Dr. Francis H. McCullough, Jr. was born on Aug. 17, 1918, in New Bern, N.C. Graduating from Columbia University in 1940, Dr. McCullough earned a Doctor of Medicine (MD) at Duke University in 1943 and served his internship at the Montclair General Hospital in Montclair, N.J. Dr. McCullough specialized in orthopedics, completing orthopedic residency training at the Warm Springs Polio Foundation in Warm Springs, Ga., the Duke University Hospital and the Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children in Greenville, S.C.
Dr. McCullough entered the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1943 following his internship. During his 23 years in the Navy, he held a number of positions, including that of medical officer onboard the USS Daniel T. Griffin (DE/APD-54) throughout World War II in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters and most notably, during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa where he served as medical officer for the embarked UDT (underwater demolition teams, forerunners of today’s Navy Seals) teams while conducting pre-invasion and invasion operations. At the end of World War II, he was stationed at Camp Shoemaker Naval Hospital, near Oakland, Calif., where he met Bea Peterson, a Navy nurse, whom he married on August 25, 1946. The newly married couple lived on Bainbridge Island,Wash., where he served as Medical Officer at the then existing radio intercept facility on the island. He and she were married more than 66 years.
During the Korean War, Dr. McCullough was assigned to the 1st Marine Division Fleet Marine Force (FMF) where he served as the regimental surgeon during the U.S. Marine Corps invasion at Inchon, South Korea and later during the Chosin Reservoir campaign. After Korea, he was stationed at the U.S. Navy Hospital Philadelphia, Pa., where he completed his orthopedic residency. He later served at the U.S. Naval Hospital, great Lakes, Ill.
In 1952, Dr. McCullough was promoted to Lieutenant Commander to Commander in 1955 and to Captain, U.S. Navy Medical Corps in 1959. He served as Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Calif., and later as U.S. Marine Corps Force Troops Surgeon at Pacific during the early days of the Vietnam War and commanding officer of the base hospital at Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif. During his service in the U.S. Navy, Dr. McCullough was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Korean Service Medal, Asiatic Pacific campaign medal and a Philippine Liberation ribbon.
After retiring from the U.S. Navy in 1965, at the rank of Captain-Medical Corps, Dr. McCullough opened an orthopedic practice in Downy and Covina, Calif. He retired from medicine and surgery in 1985, moving to Sequim, Wash., and then to Centralia, Wash., in 2003.
Dr. McCullough was a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery and a member of the Western Orthopedic Association, the Piedmont Orthopedic Society and the American Medical Association. During the polio epidemic of 1948-1949, Dr. McCullough was recognized nationally as a leading medical authority on the treatment of polio and rehabilitation of polio patients. He built, staffed and organized a number of polio clinics and hospitals throughout the Southeastern U.S. in response to the nationwide epidemic.
Dr. McCullough was an avid fisherman and hunter who enjoyed raising and training his own Labrador retrievers. At one time he raised over 400 breeding parakeets, creating a number of new genetic combinations of birds. He actively attended Peace Lutheran Church in Chehalis, Wash.
Dr. McCullough is survived by his beloved wife, Bea, three children, Francis III, Christine and Douglas, six granddaughters, a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter.
The family extends its heartfelt thanks to the care providers at Help at Home Senior Services, Inc., Centralia and Assured Home Health and Hospice, Centralia for their assistance throughout Dr. McCullough’s extended illness. Dr. McCullough will be buried at the Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, Wash. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013 at Peace Lutheran Church, Chehalis, Wash. Funeral arrangements have been provided by Newell-Hoerlings Mortuary Inc., Centralia, Wash.
Dr. McCullough passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013 at his home in Centralia, Wash., at the age of 94. In lieu of flowers or other memorials, the family requests that contributions to advance genetic science be made in honor of Dr. McCullough’s granddaughter, Kate, who is impacted by the rare neurogenetic condition known as Angelman Syndrome, an autism spectrum genetic disorder. Contributions and memorials may be mailed to: Angelman Syndrome Foundation, Inc., 4255 Westbrook Avenue Drive, Suite 219, Aurora, Ill., 60504
