Pellicore and his late wife, Patricia Pellicore.
Raymond Pellicore, MD, passed away July 17. He was 97 years old.
The following is excerpted from a living memorial posted in the archives of the Digital Resource Foundation for the Orthotics and Prosthetics Community (DRFOP):
Pellicore, an orthopedic surgeon, was a Member Emeritus of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics (ABC). Following graduation from the Loyola School of Medicine, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946. He was an attending physician at the former Illinois Central Hospital, Chicago, and chief of orthopedic surgery from 1949 to 1985 and an attending physician at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital Central, Chicago, from 1975 to 1985.
He succeeded Claude Lambert, MD, as clinic chief at the University of Illinois Amputee Program, holding the position from 1957-1984. While there, he helped develop the concept of interdisciplinary team management combining medical, psychological, social, and rehabilitative care for children and their families. Pellicore and his colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles, Child Amputee Prosthetics Project (CAPP); New York University; and Mary Free Bed Hospital, Grand Rapids, Michigan, were the leaders in care of juvenile patients with amputations, which evolved into the Association of Children’s Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics (ACPOC). Research from the thousands of patients cared for by these clinics led to consensus on the International Classification of Congenital Deficiencies that has been accepted worldwide.
Additional accomplishments include Pellicore’s service to Northwestern University Medical School and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where he lectured on management of patients with amputations for physicians, surgeons, and allied health professionals. Prior to his retirement Pellicore moved the Juvenile Amputee Clinic from the University of Illinois to LaRabida Children’s Hospital, Chicago, in collaboration with Variety Club of Illinois, to fund a limb bank and to ensure free care for children needing upper-limb myoelectric devices. In 1979, he supported the development of Families and Amputees In Motion (FAIM), a peer support group for families of children with limb deficiencies, which became the model for peer training programs and the Amputee Coalition.
Pellicore referred to himself as a carpenter and always said he learned more from his patients than he could ever know. He had a legacy of encouraging people to make the most of their unique abilities and supporting them with needed resources for independent living.
He is survived by his sons, Mike and Marty; daughters, Sue and Cathy; ten grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Donations can be made to the Raymond Pellicore Living Memorial at www.drfop.org or to DRFOP, P.O. Box 805, Belmont, North Carolina 28012.
