FREDERICK LIPPERT

LIPPERT Frederick George Lippert, III, MD Physician, musician, inventor, mentor, avid skier, amazing sailor, pilot, gold level dancer, loving husband, brother, devoted dad and grandfather, Dr. Frederick George Lippert, III passed away on November 12, 2021, at the age of 87. Dory, his wife, was with him. Fred was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 20, 1934 to Frederick and Phyllis Lippert and was the elder brother to Phillip Steven Lippert of Easton, Maryland. At a very early age, he was given his first pair of skis, was taught to row a boat, to swim in the ocean, and to sail. As a young boy, several family friends built a child sized airplane cockpit with a sliding door and small wings. Ace pilot, Fred, spent hours pretending to shoot down all the enemy planes. This love of flying resulted in his learning to fly and owning a Mooney airplane in his adult years. As a second grader Fred fell in love with the trumpet. His father, a Navy officer, rescued a beaten-up instrument abandoned on a ship. Then with a new trumpet he started lessons and as an adult organized and led bands and played the trumpet through his 80's. Music was a major love throughout his life. In his 50's, he became a gold medal winner at ballroom dancing competitions. Fred was affectionately referred to as Captain, Doctor, Doctor. Captain referring to his Navy career which began at the United States Naval Academy, class of 1956. He served 5 years then resigned to go to medical school. He attended medical school at the Robert Larner, MD, College of Medicine, at the Univer-sity of Vermont. Dr. Lippert was an intern at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. He returned to Vermont and completed his orthopaedic residency. Fred, always an avid student, traveled to Sweden where he earned in Ph.D. in Biomechanics at the Karolinska Institute. Dr. Lippert served with distinction as Chief of Orthopaedics at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Seattle and Associate Professor of Orthopaedics at University of Washington School of Medicine. He established the first foot and ankle clinic there. During this time in Seattle, he was concerned that orthopaedic resident training programs did not include enough hands-on training. His vision was to have a plastic artificial bone that could be cut, drilled, and feel like real bone. He was able to partner with Foss Miller, a Seattle engineer to implement this vision. Foss quickly grasped what needed to be done. They established the SAWBONES company. The company is now multinational with over two hundred employees carrying out Fred's vision and has become one of the leaders in medical education. Dr. Lippert's influence is described on their current web site. Dr. Lippert was passionate about orthpaedic education. For more than 30 years he co-chaired the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons's for Orthopaedic educators serving as a true "teacher of teachers". The course centered around small group interaction leading to its success. He was active in the American Orthopadic Foot and Ankle Society and in 1986 co-chaired their first course Complete Foot Care. Fred joined the Navy Reserves and during Desert Storm was called up for active duty. He was assigned to the 29 Palms Marine base as the only orthopaedic doctor. Now on active duty, Fred was recruited to serve and accepted the department chair and orthopaedic training directorship at the Bethesda Naval Hospital (now Walter Reed National Military Hospital). At his retirement in 2004 he received the Legion of Merit Award that recognized his outstanding record with the orthopaedic residents. Fred and his first wife, Nona, have two daughters, Nina DeVore and Felicia Cox both of Casper, Wyoming and a son, Todd Lippert of Olney, Maryland. Dr. Lippert's wife, Dory, was Fred's Naval Academy sweetheart. They met when Dory was only 16 and broke up 3 years later as they were too young to be so serious. Each went their separate ways marrying others and bring up their children. They reconnected in 2004 and discovered they lived five miles apart. They married in 2009 at the Naval Academy chapel. Sadly, in 2011 a bad sandwich resulted in food poisoning leading to Guillian-Barre and Fred's inability to walk. He was a nursing home resident for the last 7 years of his life. His enthusiasm for life, for laughter, music and loving times with family and friends were never diminished by his poor health. Services for Fred will be held at the United States Naval Academy in spring of 2022. Memorial gifts should be sent in his name to the Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Foundation at www.aofas.org/donate .