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Henry Harlow Skinner Jr. ’42

Henry Harlow Skinner Jr. ’42, January 17, 2009, in Yakima, Washington. Hal attended Reed for two years before transferring to Amherst, where he earned a BA in biology. He remembered Reed as a community that placed value on an honor principle, on independent thought and expression, and also allowed for some fun. After earning an MD from Case Western Reserve University and completing an internship in general surgery, he served in the U.S. Army for two years. For 23 years, he practiced as a general surgeon in Yakima. When medical malpractice insurance rates soared, he left private practice to be a medical consultant for the Washington State Department of Labor and Industry in Olympia and a surgeon and medical adviser at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla (1976-87). He chaired the clinical program for the Washington State Medical Association, was a member of the Yakima Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce, and enjoyed hunting, fishing, “puttering,” and proofreading. Hal married Mary Kathleen Rivera in 1968; she died in March. Survivors include his two daughters, five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and sister.

Appeared in Reed magazine: August 2009

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