(continued from page 9)
“Methodist Mafia,” connecting weekly with former colleagues from
Methodist Hospital at the local Donut Kastle.
He was a participating member of the American Osler Society
(President, 1993), American Association for the History of Medicine,
Innominate Society for the History of Medicine (President, 1964 and
1973), American Society of Anesthesiologists, Louisville Society of
Anesthesiologists (President, 1961), the Louisville Medico-Chirurgical Society, the Kentucky Medical Association (KMA) and the
Greater Louisville Medical Society (GLMS). His enthusiastic participation in these local, regional and national associations made him
widely known outside the circle of Louisville medicine. Many local
physicians, upon meeting a colleague from another city (sometimes
another country!) have been asked, “Do you know Gene Conner?”
Dr. Conner was active in both the local and state medical associations virtually from his arrival in Louisville. He felt strongly about
the importance of medical societies and their role in a physician’s
career. He served as official historian of the KMA from 1964 until
2008. He was a five-time delegate to the KMA from Jefferson County.
He served as guest editor of the 60th Anniversary issue and for many
years was the Book Review Editor for the Journal of the Kentucky
Medical Association. He was a prolific contributor to the Journal,
including 46 biographical sketches on Kentucky physicians who
were memorialized at the KMA annual meetings.
Besides serving as the unofficial historian of GLMS for many years,
after retirement Dr. Conner served as chair of the GLMS CATO
Society for retired physicians. He was active on the Editorial Board
for the Bulletin, and wrote a monthly column, “Chronica Medica
Kentuckiensis” for over nine years. He was a regular contributor to
Louisville Medicine, writing biographical sketches, historical articles
and numerous obituaries in memory of friends and colleagues.
He also served as guest editor for the 1992 Centennial issue of the
journal. Other service to GLMS included positions on the Judicial
Council and the Board of Trustees of the Medical Foundation. In
1999 he published The History of the Medical Foundation of the
Jefferson County Medical Society.
He was a founding member and Secretary of the George Rogers
Clark Press, Inc., and served on the Board of Trustees of the Wood
Library Museum and the Horine Scout Reservation. He faithfully served many years on the Board of the McDowell House and
Apothecary Shop, working tirelessly to preserve and promote Dr.
McDowell’s legacy and home. He was a member of the People to
People History of Medicine Delegation to the People’s Republic
of China in 1988. He was named Emeritus Clinical Professor of
Anesthesiology at UofL in 1991, and Ephraim McDowell Physician
of the Year by the Caritas Foundation in 2004.
Dr. Conner was a long-standing member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Kornhauser Health Sciences Library,
10
LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
and a proud supporter and patron, particularly of the historical
collections. In 2013, the Eugene H. Conner, MD, and Mary Lou
Conner, RN, Reading Room was opened at Kornhauser Library.
Dr. Conner also gifted the library with much of his personal library
and his papers and manuscripts on Kentucky medicine, medical
biography and other topics.
He was a prolific writer, particularly in the field of historical medical biography. He wrote approximately 250 biographical sketches
and obituaries of physicians and scientists, and many articles for
the Encyclopedia of Louisville, Dictionary of American Medical
Biography, and American National Biography. His contributions
regularly appeared in history journals such as The Register, The
Filson Club Historical Quarterly, Bulletin of the History of Medicine
and Journal of the History of Medicine and Medical Science. His vast
knowledge of history fascinated his students, his colleagues and
organized medicine alike.
His immediate perception of the importance of one of the oldest
medical schools in our country led the rest of us to wake up. When
he heard about many of the files of the State Board of Health being
destroyed before the move from Louisville to Frankfort during the
second Chandler administr ][ۋH \