MCMS Physician Winter 2017 - 17

S p e c i a l Tr i b u t e

mon t m e d s o c .c om

Longtime Family Physician and Organized
Medicine Advocate Leaves Legacy
BY TOYCA WILLIAMS, DEPUTY EDITOR, MCMS PHYSICIAN

F

or more than 60 years, William W.
Lander, MD, 92, served his patients, the
community, and his profession with honor
and diligence. The medical community lost a
pioneer in family medicine and a mainstay at
Bryn Mawr Hospital on Jan. 6.
"Dr. Lander was a true gentleman and great
physician," said Dr. Mark Lopatin, chairman
of the Montgomery County Medical Society
(MCMS) Board of Directors. "He gave so much
of himself to his patients, the community and to
the county and state medical societies as well as
the AMA. We are stronger today because of his
leadership and exemplary professionalism."
He was an experienced and revered member
of the organized medicine community, serving
in a number of leadership roles within Bryn Mawr Hospital,
MCMS, Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) and the
American Medical Association (AMA). As a solo practitioner,
he practiced medicine and maintained his office in Bryn Mawr
for more than 50 years. He was president of Bryn Mawr
Hospital medical staff and for 25 years, he served as head of
Bryn Mawr Hospital's Family Medicine Service.
As an active member of the MCMS Board of Directors,
his dedication spanned several decades. He served as MCMS
chairman of the board and its president in 1990. He became
the second president of PAMED in 2005 from Montgomery
County, following the 1885 presidency of Hiram Corson, MD.
Several MCMS board members said they were fortunate to see
him at their Jan. 3 board meeting.
"He was the consummate gentleman in every sense of the
word," said Martin Trichtinger, MD, a fellow board member
and longtime friend and colleague. "For those of you who did
not know him in his prime, he was remarkable in his day. He
will be missed."
Born in Forest Hills, N.Y., Dr. Lander shared in a 2015
MCMS Physician profile that his father, a priest in the Episcopal
Church, moved the family to Rosemont for a better education.
In 1943, he graduated from Episcopal Academy and then
Ursinus College in 1946. He received his medical degree from
the University of Pennsylvania in 1949.
While at Ursinus College, he met the love of his life, Nancy.
Nancy Lander passed away in September 2012. Together they
have three sons-Bill, David and John-, 13 grandchildren and
five great-grandchildren.
Dr. Lander was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and was
stationed with the First Marine Division on the front line at the

Chosin Reservoir during the Korean Conflict
from 1950 to 1951. He recalled that after two
weeks of training in Camp Pendleton, Calif., he
boarded a ship and sailed for 13 days to Japan,
where "we 'staged' to go to Korea."
"We went in on the 14th wave of Marines
landing on Inchon - an interesting adventure
for anyone not trained in combat," he recalled.
"Our second Korean landing followed on the
other coast. . . .The Chinese came swarming
in, surrounded us, and cut us off from other
elements on the Marines. Enough of that - it's
more difficult to tell that part of my life."
At the time of his death, he was a member of
the Valley Forge Chapter of Chosin Few whose
members participated in the Chosin campaign.
Eventually, he was discharged and started a one-year medical
residency at Bryn Mawr Hospital and then established a
thriving solo practice. He said he was called by MCMS to
report on a new hospital medical staff section of the AMA and
he said the "rest is history."
MCMS is fortunate to have had Dr. Lander as a pivotal part
of its history.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory
to Bryn Mawr Hospital, Attention: Development Office, 130
S. Bryn Mawr Ave., Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010. Additionally, Dr.
Lander was an avid supporter of the PAMED Foundation.
Members can donate to the Foundation of the Pennsylvania
Medical Society in his honor by investing in medical student
education. Annually, MCMS honors the memory of physician
members who pass away with a donation. You can contribute
to the Montgomery County Medical Society Medical Student
Scholarship Fund in honor of Dr. Lander online or you can
send check by mail. Make checks payable to Foundation of the
Pennsylvania Medical Society with memo noted MCMS Medical
Student Scholarship and mailed to the Foundation, 777 E. Park
Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
Name: William W. Lander, MD
Specialty: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine
Currently Practices: Main Line Health in Bryn Mawr
Years in Practice: 62
Medical School: University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine
Residency: Bryn Mawr Hospital
Hometown: Forest Hills, New York
Residence: Villanova

M C M S P H Y S I C I A N 17 W I N T E R 2 0 1 7
https://www.montmedsoc.com/Pages/Home.aspx
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MCMS Physician Winter 2017
