John Cramton Tower ’47

John Cramton Tower ’47, M.D. died in Anchorage, Alaska, on June 27, 2011. He grew up in Meriden, Connecticut, and graduated from Meriden High School. He was in the small group of civilians that entered college in the summer of 1943. His college career was interrupted by two years in the Army, when he served in Europe in the 3rd Armored Division. He returned to Dartmouth, played in the band, joined Alpha Delta Phi and graduated summa cum laude and then from the Medical School in 1949. He completed medical school at Case Western Reserve and his residency in pediatrics at Grace New Haven Hospital, where he met his wife, a fellow physician. At the urging of a pioneer Alaska physician, Dr. Earl Albrecht, John and his wife moved to Anchorage in 1954 and set up practice. In addition to medicine, he and his wife loved to hike, play tennis, ski and hunt. He and Dr. Helen Whately founded the Anchorage Pediatric Group in 1956 and cared for Anchorage children until his retirement in 1991. He volunteered as a pediatric consultant at the Anchorage Native American Center and worked with the health committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He served for several years as parks and recreation commissioner. He is survived by his wife and four children. Dartmouth relatives include his father, Arthur Tower, class of 1915, two uncles, a cousin and son Steven ’76. He served as class agent (1984-87) and as class agent for the Medical School (1982-2011).