43
Northside to honor Youngstown's 1st pediatric surgeon
YOUNGSTOWN
He was a big man, standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, with hands like mitts that were bigger than some of the tiny babies on whom he performed the most delicate of surgeries.
Dr. John Henry O. Bleacher, the first pediatric surgeon in Youngstown, spent virtually his entire professional life here saving children and making parents relieved that their child was still with their family, said his son, Joseph.
He was the kindest of men, a true “gentle giant,” said his wife, Nicolette, of Youngstown.
After establishing his practice here in 1967, he served the Mahoning Valley as its only pediatric surgeon for more than 35 years.
A plaque presented at a recent dinner celebrating the late Dr. Bleacher’s career will be placed in the Department of Surgery at ValleyCare Northside Medical Center, said Jane Tablack, an executive assistant at Northside, who along with Patricia Butto at the hospital, planned the event.
The plaque reads in part: “In memory of Dr. John Henry O. Bleacher, M.D. ... for his dedication to the health of babies and children.”
“Dr. Bleacher [his friends knew him as Jack] chose to work in this relatively small community at a time when pediatric surgeons were few and far between anywhere,” said Dr. John Venglarcik III, Mahoning County District Board of Health medical director and a pediatrician and infectious-disease specialist at ValleyCare Northside Medical Center.
Respected by his peers, he received the Miracle Maker Award for outstanding service and dedication to the children of the former Tod Children’s Hospital; and also was honored by surgical residents with the Resident Teaching Award, his son said.
Dr. Bleacher retired from Forum Health in 2005, four years before his death in 2009 at age 76.
“I worked with Dr. Bleacher on a number of occasions. He was always available ... on call constantly. He helped establish the neonatal unit at Tod Children’s,” said Dr. Venglarcik.
“His generation of physicians is gone. You’ll never see dedication like that again. The plaque is wonderful. He really deserves it,” Dr. Venglarcik said.
“There were many nights, Thanksgivings and Christmases that we were just about to sit down and celebrate, and the phone would ring and he would have to do an emergency operation to save a child’s life,” Joseph said.
Born June 12, 1933, in Philadelphia, Dr. Bleacher graduated in 1951 from West Catholic High School there. After receiving a bachelor of arts degree from La Salle University in 1955, he earned his medical degree in 1959 from Temple University Medical School.
It was while serving as a medical intern at St. Elizabeth Hospital that he met his future wife, the former Nicolette Yannarella of Youngstown, who was a registered nurse at the hospital. After they were married, she was his practice manager for 19 years.
“It is a privilege to be his son or daughter,” said another of his sons, Dr. John of Atlanta, during the dinner celebrating his father’s career.
The elder Dr. Bleacher returned to Temple University Hospital in 1960, where he was a general surgical resident, and then served as a captain in the Air Force in 1964. In 1967, he finished his pediatric surgical residency at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh before coming here.
Despite his busy professional schedule, Dr. Bleacher was far from one-dimensional.
His interests included fly-fishing, scuba diving (he was a member of the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Dive Team) and sailing (he was an alternate for the 1952 U.S. Olympic sailing team). He also enjoyed culinary arts, painting, golf and photography.
He and his wife had seven children, Dr. John; James Henry of Youngstown, Joseph, Katie Bleacher, Nicolette Miller of Elwood City, Pa., Jerald and Jeffrey Bleacher. “The Babbo,” as he was affectionately known by his family, also had numerous grandchildren.
“I didn’t work with Dr. Bleacher directly, but knew him as a wonderful person. Everybody looked up to him ... he was a phenomenal pediatric surgeon,” said Tablack of Northside.
“I worked with him on a number of occasions. His surgical talent equaled his size, and he was the kindest and nicest of men,” Dr. Venglarcik said.
Mrs. Bleacher said she is grateful that the plaque will be placed in Northside’s surgery department.
“I just don’t want people to forget him,” she said.