Academy Mourns Loss of Past President Loring W. Pratt, MD (1918-2012)

Loring Withee Pratt, MD, died March 13, 2012. He was president (1981-1982) and a 63-year member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Pratt’s guidance to the Academy came at a pivotal time in its organizational development. In 1981 as president-elect of the former American Council of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, he extended an assured sense of balance and integrity that helped merge the Council organization with the then American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery into the AAO-HNS of today. Dr. Pratt graduated with an AB from Middlebury College, VT, in 1940 and three years later earned his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He completed his residency in otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins Hospital and served in the U.S. Air Force before entering private practice. He was well-loved by his family, local community, and the community of medicine as an exciting and engaging teacher and mentor. After serving in the Air Force, Dr. Pratt settled with his wife, Jennie, in Waterville, ME, as a community otolaryngologist. There he reached beyond the office setting, serving as assistant director of the F.T. Hill Seminar at Colby College in Waterville, ME; chief of staff at Thayer Hospital in Waterville from 1979 to 1981; and chief of the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery from 1977 to 1979 at Thayer Hospital. Dr. Pratt also spent a great deal of time working with TB patients at the Central Maine Sanatorium in Fairfield. He was active as a consulting physician for many area hospitals, including the VA facility in Togus. He worked in that community until 1985, and so loved medicine that he continued working in his retirement for the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ, and Johns Hopkins Medical Center. His community spirit was also exhibited in other ways. Early in his career, he became a Freemason and continued that association all his life; his family will receive his 60-year certificate from the Waterville Lodge this month. Dr. Pratt’s active and varied interests included the Fairfield Historical Society, for which he served as president from 2003 to 2010. His interest in historical preservation benefited the AAO-HNSF museum through donations from his personal collection and in his volunteer work within its collections committees. Beyond community activity, Dr. Pratt engaged on a national level in the field of medicine. He was an active leader in the American College of Surgeons, the Triological Society, and the American Medical Association until his death and served as president of the American Laryngological Association, the American Broncho-Esophagological Association, and the American Society for Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Pratt contributed to the field by publishing many papers. One of his specialties was treating chainsaw injuries to the head and neck, and his lectures on the topic were widely disseminated. Dr. Pratt’s passions did not end with healthcare or community. He loved the natural world—”all creatures, great and small.” He loved geology and photography and combined these loves to form many intact collections of note. In his late 80s, he became a Master Gardener. He could state the genus and species of many plants and animals found in the wild. The gardens around his home were glorious throughout the growing seasons. It was not uncommon for Dr. Pratt’s car to be seen stopped by the side of a road while he rooted up a sample of some wild under-identified species. Dr. Pratt is survived by his nine children and their families. His legacy of excellence, balance, commitment, and engagement will survive as well.