Carter Stilson, M.D., prominent pediatrician and part-time resident of New Harbor, passed away in New Haven, Conn. on Jan. 7. His family was with him. He lived his entire 94 years in New Haven, but for service as Chief of Pediatrics at the U.S. Naval Hospital of Philadelphia from 1954 to 1956 and frequent excursions to Carter’s Cabin on McFarland Shores beginning in the 1970s.
His pediatric practice spanned 50 years and extended beyond the children and adolescents he cared for to the families that raised them. He was a strong proponent of La Leche League and an early member of the Compleat Pediatricians, a group led by Albert Solnit, M.D., former Director of the Yale Child Study Center. His patients will remember his directness, dedication, and distribution of pretzels – as well as his sartorial taste in bow ties. Outside of his medical practice, he had an encyclopedic knowledge of ships, the sea, and tools – he often associated his name with the flexible-headed Stillson wrench. He spent summers on the water as a child, wangled rides on four-masted schooners in New Haven harbor as an adolescent, and built and sailed boats for many years. His skill in woodworking extended to steam-bending mahogany for a tiller, constructing outbuildings and even repairing stick barometers.
His interest in music began in the Trinity Boys’ Choir and continued in the Hopkins and Yale Glee Clubs and Battell Chapel choir. He played the piano and loved the deep chords of Bach organ pieces as well as the higher melodies of Handel’s Messiah. He also had a passion for Vermont maple syrup, Maine fried shrimp, Connecticut corn on the cob, cinnamon graham crackers and Pepe’s pizza with a cold beer. Above all, he will be remembered for his genuine interest in people, his ability to enter into conversation with anyone, his sense of humor, and his determination.
He is survived by his daughters, Deborah Stilson Abbott and Sarah Stilson; son-in-law, Preston Abbott; and grandchildren, Katherine, Laura, and Stephen Abbott.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Carpenter’s Boat Shop in Pemaquid, 440 Old County Rd., Pemaquid, ME 04558, (www.carpentersboatshop.org) (207-677-2614) or to Yale School of Medicine Financial Aid Fund, PO Box 7611, New Haven, CT 06519.
Memorial service is scheduled for 12 p.m., Sat., Feb. 12 in the Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven, with a reception to follow at the Yale Graduate Club across the Green. Parking is available for the service and the reception at the Graduate Club lot off Temple Street (Yale #51). All are welcome.
