ASA November 2006 Newsletter

etty Pearce Stephenson, M.D., ASA President in 1991, passed away at her home in Sugar Land, Texas, on Sunday, September 17, 2006. Betty was a devoted and loving wife, mother and grandmother. Her devotion did not end with family, however. She was equally dedicated to the practice of medicine, to the patients for whom she cared. And it was with this same single-mindedness that she achieved so much in the arena of organized medicine. She was an efficient and intelligent leader. Yet it was her role as mentor in which Betty took the most pride, and it is this mentorship that may well be remembered as her greatest legacy.

Betty P. Stephenson, M.D.

Betty was born January 31, 1927, in Abilene, Texas. As a young girl of 12, Betty decided to become a doctor after witnessing the premature births and deaths of a neighbor’s puppies. Her determination did not waver in the face of the typical question of the day, “Don’t you mean you want to be a nurse?” During her years at Abilene High School, she was an active band member, and it was with the encouragement of her biology teacher that she continued to pursue her dream of becoming a physician. In 1947, Betty graduated from Hardin-Simmons University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After a year at the University of Colorado studying biochemistry, Betty entered Baylor College of Medicine. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree in 1953, then traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, for her internship. When she returned to Baylor College of Medicine for her anesthesiology residency, her training took place at Houston’s Veterans Administration Hospital and Jefferson Davis Hospital. “She was a conscientious, first-class resident,” according to Arthur S. Keats, M.D., Chief of Baylor’s Department of Anesthesia at the time.

The majority of Betty’s professional career was spent in private practice at Methodist Hospital and Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital in Houston. Betty also had affiliations with St. Vincent’s Hospital and Shriners Hospital in Los Angeles. She was an active alumna of Baylor College of Medicine and held an appointment as a Clinical Associate Professor there. She was first and foremost a physician of the highest caliber; she expected no less from those she worked with, both in and out of the operating room. Innumerable patients benefited from her compassionate understanding and clinical acumen.

Betty kept busy with her clinical practice and her family. She and her husband, Charles, raised four children. Still, she developed a love for organized medicine and found time to excel in that pursuit as well. On the local level, she was elected as president of the Gulf Coast Anesthesia Society in 1976. She served as president of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists in 1983. After serving for three years on the executive board of the Harris County Medical Society, an organization of 5,500 members, she became its first woman president in 1986. It is interesting to note that when she became the first woman president of ASA in October 1990, she was neither a previous officer nor a member of the ASA Board of Directors.

During her tenure as ASA president, the ASA Political Action Committee (ASAPAC) was established. When the House of Delegates voted to approve ASAPAC, Betty became the first donor when she handed then-ASA Executive Director Glenn W. Johnson a check for the PAC right there on the House floor. In 1994, she became the third woman president of the Texas Medical Association. During her time on the Texas Medical Association’s Board of Directors, Betty was quick to repeatedly point out, in her polite, west Texas manner, that there were more on the board than “gentlemen.” Recognized for her tremendous vision and leadership, Betty received the Distinguished Service Award of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists, ASA and the Texas Medical Association.

Betty also was devoted to the American Medical Association (AMA). She was a long-time AMA delegate and alternate delegate from Texas. During her ASA presidency, she was tireless in her push for AMA membership and membership in AMA’s component societies. She was very proud when ASA was granted more than a single delegate to AMA. She was also a Fellow of the American College of Anesthesiologists and a member of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

Betty consistently reflected a deep concern for the well-being and development of individuals who came within her sphere of influence. Her wisdom and scholarly excellence have motivated and guided untold numbers of young women and men. She shared her life and her passion for organized medicine with all of us who call ourselves her “fifth” children. Betty’s mentoring was given in an unselfish manner, and she always found time to encourage a new and upcoming member of the local and state societies.

Betty was also quite active in civic affairs. She was involved with the San Jacinto Girl Scouts, Bellaire United Methodist Church, the United Way Budget Panel (for Health Agencies), the First Republic Bank Fannin Board of Directors, NCNB of Texas Advisory Board, the Doctor’s Club of Houston, Baylor College of Medicine Alumni Association, Gulf Coast Regional Blood Bank, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Museum of Medical Science, Hardin-Simmons University Development Board and the National Youth Leadership Forum.

Betty’s excellence was recognized when she graduated from Baylor College of Medicine with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. Her accomplishments have been further recognized by Hardin-Simmons University and Baylor College of Medicine; both institutions have awarded her as a Distinguished Alumnus. She also received an honorary doctor of humanities degree from Hardin-Simmons University. Other awards she received are the Thanks Badge from the San Jacinto Girl Scouts, the Texas Medical Association’s Young at Heart Award from its Young Physician Section, the Texas Medical Association’s C. Frank Webber Award from its Medical Student Section, and the Texas Medical Association’s Plaque of Appreciation for Interviewing Trustee.

She is survived by Charles Stephenson, M.D., her husband of 55 years; her children Patricia Stephenson McGrew, Karen Stephenson Baker, the Reverend Thomas Stephenson, Jr., and John Wesley Stephenson; by her grandchildren Sarah Elizabeth McGrew, Kyle Thomas Stephenson, Audrey Marie Stephenson and Jack Davis; and by her long-time care-givers Susan Sanagooymoharrer, Janina Martula, Cony Schweikert and Yolanda Kimble.

The Stephenson family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the “Betty P. Stephenson Lectureship,” c/o the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists, 401 W. 15th Street, Suite 990, Austin, TX 78701 or to the Texas Medical Association Foundation, c/o Lisa Stark Walsh, Executive Director, 401 W. 15th Street, Austin, Texas, 78701.

Many thanks go to those who assisted with the development of this remembrance: Joseph P. Annis, M.D., James F. Arens, M.D., Arthur S. Keats, M.D., and John M. Zerwas, M.D. Special thanks go to Ms. Chris Bacak, Executive Director of TSA, for her timely assistance. Thanks also to the Hardin-Simmons University Alumni Association and the Texas Medical Association.

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