Arthur Bleakley Chandler M.D.

1926 - 2020

Arthur Bleakley Chandler, MD
Augusta, Georgia—Arthur Bleakley Chandler, age 93, died at home on July 17, 2020 after a prolonged illness. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clemons Quillian and Mary Bleakley Chandler, his wife, Jane Downing Chandler and his sons Edward Warwick Chandler, and John Downing Chandler. He is survived by his son, Dr. Arthur Bleakley Chandler, Jr. (Susan) and his grandchildren, Arthur Bleakley Chandler, III, Edward Ford Molloy Chandler and Elizabeth Murfree Chandler.
A native of Augusta, Dr. Chandler was born on September 11, 1926. After attending the University of Georgia for two years in the pre-med program, he entered the Medical College of Georgia in 1944 (then UGA school of Medicine) and graduated with honors in 1948. Following an internship in Dallas, Texas, and a two-year residency in pathology at MCG, he joined the US Army as an officer in the medical corps from September 1951-1953, serving the first year in radiation research at the Army Medical Research Laboratory at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, and the second year as chief of the hospital laboratory at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia.
In September 1953, Dr. Chandler and Jane Stoughton Downing were married in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. They settled in Augusta, where they shared a full and happy life for sixty four years. He writes in his autobiography: "The guiding light throughout this undertaking has been my wife, Jane Downing Chandler, who through her love and exuberant spirit has kept me afloat and taught me what it means to serve".
Dr. Chandler rejoined the faculty in the Department of Pathology at the Medical College of Georgia in 1953. There, he served for the next forty-seven years, participating in the education and clinical service programs and conducting research. In 1975, he was appointed Professor and Chairman of Pathology, serving until his retirement in 2000. He considered one of his greatest accomplishments to be the teaching of hundreds of medical students, residents and fellows over his 50 year career.
In the 1950s, Dr. Chandler initiated a research program in cardiovascular disease funded by the National Institutes of Health. He devised a method for producing an artificial thrombus that closely resembles a natural thrombus by rotating blood in a circular loop of plastic tubing. The "Chandler Loop" method has been widely adopted around the world for the study of thrombus formation and dissolution and continues to be used today. In 1963-64 he spent a year's leave in Norway as a fellow of the Commonwealth Fund at the Thrombosis Research Institute of the University of Oslo. In 2002 the journal Nature Medicine recognized two of his papers as two of ninety-six landmark papers on atherosclerosis in the 20th century. In addition to his published articles, he is the author of many books including Explorations in Pathology, a Medical Autobiography. He published his last book, Destined to Lead, a biography of his mentor, Dr. Edgar Pund, at age 92.
Over many years, Dr. Chandler was very active in the Augusta community. He contributed his time and talents to The Augusta Richmond County Museum, Historic Augusta (founding member) and was a trustee of the Academy of Richmond County, 1984 to 2018. Since 1944, Dr. Chandler served as a member of the Gridiron Secret Society where, in addition to many other notable achievements, he was the esteemed eldest member ++. Dr. Chandler was a lifelong congregant of the Church of the Good Shepherd where he was proud to have served as Rev. Allen Clarkson's first acolyte.
In 1999 he received the Outstanding Faculty award for the MCG School of Medicine. In 2000 Dr. Chandler received the Medical Association of Georgia's most prestigious award, the Hardman Cup, for his outstanding contributions to the science of medicine. In 2017, Dr. Chandler was honored to be included in the Academy of Richmond County's Hall of Fame.
In light of the current circumstances surrounding the pandemic, the family is saddened that they will be unable to share in a celebration of Dr. Chandler's life with their many dear friends. The family wishes to thank all of Dr. and Mrs. Chandler's exceptional caregivers, especially, Louise Johnson, who looked after them with love for many years.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to The Church of the Good Shepherd, 2230 Walton Way, Augusta, Georgia, 30904.
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