Dr. Clarence S. Weldon Deceased

Dr. Clarence S. Weldon, retired professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Washington University, St. Louis, Misssouri, died July 17, 2006, of renal failure in San Francisco. He was 77.

Dr. Weldon was born in Mount Joy, Pa. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1951 and a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1955. While a student,he received the Borden Award and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha.

Dr. Weldon completed his surgical training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received the prestigious Markle Scholarship in Academic Medicine. Dr. Weldon remained at Johns Hopkins as an associate professor of surgery for several years after his residency.

In 1968, Dr. Weldon moved to St. Louis and joined the staff of Washington University as professor and head of cardiothoracic surgery. There he remained for 20 years, performing heart surgery and training residents. He was also chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Barnes Hospital (now Barnes-Jewish Hospital) and St. Louis Children's Hospital. Dr. Weldon's special interests included congenital heart disease and pediatric heart surgery.

He was a member of many surgical societies, including the American College of Surgeons and the American Association of Thoracic Surgery.

Throughout his career, Dr. Weldon wrote or co-wrote more than 80 papers and contributed to 29 surgical texts. He was the recipient of numerous honors and awards and held visiting professorship at four universities.

After his retirement, Dr. Weldon traveled throughout the world, living in Paris and Sydney, Australia.

Dr. Weldon was married for 23 years to physician and civic leader Virginia V. Weldon. They divorced in 1985.

There were no services.

Among the survivors are two daughters, Ann Weldon Doyle of San Francisco and Susan Weldon Erlinger of St. Charles; and two grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Johns Hopkins University and sent to the Clarence S. Weldon Scholarship Fund, c/o the Fund for Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 100 North Charles Street, Suite 200, Baltimore, Md. 21201.