Ralph F. Carlson

Ralph F. Carlson M.D., age 85, passed away following a myocardial infarction on Nov. 23 in Evansville, Ind. He was born in Rigby, Idaho to Fred and Lanithea Jones Carlson. He was reared in Hyrum, Utah. He was valedictorian of his class as he graduated from South Cache High School in 1939. He subsequently graduated from Utah State Agricultural College and received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Chicago in early 1944. He was elected to membership in the national Alpha Omega Alpha honorary scholastic medical fraternity since he was one of the top 10 percent of his graduating class. Following his internship at Billings General Hospital at the University of Chicago, he served for two years as a medical officer in the United States Navy. This was during the closing days of World War II and shortly thereafter. He then returned to Billings to complete his training in general surgery and a post surgical fellowship in thoracic surgery. He had met and married Harriet Johnson of Chicago while he was engaged in his postgraduate training. On completing his training, Ralph, Harriet and their family moved to Ogden, Utah, where he entered surgical practice with Clark Rich and others. This brought chest surgery to Ogden in 1954. Then a long time friend, Dr. Paul Streuth of Evansville, encouraged him to move to Evansville and establish good coverage of the new specialty of thoracic surgery that had blossomed after World War II. With their family, Ralph and Harriet moved to Evansville in 1956. in 1968 Dr. Carlson joined with the late Dr. J. D. McDonld and Dr. J. Guy Hoover in founding the Evansville Surgical Associates, Inc. This organization is still in existence and now includes 13 general, vascular and thoracic surgeons. Ralph's oldest son, David, is a senior surgeon in this group.
Dr. Carlson retired from active practice in 1989. He had been President of both the Vanderburgh County Medical Society and the Indiana Chapter of the American College of Surgeons for many years and had served as President and Chief of Surgery at both the Deaconess and St. Mary's Hospitals in Evansville.
Dr. and Mrs. Carlson were strong supporters of the Indiana University School of Medicine, Evansville University and established multiple scholarships to assist students at these schools. They formed a foundation to fun education of nurses at both local hospitlas which still exists.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years; four children; 10 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren who live in the Indiana area. A sister, Jean (Mrs. Newel) Daines of Logan; a brother, Ray and his wife Helen of Grand Junction, Colo. also survive him.