Robert Edwin McCammon

McCAMMON, M.D., Robert Edwin, died at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa Wednesday, January 26, 2005, after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Carol Yvonne Gerwig Mc- Cammon; three sons, Richard Edwin of Los Angeles, Calif., Michael Robert and his wife, Julee Denise Winterbottom, of Eustis, Fla., and Douglas Charlton, of Houston, Texas; three grandsons, Maxwell Henry, Samuel William and Benjamin Edwin, all of Eustis, Fla.; and a brother, William Allen of Athens, Ohio. The son of Russell Edwin McCammon and Luella Bartlett McCammon, he was born in Columbus, Ohio, September 15, 1935. Dr. McCammon was descended from a Scottish Covenanter preacher and came from a staunch Presbyterian heritage of many centuries. He was a graduate of Athens High School, Athens, Ohio. After graduating cum laude from Ohio University, he obtained his M.D. degree from the University of Cincinnati, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha and Pi Kappa Epsilon honorary societies. He completed a rotatin g internship at Cincinnati General Hospital and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis, Ind. As a captain in the U.S. Air Force from 1967-1969, he practiced obstetrics and gynecology at the 4531st TAC Hospital in Homestead, Fla. After several years of serving with the OB/GYN group of Drs. Ingram, Qualey, Marston and McCammon, Dr. McCammon opened his own gynecology practice from 1976-1999. He was chief of gynecology at St. Joseph's Hospital from 1980-1990 and chief of gynecology at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa from 1999 until his retirement from the practice of medicine in August 2004. Dr. McCammon held many offices, including president of the Hillsborough County Medical Association, 1979-1980; member of the executive council, Women's Hospital, Tampa; president, Continental Gynecologic Society, 1990-1991; and president, St. Andrew's Society of Florida, 1988-1990. He was an editor for the Bulletin of the Hillsborough County Me dical Association and won several awards for his editorials. He was a clinical professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Florida College of Medicine. One of his many interests was the love of flying, for then he could "slip the surly bonds of earth," a statement he often made when traveling. He was a flight instructor with instrument certification for single- and multi-engine planes and was licensed as a commercial pilot. He loved sailing and was a captain licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard. Golf, both playing the game and making clubs, was another of his great passions. A memorable experience was his twice playing the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland. He enjoyed traveling and combined this hobby with another of his main interests, the study of the U.S. Civil War and of World War II. Dr. McCammon's membership in various medical and social organizations confirmed his involvement in the community. In addition to volunteering at Metropolitan Ministries' Faith Cafe, he was an elder in the Presbyterian church and a member of the Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church. He was a member of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, the Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club, and the St. Andrew's Society of Florida. He was a former member of the University Club of Tampa and the Tampa Yacht and Country Club. Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Sunday, January 30, 2005, at Blount and Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Monday, January 31, 2005, at Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church, 3501 San Jose Ave. Friends are invited to the family home immediately afterward. Dr. McCammon's family is deeply grateful to the staff of St. Joseph's Hospital, to his many patients and friends, and to his professional colleagues for their support and outpouring of love during his illness. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Dr. William J. Catalona's prostate cancer foundation (Urological Research Foundation, c/o Edward Jones, 20 Allen Ave., Suite 170, St. Louis, MO, 63119-2344) or the Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church Building Fund, 3501 San Jose Ave., Tampa, FL 33629.