Amherst and was star quarterback of Theta Xi’s intramural football team. His favorite receiver, Bill Pozefsky ’59, recalls they never lost a game.

Charlie married Debbie Ward in 1961, graduated from medical school, served in the Air Force and flourished as a father, surgeon and community leader-politician. He was mayor of Swarthmore and chair of the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine. Active in the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society, he led the formation of Premier Orthopaedics, a large surgical specialty group. Following his retirement in 2012, his son, Chip ’85, took over that practice.

Despite his pose as a “tough guy,” he was quiet and generous; few knew that he visited sick wards on holidays with gifts for patients who were lonely and often poor. As his daughter Kate recalled, Charlie “derived his greatest joy in life from bringing happiness to others.”

Debbie died of cancer in 1997. Besides his Chip and Kate, Charlie is survived by daughter Mai T. Whitsett and four grandchildren.

Stuart Bowie ’59

50th Reunion

Fifty years ago we puzzled over the meaning of the road around the campus. Now we have seen mostly where that road leads us, some good and some bad. For me the road led back to Phila for medical school, to Bangor, ME as a physician in the US Air Force, back to Swarthmore PA, where I practice as an orthopedic surgeon and in fact continue to work part time. During that time I have been fortunate to serve others in many ways; a member of the School Board, mayor of Swarthmore for 8 years (it's really fun to be able to marry people) surgeon and all the jobs of our 400 bed hospital winding up as Staff President, building a 31 member orthopedic group, and for the last 7 years a Chairman of the PA State Board of Medicine.

The road for me took a horrible turn 11 years ago when my wife, Debbie, died of lung cancer. Tt has been devastating; there were so many things we had planned to do, including attending our 50th reunion. She loved being at the college where we had courted. The only thing that has made it possible to face the next day are my 4 gran children, a girl 7 and three boys each 6. All live within 5 miles of Swarthmore.

I believe the road is growing short. Our society has failed to deal with many things but I believe euthanasia is one of the most important. I have seen many people in my career, who as they become old and ill and loose control are very much afraid of the future. When those people helped to understand that they can have control, the change in them is amazing, and once again they have control and can face ahead as they wish. I believe we need to offer this control to everyone who wants it and not have them dependent on some compassionate care giver, if one is available.

I realize this is somewhat heavy but it needs consideration, better than worrying about the price of gas or the stock market.

59 Charles Hummer