Dr. Philip R. Bartholomew

An important chapter in Atlantas medical history was closed on Monday, August 17, with the passing of Philip R. Bartholomew, MD, of Sandy Springs. Following in the tradition established by his father, Rudolph A. Bartholomew, MD, who began his medical career in Atlanta in 1917, Dr. Bartholomew was a beloved, skilled obstetrician and gynecologist here for 30 years. He died peacefully at age 78 after a long illness and complications related to pneumonia.

The recipient of numerous honors from his colleagues beginning early in his career, Dr. Bartholomews kindness and tireless focus on the women he treated and the thousands of babies he delivered caused him to not only be cherished by his fellow physicians and the nurses and hospital staff members with whom he worked, but also by generations of families throughout the metropolitan area.

A quiet, unassuming man with a dry wit and easy laugh, Dr. B., as he was affectionately known, was a native Atlantan, born June 15, 1931, to Dr. R. A. Bartholomew and Rubye Dekle Bartholomew. He grew up in the Druid Hills area near Emory University, and spent many boyhood summers with his maternal grandparents in the small town of Ochlocknee in South Georgia. Dr. Bartholomew attended Druid Hills High School, where, at age 15, he met the woman who would later become his wife of 54 years, Margaret Fornara.

After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University in 1954, Dr. Bartholomew attended officer candidate school and served in the U.S. Navy for four years, attaining the rank of lieutenant, junior grade. In 1963, he received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia, where his classmates, who proclaimed that he best epitomizes the student conception of the family physician, named him outstanding senior. Dr. Bartholomew performed his medical internship and residency at Macon General Hospital from July 1963 to July 1967. He entered private practice in Atlanta that year.



Dr. Bartholomew was a member of the founding board of physicians for Northside Hospital, where he practiced until his retirement in 1996, as well as many professional organizations and societies, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the South Atlantic Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Atlanta Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, and the American Fertility Society (now the American Society for Reproductive Medicine).

Dr. Bartholomews love for his family and the practice of medicine was equaled only by his passion for the great outdoors. He devoted countless hours to gardening and landscape design, receiving a Master Gardener certification in 1999. Dr. Bartholomew also was a dedicated and valued volunteer with the John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Forest Preserve in Sandy Springs, and worked closely with the late Charles S. Charlie Cochran, the preserves first director, in forest maintenance, planning and trail development.

In addition to his wife, Margaret, Dr. Bartholomew is survived by his sister, Gale B. Hill, PhD, and brother-in-law, Edward Jones, of Durham, NC; his son Philip, Jr., and daughter-in-law Tracey of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, his daughter, Lauren Luik, and son-in-law, C. A. Boyd, III, of Whitehouse Station, NJ, and his son J. Christian and daughter-in-law Mary Todd of Dunedin, FL; his grandchildren Christian, 19, Kelly, 15, Kyle, 13, Brett, 11, John Eamon, 9, and Natalie, 6; and many nieces and nephews, as well as a sister-in-law, Paula Bartholomew, the widow of his brother, Donald.

Dr. Bartholomews family is deeply grateful for the loving, professional care and family support provided by his longtime caregiver and friend, Mary McGriff, a certified nursing assistant (CNA), Cassandra Hill, CNA, and the staff at Altus House hospice in Atlanta. A celebration of Dr. Bartholomews life will be held on Friday, September 11, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road, NE, Atlanta, 30306. Those who wish to make donations in Dr. Bartholomews name may send them to the John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Forest Preserve, care of the organizations corporate offices at 450 Northridge Parkway, Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30350.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.byarsfuneralhome.com.

Byars Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Cumming, Georgia will be in charge of the arrangements, 678-455-5815.