Robert H. Wilbee ’51

Robert H. Wilbee ’51, M.D., a general surgeon and former chief of occupational medicine at the White Sands Missile Range in Las Cruces, New Mexico, died on September 3, 2021, in Tucson, Arizona. Bob lived and practiced general surgery in Buffalo for many years after earning his M.D. at the State University of New York (Buffalo). He was a member of the Bethlehem Steel Corp.’s trauma team and assistant dean and assistant professor of surgery at the SUNY (Buffalo) School of Medicine and played a leadership role in planning and constructing the Erie County Medical Center. After moving to New Mexico, he was a member of the State Board of Medical Examiners, president of the New Mexico Medical Society, and president of the New Mexico chapter of the American College of Surgeons. After graduating from Dartmouth Bob served in the U.S. Army in Panama as a special agent in the Counterintelligence Corps. His brother, James, was a member of Dartmouth’s class of 1942. A lifelong learner, Bob’s interests included linguistics, history, and music. Adult education courses at the University of Arizona were highlights of his life after retirement. He and his wife, Shirley, were world travelers. A private pilot, he owned a series of 13 airplanes through the years.