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George Alexander Simson, M.D., physician, philanthropist, inventor, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away Saturday December 16, 2006 at Paloma Blanca after a difficult three year battle with normal pressure hydrocephalus. He is survived by his brother, Jerome of New York City; his loving partner, Marilyn Tyler with whom he shared the second half of his life and whose devoted care made his last years more comfortable; his son, Mitchell and his wife, Lynn; and grandchildren, Anna and Philip of Albuquerque New Mexico; daughter, Nina Dailey of Soap Lake, Washington; son, Jeffrey and wife, Delia of Browsboro, Alabama. He was born in New York City on January 11, 1923 to Eugen and Anna Weinberg Simson. He began college at Columbia University and then graduated from NYU School of Medicine in 1946 through an accelerated MD program that was created during World War II. As a Public Health physician, he was then sent to care for prisoners in the Federal Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. He used to joke that sometime he was going to write a book titled "Some of My Best Friends are Numbers." In the summer of 1952 he drove his wife, Helene, and 9-month-old son across the country in a Rambler station wagon to Albuquerque where he began work in the Indian Health Service, "making rounds" at the nearby pueblos and reading thousands of chest x-rays taken for TB screening. He and his wife fell in love with the spectacular sunsets and tumbleweeds and decided to stay. He began a private practice and, with several other physicians, created a condominium association and built the Encino Medical Plaza where he worked until his retirement in 1981. He was a "chest physician" and treated lung and heart problems prior to the development of pulmonary and cardiac subspecialties. He built an arterial blood gas analyzer in his office and used it to aid in the treatment of patients long before such machines appeared in hospital laboratories. He built an electrical acupuncture device and a phonocardiogram and used these in his office for diagnosis and treatment as well. During his wood working phase he made children's trucks and cradles for Toys for Tots at Christmas. After retirement his close friend Fred Hanold taught him how to work in metal and they made miniature steam engines while filling his workshop with cigar smoke. He tried his hand at rebuilding a Triumph Stag but was unable to complete this project that will be finished by his grandson. He collaborated with the late artist Raymond Jonson on several stained glass windows. The largest piece, which is about eight feet tall, was donated to St. Joseph Hospital and graced the chapel there for many years. The family recalls his marathon summer chess matches with Dr. George Ross, tennis matches with Dr. Bob Klebanoff, and spectacular crashes skiing down Snake Dance and Longhorn at Taos. At age 63 he learned to windsurf while traveling in Austria and continued at Cochiti Lake. He created two memorial funds: the Helene W. Simson Memorial Fund at the UNM School of Law and the Helene W. Simson Memorial Opera Fund at the UNM College of Fine Arts. The family wishes publicly to thank Angie Montano for her decades of love and devotion to Doctor George. We also wish to thank the staff of Paloma Blanca who were exceptional in their professional care and support during his stay there. He is remembered as a gifted physician, for his inveterate tinkering and creating, his mischievous sense of humor, his generosity and mentorship, his opinionated stubbornness, and his love for fine art, music, travel and food. Memorial services to be announced later. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make donations in his name to your favorite charity.
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