Hugh J. Panton, CPO, passed away in February. He was 70 years old.
Panton, a transfemoral amputee since the age of 11, graduated from New York University, New York, in June 1965. According to Hanger, he was the first person in the world to earn a bachelor’s degree in O&P. He joined Hanger Orthopedic Group/Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics (now known as Hanger Inc. and Hanger Clinics, respectively, and headquartered in Austin, Texas) shortly after he graduated. In 2011, the company honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Most recently, he worked at the Orlando, Florida, Hanger Clinic patient care facility.
Panton gave tirelessly of his time, said Paul Prusakowski, CPO, LPO, FAAOP, CEO of OPIE Software, Gainesville, Florida, and owner of Gainesville Prosthetics. Panton was a founding father of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (the Academy), and served on the Academy’s initial board of directors. For decades, he volunteered with the Florida Association of Orthotists and Prosthetists (FAOP), the Florida Chapter of the Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetics (FCAAOP), and the state of Florida’s O&P licensure board.
His volunteer trips abroad included a 2002 trip to Kabul, Afghanistan, with Hanger’s Project First Step, during which he and his colleagues fit 55 people with prosthetic arms and legs. He also was one of the first O&P clinicians on the ground in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, according to Kevin Carroll, MS, CP, FAAOP.
“I think that desire to help came from the pure fact that many Miami [Florida] people generously gave to a fund for Hugh when he was a boy of only 11 years old [and] lost his leg in a terrible, unfortunate car accident as he and our brother John were riding a bicycle,” said Panton’s brother, George Panton. He was determined “to be the best prosthetist ever.
“Hugh was indeed my hero as my older brother; someone that accomplished whatever came to his chosen life’s challenges,” George Panton added. “[He] was among the rarity of people who had shared their lives and hearts with others and expected nothing in return.”
Personally, Panton was an avid fisherman and diver-activities he shared with his brother George-diving for lobsters and fishing in the gulfstream for sailfish, wahoo, and dolphin.
Panton is survived by his mother, JoEllen; his sons, Hugh II and Joe; brothers George, John, Frederick, and Richard; and sisters Patricia and Barbara.
