Richard L Dobson

It is with great sadness that the family of Dr. Richard “Dick” Lawrence Dobson (of Mt. Pleasant, SC) announces his passing on Saturday, February 16, 2019 at the age of 90.

He was born on April 12, 1928 in Boston, Massachusetts, son of the late Celia Segal Dobson and the late Joseph Dobson. He attended Boys Latin and later served in the Navy where he received an honorable discharge. He went on to obtain his medical degree from the University of Chicago and began an illustrious career as an academician renowned for his ground-breaking research in dermatology.

Richard is survived by daughter Pam Hoyt and husband Dave, daughter Lisa Craven and husband Chris all of Charleston, son Rick Dobson and wife Camille Bartus of Springfield, VA, granddaughter Ryan Ennis and husband Jonathan, granddaughter Marissa Bartus-Dobson, granddaughter Nikki Gagnon and husband Brandon, granddaughter Julia Bartus-Dobson, great grandson Luke Ennis, and brother Arthur Dobson. Richard was preceded in death by his loving wife of 52 years Marie C Dobson and later by wife of 14 years Rhoda Freda.

He was affectionately known as “Popsy” to his granddaughters who cherished him. He was a warm and wonderful father and husband, with a special knack for entertaining his family with his clever wit, wisdom, and Popsyisms.

Dr. Dobson was a true icon of dermatology in the late 20th century, having served as President of the Society for Investigative Dermatology, the American Academy of Dermatology, and the American Board of Dermatology. He was one of the founders of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and served as its second Editor. He served as professor and chairman of the MUSC Department of Dermatology from 1979 until 1989 and as professor until his retirement in 1999. (A summary of his CV is provided below for those interested.)

The family will receive friends on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 from 5:00PM to 8:00PM at McAlister-Smith Funeral Home, Mt Pleasant.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00AM on Thursday, February 21, 2019 at Rodenberg Chapel at Franke at Seaside, 1600 Franke Drive, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464.

Memorial contributions may be made in honor of Dr. Richard L. Dobson to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation (www.myasthenia.org). (When contributing online, there is an option to have the family advised of the contribution. If you wish to, you may enter the email address of Dr. Dobson’s son Rick (rdobsonjr@gmail.com.)

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at www.mcalister-smith.com.

Arrangements have been entrusted to McAlister-Smith Funeral Home, Mt Pleasant, 1520 Rifle Range Road, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464, 843-884-3833.

Richard L. Dobson, MD Curriculum Vitae
Education:
University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H., 1945-46. 1947-49. B.S.
University of Chicago School of Medicine, M.D. , 1953.
Intern-Cincinnati General Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio,1953-1954
Fellow in Dermatology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, N.H., 1954-56.
Public Health Service Research Fellow of the National Institute of Health, 1956.
Assistant in Dermatology, Hitchcock Clinic, Hanover, N.H. 1957.

Academic Appointments:
Instructor in Medicine (Dermatology) University of North Carolina School of
Medicine, Chapel Hill, N.C. 1957-58.
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Dermatology) and Head, Division of Dermatology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine 1958-61.
Associate Professor of Dermatology, University of Oregon Medical School, Portland, Oregon. 1961-64
Professor of Dermatology, University of Oregon Medical School. 1964-72.
Senior Scientist, Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, Beaverton, Oregon, 1964-68.
Visiting Professor, Department of Physiology, Catholic University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. 1969-70.
Professor and Chairman, Department of Dermatology, SUNY-Buffalo School of Medicine. 1972-79.
Head, Department of Dermatology, E.J. Meyer Memorial, Buffalo Children's, Buffalo General and VA Hospitals. 1972-79.
Consultant, Roswell Park Memorial Institute, 1972-79.
Member Executive Committee, E.J. Meyer, Buffalo General and Buffalo Children's Hospital, 1972-79.
Professor and Chairman, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of South Carolina. 1979-89.
Professor, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of South Carolina. 1989- 99
Professor Emeritus 1999
Acting Dean, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, September 1985 - April 1986.
Interim Chair, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy 1991-92

Membership in Scientific Societies:
American Medical Association
American Academy of Dermatology
Society for Investigative Dermatology
American Federation for Clinical Research
International Society for Tropical Dermatology
American Physiological Society
American Association for Cancer Research
New York Academy of Sciences
American Dermatological Association
European Academy of Dermatology

Activities and Honors:
Diplomate, American Board of Dermatology, 1959.
Delegate, U.S.P. Convention, 1960-70.
Consultant, American Medical Association Council on Drugs, 1958-61.
Member, General Medicine Study Section, N.I.H. 1964-69.
Chairman, General Medicine Study Section, N.I.H. 1970-72.
Asst. Chief Editor, Archives of Dermatology, 1963-69.
Member, Editorial Board, Archives of Dermatology, 1969-73.
Board of Directors, Society for Investigative Dermatology, 1964-69.
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1966.
Fellow, American College of Clinical Pharmacology and Chemotherapy, 1964.
Fellow, American College of Physicians, 1966.
Secretary-Treasurer, Society of Sigma Xi, University of Oregon, Portland Chapter, 1965.
Listed, Who's Who and American Men of Science.
Maurice Costello Memorial Lecturer, American Academy of Dermatology, 1965.
Member, Board of Directors, American Academy of Dermatology, 1970-73.
President, Oregon Dermatology Society, 1971-72.
Fellow, Royal College of Medicine, 1973-
Member, Council on Annual National Meeting, American Academy of Dermatology, 1973-78. Chairman, 1977-78.
Member, Council on Educational Affairs, American Academy of Dermatology, 1975-76.
Chairman, Committee on Postgraduate Courses, American Academy of Dermatology, 1975-76.
President-Elect 1975-76, President 1976-77, Society for Investigative Dermatology.
Visiting Professor, Universities of Cracow, Katowice and Warsaw, Poland, 1975.
Board of Directors, Association of Professors of Dermatology, 1976-79.
Treasurer, American Dermatological Association, 1977-82.
Visiting Professor, University of Sydney, Australia. 1976.
Consultant, Royal Flying Doctor's Service, Australia. 1976.
Honorary Consultant, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia. 1976-
Editor, Contemporary Review. 1974-85
Member, Education Committee, American Dermatologic Association. 1976-79.
Member, Scientific and Education Committee, Dermatology Foundation, 1974-78.
Member, Education Committee, American Society for Continued Dermatologic Surgery. 1976-79.

Director, Annual Westwood Conference on Clinical Dermatology. 1975-85.
Editor, Year Book of Dermatology, 1978-84.
Assistant Editor, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1978-88.
Vice-President, American Academy of Dermatology, 1978-79.
Member, Board of Trustees, Dermatology Foundation, 1978-82.
Director, American Board of Dermatology,1978-88. President, 1988-89.
Dome Lecturer, American Academy of Dermatology, 1979.
Honorary Member, North American Clinical Dermatology Society
Honorary Member, Polish Society of Dermatology
Honorary Member, British Association of Dermatologists
Honorary Member, German Dermatologic Society
Honorary Member, Finnish Dermatology Society
Honorary Member, Dutch Dermatology Society
Honorary Member, French Dermatology Society
Honorary Member, Spanish Dermatology Society
Honorary Professor, Second Medical School of Shanghai, China 1987
Managing Editor, Archives of Dermatologic Research, 1980-1985.
Director, American International Conferences on Clinical Dermatology, 1980-88.
President-Elect, American Academy of Dermatology, 1982-83.
President, American Academy of Dermatology, 1983-84.
Editor, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1988-98.
Master in Dermatology, American Academy of Dermatology, 1992.
Editor Emeritus, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1998.
Honorary Member, American Academy of Dermatology, 1998-
Millennial Rothman Gold Medal Recipient, Society for Investigative Dermatology, 2000.
Honorary member, American Dermatologic Association, 2001
Honorary Member, American Academy of Dermatology, 2000
Honorary Member, American Dermatological Association, 2001
Society for Investigative Dermatology Millennial Stephen Rothman Gold Medal Award, 2000