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- Dunford Jr. , M.D., Phillips Albert
Phillips Albert Dunford Jr. MD
Born February 23, 1919, to Phillips Albert Dunford, Sr., and Lucy Gerda Rothwell Dunford in Long Beach, CA, as a child he lived in San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, and Button-willow. He graduated from Kern County Union High School (now Bakersfield High School) in 1936. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1940, and from UCSF Medical School in 1943. During a one-year internship at Alameda County Hospital, he met his future wife, Ruth Vivian Littlefield, of Iowa, who was also an intern. They were married on October 23, 1943.
During World War II he served in the Pacific Theater as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy in the Medical Corps, taking part in amphibious landings on various islands including Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In 1946, Dr. Phil and Dr. Ruth (as they came to be known) moved to Bakersfield, where they established a private practice in general (family) medicine on the corner of Bernard and Baker Street, where they remained 37 years, retiring in 1984. In 1950, the Navy reactivated Dr. Phil for the Korean War and Dr. Ruth took over the medical practice while rearing their four children. Following his return they were blessed with five more children. All nine of their children graduated from college, seven in the field of healthcare and two in engineering fields. In 1966, Dr. Phil was recognized as Father of the Year by the Bakersfield Chapter of the National Fathers Day Committee.
During his career, he was active on the medical staffs at Mercy, Memorial and San Joaquin hospitals. He was a longtime member of the American Medical Association, California Medical Association, and the Kern County Medical Society. In 1984, he and Dr. Ruth were recognized as Outstanding Physicians of the Year by the latter, and in 1997, he completed editing the annals of the same, The Kern County Medical Society: The First 100 Years.
Dr. Phil and his family were faithful members of St. Joseph Catholic Church, where he sang in the choir. He was active in the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and chaired the construction committee for the store and service building completed in 1959 on Bakersfield Street. In commemoration, he designed and sculpted the bas-relief of St. Vincent de Paul and the child that graces the exterior of the building today. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 977, serving in several offices and heading the building committee for the K of C hall on Goodman Street. He was an avid supporter of Garces Memorial High School, educating nine children there, and played a role in keeping its doors open. Many charities benefited from his generosity.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Ruth; son, Dennis; and brother, David. He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Sybil and Herbert York of La Jolla, and children and spouses, Kathleen and Carl Guilford of Bakersfield, Michael Dunford of Oceanside, Dr. Gregory and Marie Dunford of Kingsburg, Ronald and Pamela Swisher of Oregon, Stephen and Mary Dunford of Massachusetts, Dr. Christopher Dunford and Renee Sugasawara of Maryland, Timothy and Diane Dunford of Idaho, John and Rita McNeal of Alaska, 14 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild and numerous nieces and nephews.
Dr. Phil will be missed not only by his family, but also by many former patients and friends. The family wishes to thank Carmen Rollins and her family for the years of compassionate care and the staffs of Mercy Hospital and Columbus Estates. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Catholic Charities, 525 18th Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301, Friends of Mercy Foundation, P.O. Box 119, Bakersfield, CA 93302 or the charity of the donors choice.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, July 22, from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. with the Rosary being recited at 7:00 p.m. at Hopson-Anspach Family Mortuary, Bakersfield. The Mass of the Christian Burial will be said at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 23, 2004, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1515 Baker Street. Burial will follow at Greenlawn Cemetery, River Blvd.
Hopson-Anspach Family Mortuary, Bakersfield
Published in the Bakersfield Californian from 7/21/2004 - 7/23/2004.
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1919 - 2004 (85 years)