Howard A. Pearson ’51

Howard A. Pearson ’51, M.D., died on October 16, 2016, in New Haven, Connecticut. A pediatric hematologist and oncologist, he was widely recognized as a superb teacher, clinical researcher and patient care practitioner. He was also a founder (with the actor Paul Newman) and builder of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which enriched the lives of thousands of children with cancer. Howard was a graduate of Dartmouth’s two-year medical school and finished his medical degree at Harvard. He practiced at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, and the University of Florida and Yale, where he spent 40 years, 12 of them as chair of pediatrics. He devised life-saving techniques for diagnosis and treatment of sickle cell anemia in young children and spearheaded changes in established practice that reduced the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome by 40 percent. He served as president of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1992-93. Howard spent 14 summers as medical director and on-site physician at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. In those roles he addressed the many strategic, political and medical issues at the camp. He was largely responsible for creating a sense of joy and esprit that helped thousands of kids to heal emotionally. He said that being called “Doc” at the camp was the proudest title he ever had. Two weeks before his death, Howard was honored by his Dartmouth classmates with the Spirit of ’51 Award.