ELISHA HORNBLOWER "SKIP" ATKINS

1949 - 2019

ATKINS, Elisha Hornblower "Skip" Age 70, of Cambridge, MA, died suddenly on August 7, 2019. Skip was born on May 16, 1949, in Rochester, NY, the second of five children of Elizabeth and Elisha Atkins. He obtained his lifelong nickname from his beloved maternal grandfather, an avid sailor. He spent most of his childhood in Woodbridge, CT, while his father was a professor at Yale Medical School and his mother raised their family before becoming a teacher. Skip graduated as valedictorian from Hopkins School in New Haven, CT in 1967 where he was a passionate performer in the arts, playing piano and clarinet, singing in the school acapella chorus and playing starring roles as Skye Masterson in Guys and Dolls and Malvolio in Twelfth Night. He was known in Woodbridge for the elaborate summer productions involving scores of neighborhood teens that were performed at his house (and on the roof), including "Alice in Wonderland". He attended Swarthmore College from 1967 to 1972, majoring in history. Influenced by his community service work with the Quakers in Appalachia and time spent as a marshal during civil rights protests in New Haven in 1969, he applied for conscientious objector status for the draft for the Vietnam War. His lifelong commitment to social causes took him into his career in primary care and community medicine. He attended University of Connecticut Medical School and completed a primary care residency at Cambridge City Hospital where he was chief resident, and an MPH in occupational medicine at Harvard School of Public Health. Through his work as a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital's Chelsea Healthcare Center, where he spent most of his career, he touched countless people's lives. Although humble and self-deprecating about his professional accomplishments, he leaves a long list of them in his wake, among them: Unit Chief of MGH Chelsea Adult Medicine from 2009-2019; chairman of the City of Chelsea Board of Health for more than a decade; and the Medical Director of the Employee Health Service at MGH for many years. In 2009 he received a Partners In Excellence Award for Outstanding Performance and Commitment to Excellence. Proficient in five languages, Skip was a fierce advocate for MGH Chelsea's immigrant and refugee patients, helping to coordinate a legal clinic to assist them in immigration matters, and spearheading meetings with community agencies to discuss issues facing MGH Chelsea's Latino patients and staff. Those accolades, however, hardly defined his life. His family, friends, patients and co-workers will remember him for his deep and enduring compassion and humor. It's no surprise that he was beloved by all whose paths he crossed. Co-workers sometimes found it difficult to go out to lunch with him if pressed for time, because on the way he would inevitably be stopped by at least half a dozen patients or former patients passing on their greetings or asking for a quick sidewalk consult. Similarly, many family trips were delayed because Skip had stopped on the way home from work to help someone fix a flat tire or to break up a fight outside a bar. With those who knew him best, Skip was no less generous, pouring his time and energy into supporting loved ones. He particularly loved playing games with his nieces and grandkids, taking them on outings to Santa's Village, and introducing them to the joys of music and gardening. Although Skip was agnostic, the religious among us know that he earned express entrance into the Pearly Gates; the more secular hold him dear for the radiant human achievement of having walked his talk. Skip is survived by his wife Maureen Colton; his mother Elizabeth Atkins; his daughters Kirsten Colton and Siobhan Atkins; his niece Gabriella McIntyre; his siblings Ruth, Rick, Natasha, and David Atkins; his grandchildren Dylan and Ava Issler; and many other relatives and friends who became family. He was the father of the late Elizabeth S. Atkins. Skip did not want any traditional services, but a Memorial Service will be held in the fall. For those wishing to make a donation in Skip's memory, contributions can be sent to MGH Chelsea Healthcare Center, 151 Everett Avenue, Chelsea MA 02150.