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01/13/2011 11:00 PM

Carter Stilson, MD, 94, New Haven


Carter Stilson, MD, 94, prominent New Haven pediatrician, died on Jan. 7, with his family at his side. He had lived his entire life in New Haven, except for his service as chief of Pediatrics at the U.S. Naval Hospital of Philadelphia from 1954 to 1956 and his frequent excursions to Carter’s Cabin in Maine, beginning in the 1970s.

Dr. Stilson’s pediatric practice spanned 50 years and extended beyond the children and adolescents he cared for to the families that raised them. He was a strong proponent of La Leche League and was an early member of the Compleat Pediatricians, a group led by Albert Solnit, MD, former director of the Yale Child Study Center. His patients will remember his directness, dedication, and distribution of pretzels — as well as his sartorial taste in bow ties.

Outside of his medical practice, he had an encyclopedic knowledge of ships, the sea, and tools — he often associated his name with the flexible-headed Stillson wrench.

He spent summers on the water as a child, wangled rides on four-masted schooners in New Haven harbor as an adolescent, and built and sailed boats for many years.

His skill in woodworking extended to steam-bending mahogany for a tiller, constructing outbuildings, and even repairing stick barometers.

His interest in music began in the Trinity Boys’ Choir and continued in the Hopkins and Yale Glee Clubs and Battell Chapel Choir. He also played the piano and loved the deep chords of Bach organ pieces, as well as the higher melodies of Handel’s Messiah.

Dr. Stilson had a passion for Vermont maple syrup, Maine fried shrimp, Connecticut corn on the cob, cinnamon graham crackers, and Pepe's pizza with a cold beer. Above all, he will be remembered for his genuine interest in people, his ability to enter into conversation with anyone, his sense of humor, and his determination. He will be greatly missed by his family and countless others.

He is survived by two daughters, Deborah Stilson Abbott of Guilford and Sarah Stilson; his son-in-law, Preston Abbott; and his grandchildren, Katherine, Laura, and Stephen Abbott.

A memorial service is scheduled for noon on Saturday, Feb. 12, at the Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven, with a reception to follow at the Graduate Club across the Green. Parking is available before the service and during the reception at the Graduate Club parking lot (Yale #51) off Temple Street. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Yale School of Medicine Financial Aid Fund, PO Box 7611, New Haven, CT 06519; or to the Carpenter’s Boat Shop in Maine (www.carpentersboatshop.org.)(207-677-2614). The Hawley Lincoln Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.