Medical pioneer will address Class of 2012

Purchase tickets to the Commencement Brunch here

Richard Wood '58, MD,  accomplished a lot during his time as a St. Ambrose undergraduate.

And he didn't stop here.

The oldest of five sons born to an Irish Catholic family in Macomb, Ill., Wood came to St. Ambrose on a football scholarship in 1954, won three varsity letters on the gridiron and served as his senior class president.

Wood will address a group of 708 St. Ambrose degree candidates and will be presented an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at Spring Commencement ceremonies on May 12 at the i wireless Center in Moline. The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m.

A graduation brunch will precede the commencement ceremony from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Rogalski Center.

Wood earned his medical degree from Marquette University, Milwaukee and served as instructor, staff surgeon and chief of surgery at several medical institutions, including a position as Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, .

Early in his career he was a Fulbright scholar at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, England, and a major at Carswell Air Force Base Hospital, Fort Worth, Texas. During his medical practice, Wood was responsible for multiple heart, lung and heart-lung transplants.

Retired after a distinguished career, Dr. Wood and his wife, Judith, will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2013. They are parents of six children and have 14 grandchildren.