Francis Berchmans Quinn, Jr., MD died May 10, 2015 at John Sealy Hospital, The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston. Dr. Quinn was Professor Emeritus, Department of Otolaryngology, at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Dr. Quinn graduated from Stanford Medical School. He completed a rotating internship at Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Denver, Colorado, and served two years in the United States Air Force as Flight Surgeon. His postgraduate training included two years as resident in Otology and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and three years as resident in General Surgery and Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California at Los Angeles.
In 1960 he entered private practice. In 1968 he was recruited to join a single-specialty hospital-based group in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1980, while still in private practice, Dr. Quinn was awarded the degree of Master of Science (Information and Computer Science) at The Georgia Institute of Technology and was appointed Adjunct Professor Information and Computer Science at that institution.
Dr. Quinn joined the UTMB Department of Otolaryngology in January 1982. He was Chief of the Otolaryngology Service for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Hospital at Galveston (TDCJ-HG). He held the J.G. Seinsheimer Jr. and Jessie Lee Seinsheimer Professorship in Otolaryngology. In 2001, he was selected as an Osler Scholar and founding member of the UTMB Oslerian Academy. Dr. Quinn led the Department of Otolaryngology's efforts in medical school education, where over the years he proved to be an outstanding mentor for many of UTMB's currently practicing physicians. For more than 30 years, Dr. Quinn was a presence in both the Department of Otolaryngology and UTMB as a whole. During his time at UTMB, he touched an immense number of lives.
In 1989, Dr. Quinn and his wife, Melinda Stoner Quinn, pioneered the use of the Internet for education in otolaryngology with his website "Dr. Quinn's Online Textbook of Otolaryngology; Grand Rounds Archive" which is an internationally recognized resource for otolaryngology students and practicing physicians.
Dr. Quinn's interests outside of medicine were diverse. Dr. Quinn was a Licensed Professional Engineer. He was a Lieutenant in the Galveston Sheriff's Department and an Advanced Peace Officer in the State of Texas. He held the following FCC licenses: Extra Class Amateur Radio Operator and FCC General Radiotelephone Operator. Dr. Quinn's FAA certificates and ratings include: Commercial Pilot, Multi-engine Land, Flight Instructor, Flight Instructor Instrument, and Senior Aviation Medical Examiner. He was a member of American Mensa, Intertel, and The International Society for Philosophical Enquiry.
Dr. Quinn was preceded in death by his parents, Francis Berchmans Quinn, MD and Helena Marie Desmond Quinn of San Francisco. He is survived by his wife, Mary Melinda Stoner Quinn, his sister Yvonne Quinn Taylor; his children Diedre, Christopher C., Matthew D., and Geoffrey P. Quinn; brother-in-law David Michael Stoner; as well as by many nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.