Leonard Charpentier

Leonard Andrew
Charpentier
Abilene

Death, as it must to all men, came to Dr. Leonard Andrew Charpentier, on May 28, 2011, as he slipped the surly bonds of earth and reached out to touch the hand of God. He was 90 years old.
Dr. Len, as he was known to his patients and students, was born, the second of six children, to Pauline Margaret and Leonard Douglas Charpentier, in Newark, NJ on October 21, 1920.
He graduated from Keyport High School, Keyport, N.J., where he is a charter member of its Hall of Fame, and enrolled in Springfield College in Springfield, MA for his pre-med studies until dropping out to enlist in the Army Air Corps at the onset of WWII.
Dr. Charpentier was a fighter pilot, an instructor in fighter tactics, and flew combat in the European theatre of operations, as part of the 79th Fighter Group, 12th Air Force. He flew 29 combat missions in the beloved "Jug," Thunderbolt P-47, and was shot down and crashed with his aircraft while strafing an armored column in enemy-occupied France, on August 29, 1944. He was taken prisoner by a German medical team and underwent major surgery before being liberated by American forces. He was a graduate of the U.S. Armed Forces Command and General Staff College, Air Division.
He was discharged at the rank of Captain and resumed his pre-med studies at Bates College, in Lewiston, ME. He received his Doctorate of Medicine from Boston University in 1952, served an internship at University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, and went on to complete a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas, Galveston, TX, in 1956.
While in residency training he met and married Gwendolyn Lee Stratton, then the chief dietician for the university hospitals. Upon completion of his residency, Dr. Charpentier was offered and accepted a partnership in the private practice of his specialty while remaining on the part-time faculty of the university. He was a Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 1985 he entered a full-time teaching position, specializing in gynecologic surgery, and upon his retirement in 1991, was Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor, Department of Family Medicine.
Among his many accomplishments in his chosen profession were the following: Director, Gynecology Division, US Public Health Service Hospital, Clear Lake, TX; delegate to the Texas Medical Association House of Delegates; President, Galveston County Medical Society; President, District VIII Medical Society; President, Medical Staff, St. Mary's Hospital, Galveston; Chairman, Committee on Medical Legislation, TMA; President, Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates; and the recipient of a Professorship Award for Excellence in Resident Medical Education, UTMB.
Dr. Charpentier was active in community affairs and served as director and board member of the Galveston Savings and Loan, Galveston County Division of the American Cancer Society, William Temple Foundation and the Airport Commission, City of Galveston. In 1994, Dr. Len and Gwen shook the sand of Galveston island from between their toes and moved to Abilene to enjoy their grandchildren. His physical pleasures included golf, hunting, flying, travel, reading and the history and drinking of wines. He is survived by his wife, Gwendolyn; a daughter Alicia with her husband Joe Haley of Heath, TX, their children, Hatsie Haley of Boston, MA, and Stratton Haley, of San Antonio; and a son, Larry, with his wife Anne, and their three children, Drew, Thomas and Jane, of Galveston, TX.
A private memorial service for the family will be held at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest with the remains of cremation being interred in the columbarium there. Honorary pallbearers are Robert Karhan, Oris Greever, Dennis Bell, Jack Turner, Harl Morris, Jim Alexander and Joe Roeder.
Memorials may be made to Trinity Episcopal School, Galveston, TX or the charity of the donor's choice.
You may view and sign the guestbook at www.elliotthamilfuneralhome.com.