Dr. Eugene Guthrie

Easton: Dr. Eugene H. Guthrie, former Associate Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service and former Health Officer of Talbot and Dorchester Counties, Maryland, died in Easton, Maryland on August 6, 2014. Dr. Guthrie was born in Washington, D.C. on April 9, 1924, the youngest child of Dr. Marshall C. and Harriett H. Guthrie of Chevy Chase, Maryland. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C. in 1942, and received his undergraduate education at Haverford College, Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received the M.D. degree from George Washington University School of Medicine in 1951 and the Masters Degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan in 1955. He received his internship and residency training in medicine and public health at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in Baltimore, Montgomery County Health Department in Rockville, Maryland; University of Michigan School of Public Health; and the State Department of Public Health, Berkeley, California. Dr. Guthrie began his professional career in preventative medicine and public health when he entered the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service in 1951. His early assignments in the P.H.S. included establishing the first School Health Program in the Service and developing and expanding the health programs for domestic migratory farm labor workers in the U.S. In the position of Chief Program Officer for the P.H.S. Bureau of State Services, he was responsible for the development of the Bureau’s first major comprehensive research grant program, which was integrated with that of the National Institutes of Health. From 1962-1966, Dr. Guthrie was Director of the Division of Chronic Diseases. Included among the many developments during the period of his leadership were the expansion of the Cervical Cancer Detection Program throughout the U.S., which resulted in a decrease in deaths from this form of cancer in women; the advancement from experimental to diagnostic use of x-ray mammography to detect breast cancer; the establishment of the first Chronic Kidney Disease Program in the P.H.S. to support renal dialysis and transplantation; demonstration and expansion of the first Coronary Care Units in hospitals and mobile units around the country; development of automated telemetry of EKGs and other vital biological information; installation of a new P.H.S. program to develop and support local community comprehensive services to the mentally disabled; and the first full-time P.H.S. program devoted to the health of the aging. In 1963, the Surgeon General assigned Dr. Guthrie to be Staff Director of his Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health. This assignment ended with the publication in January, 1964 of the now-famous “Surgeon General’s Advisory Committee’s Report on Smoking and Health”. For this outstanding achievement, Dr. Guthrie was awarded the P.H.S. Meritorious Service Award and was recognized by the Associated Press Annual Poll as the “Newsmaker of the Year in Science” for 1964. Dr. Guthrie was appointed the Assistant Surgeon General for Operations in 1966, becoming at the same time an officer of the flag rank in the P.H.S. (Rear Admiral). He served as Associate Surgeon General from 1966-1968, the third ranking line officer of the P.H.S. under the Surgeon General and Deputy Surgeon General. During this time, P.H.S. personnel numbered over 36,000 and program operations were dispersed over 500 field locations throughout the world. Dr. Guthrie independently managed much of the day-to-day operational program coordination and directed responsibilities over the multi-faceted, far-flung programs of the Service. Dr. Guthrie retired from this position and the P.H.S. in September of 1968. The Governor of Maryland appointed Dr. Guthrie as the first Executive Director of the State’s new Comprehensive Health Planning Agency in 1968. Under his leadership, from 1968 to 1974, a number of major programs were begun, including the nation’s first state funding program for local health planning agencies; the development of a state health plan based on the concept of primary, secondary and tertiary systems for health care; the implementation of one of the nation’s first “Certificate of Need” laws, dealing with new and existing hospitals, nursing homes and related health care facilities; the development of legislation creating a statewide Health Care Cost Review Commission to establish uniform health care cost review and analysis and recommendations regarding cost containment and rate setting responsibilities; and a coordinated system of state and local health planning agency responsibilities and functions, including special attention to “inter-area wide” health planning. In 1974, Dr. Guthrie served as a private consultant to a number of organizations and institutions throughout the country on health planning, preventive medicine, public health and health resource development. He was Associate Executive Director of the American Health Planning Association in 1977 and 1978. In 1978, the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Commissioners of Dorchester County and the Talbot County Council appointed Dr. Guthrie Deputy State Health Officer and Health Officer of Talbot and Dorchester Counties. He served in this capacity until his retirement in January, 1987. In the private sector, Dr. Guthrie made a number of significant contributions. He organized and was the first Secretary of the National Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health. This was one of the first coalitions of national voluntary and professional organizations founded to act together for a single cause. He founded and was the first President of the American Academy of Comprehensive Health Planning, a national association of state health planning organizations, and was a founder and member of the first Board of Directors of the American Association for Comprehensive Health Planning. In 1981, during his tenure as Health Officer of Talbot County, Dr. Guthrie, along with Dr. Stephen Carney and Kathleen Foster, brought the hospice concept to Easton and founded the Talbot Hospice Foundation. This effort proved to be the most gratifying of his entire career. Dr. Guthrie was active in many national, state and local organizations, including the American Medical Association, Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland, Retired Officers Association, Rotary Club of Easton, St. Andrews Society of the Eastern Shore, Talbot Country Club and Harbourtowne Country Club. He was an avid golfer, boater, historian and model boat builder. He is survived by his beloved wife Elizabeth Eastment Schultz Guthrie, whom he married in 1948; his six children: Stephen H. Guthrie of Port Tobacco, Maryland (Bonnie), Linda E. Capps of Cary, North Carolina (Kirby), Michael D. Guthrie of Apopka, Florida (Allison), Matthew C. Guthrie of Easton, Maryland (Gretchen), Leslie A. Grunden of St. Michaels, Maryland, and Melissa E. Guthrie of Morrisville, North Carolina; eleven grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren who all adored him. He was preceeded in death by his much-loved brother and sister, Marshall C. Guthrie and Helen E.Guthrie. A memorial service will be held at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Easton, Maryland on Wednesday, August 13, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. Burial at Arlington National Cemetery will be private at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Talbot Hospice Foundation, 586 Cynwood Drive, Easton, MD 21601.

Dr. Eugene Guthrie

April 9, 1924 - August 6, 2014