WILMINGTON — With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Daniel Frizell Dedrick, M.D., of Wilmington, North Carolina, who passed away on June 14, 2024, at the age of 79.
Dan was born on May 11, 1945, in Long Beach, California, the son of Walter and Joan (Ihlsing Goodrum) Dedrick.
He is survived by his wife, Frances Silverman Dedrick; his children, Benjamin E. Dedrick (Stephanie), Rebecca E. Dedrick (Eric Byrd-Krueger), Alexandra Dedrick (Philip Powers) and Margaret Anne Konner (Jarett); his grandchildren, Kelsea, Jocelyn, Caiden, Olivia, Emma, Aaron, Brooke and Audra; and his siblings Katherine Dedrick, Warren Dedrick (Brenda), and Marjorie Starling (Denby). He also will be missed by his many nieces and nephews, Renee Starling, Jennifer Starling, Patrick Starling (Alexandra), Yvonne Dedrick, Joan Warner (Mark), and Charles Clark (Amanda Effertz), and his grandnieces and grandnephews, Reese, Morgan, Mallory, Imogen, and Audrey.
Dan was a graduate of Norwich Free Academy (1962), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1966), and Yale Medical School (1970). He interned at Yale-New Haven Hospital in General Surgery (1970 – 1971), completed a residency in Anesthesiology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) (1971 – 1973), and a fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesia at MGH (1973 – 1975). He proudly served in the United States Navy as a member of the Medical Corps. After his military service, he was on staff at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (pediatric anesthesia), Massachusetts General Hospital, and in his last position served as Assistant Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Anesthesia Residency Program at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston. Dan served as the BWH Anesthesia Residency Program Director from 1983 to 2010.
Widely considered one of the most effective, efficient, honest and dedicated residency program directors in the nation, Dan’s 27 years under three consecutive departmental chairs at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital made him one of country’s longest serving residency program directors. He was a nationally-known leader in anesthesiology curriculum and examination development and was well-known for making residents’ education his top priority, overseeing the training of hundreds of anesthesiologists, many of whom went on to leadership roles in other medical centers across the country – indeed around the world. While at BWH, he received the 2005 Parker J. Palmer “Courage to Teach” Award, from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Dan was well-liked and respected by the residents and faculty and his office was decorated with snapshots of former residents with their families.
After his career at BWH, Dan and his wife, Frances, moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. Dan continued his work helping people in Wilmington by becoming a member of the Landfall CERT (Community Emergency Response Team).
His puns will be sorely missed.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 28, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Wilmington Funeral & Cremation, 535 South 41st Street, Wilmington, NC.
In lieu of flowers, a donation in his memory can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.
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