Frank R. Boyer

Frank R. Boyer
Frank R. Boyer, MD, died Monday, May 14, 2007 at his home in Naples, Fla., after a brief illness. He was 89. Born and raised in the Lehigh Valley, he was a graduate of Muhlenberg College and Temple University School of Medicine. He practiced cardiology and internal medicine in Allentown for more than 50 years. He served with the Army Medical Corps during World War II. In 1962, while Chief of Cardiology at Allentown General Hospital, he established the first acute coronary care unit in the Lehigh Valley, and one of the first in Pennsylvania. He held faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital where upon his retirement he was appointed Emeritus Consultant in Cardiovascular Disease. For many years, he was Associate Chief of Cardiology at Bryn Mawr Hospital, and was a lifetime member of the American College of Physicians and a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Boyer played a significant role in the development of several cardiac care instruments and procedures. In 1952 he was a member of the first team of physicians to utilize a heart-lung by-pass machine, and he subsequently helped to design the first electrocardiograph machine. Survivors: Wife, Jean; daughter, Carol Graham; son, George; grandchildren, Jonathan Mathers, Benjamin Graham, Jennifer Boyer, Joshua Boyer, Erin Holler; great-grandson, Benjamin Mathers. Services: Memorial, 1 p.m., Friday, June 1, 2007, at Trexler Funeral Home, 1625 Highland St., Allentown. No calling hours. Contributions: In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Drs. Frank and George Boyer Scholarship Fund at Muhlenberg College.