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YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. Former Yorktown Heights pediatrician Dr. Stanley H. Gilbert, Jr. died on Dec. 4. He was 83.
He was born July 14, 1928 in Pottstown, Penn. to Stanley H. Sr. and Mildred L. Gilbert. After graduating from Ursinus College in 1949, he received his doctorate from Temple University Medical School in 1953. While attending Ursinus College, he met his former wife Jacquelyn R. Keller. The couple, who divorced in 1981, had six children together.
From 1953 until 1981, Gilbert worked as a pediatrician in Yorktown Heights. He also served as chief of pediatrics at Northern Westchester Hospital and school physician for Yorktown Central School District and Yorktown High School Athletics Program.
Gilbert served as an elder in the First Presbyterian Church in Yorktown and became one of the early physicians to work with disadvantaged youth and drug abusers in Westchester during the 1970s. The methadone clinic to treat heroin addicts he organized drew critiques but he remained supportive of at-risk youth.
He also advocated for social and political justice as a prominent anti-war protester during the Vietnam War, helping to provide safe ways for Yorktown youth to protest.
Gilbert practiced medicine in Bridgeport, Conn. from 1981 to 1989 and then in Hampton, Va. from 1989 until his retirement in 2001. In Hampton, he was recognized by the American Association of Pediatrics Virginia Chapter for his service on childhood obesity.
After his retirement, Gilbert traveled to South Africa as part of a HIV/AIDS medical mission. While in Virginia, he volunteered his time and service in the Virginia Symphony. He was also an avid sailor, camper, craftsman and musician.
He is survived by his sons Jonathan, Christian, Timothy and Jeremy, his daughters Jenifer and Melissa, 15 grandchildren and longtime companion Barbara Lawson.
Memorial and interment services will take place at 1 p.m. on Jan. 7 at First Presbyterian Church in Yorktown Heights, with a reception immediately following the church.
Memorial donations may be made to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital, 1275 York Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10065, or the Virginia Symphony, 861 Glenrock Road, Suite 200, Norfolk, Va. 23502.
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