“My father was a caring, open individual who believed that every person has interesting and redeeming qualities,” said David Bedell MD, (’95 F), clinical associate professor of family medicine. “He was energetic, hard working, passionate, inclusive, inquisitive and idealistic.”

Without a doubt, these are the traits of an excellent physician. George Noble Bedell, MD, (’52 R), who served as professor emeritus of internal medicine as part of a long, industrious career within the department, and was held in highest regard by his family, friends, colleagues, patients and students, died on Jan. 20, 2007. He was 84.

Bedell was born in 1922 in Harrisburg, Pa., and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received his undergraduate education at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., and returned to Ohio for medical school at the University of Cincinnati.

After graduating in 1946, he began an internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), spending one year in pathology and then pursued internal medicine. An officer in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1948-1950, he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. After his time in the service, he returned to Iowa City for a two-year residency in internal medicine, followed by a two-year research fellowship in cardiology, and then began work in pulmonary physiology at the University of Pennsylvania.

John Fieselmann (’68 BS, ’72 MD, ’75 R, ’78 F) clinical professor of internal medicine, first met Dr. Bedell as a student in the pulmonary fellowship training program in 1974. Bedell had returned to Iowa City and was the first pulmonary specialist at UIHC. He also was director of pulmonary medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine from 1968-1981, and developed the pulmonary fellowship training program.

“I had heard that Dr. Bedell was a favorite of students and an excellent teacher and an expert in tuberculosis management,” said Fieselmann. “He would lead me and the other fellows through a review of medical records and chest X-rays on 40 tuberculosis patients per week.

“In the early years, he was a true triple threat—a researcher, clinician, and educator. What characterized Dr. Bedell’s personal style was his optimism, love of patients, and his joy of living. To many of us, he was “smiling George.”

But behind his smile, he was very persuasive and determined. His students liked him because he engaged them in the learning process.”

Bedell wrote seminal articles on the body box for measuring lung volumes, polycythemia, the measurement of diffusion, pulmonary function in patients with obesity, hypothyroidism, and women with emphysema, and right heart catheterizations for pressure measurements in many disease states. He had membership in several professional organizations, served on national boards and was president of the Iowa Thoracic Society.

He retired three times, but was still seeing patients until 2004. Bedell was such a dedicated physician that he made house calls to see very sick patients who were unable to come to the hospital.

Outside of work, Bedell was married and a father to 10 children. He was equally dedicated and committed to his family.

He married Betty Jane Goldzier in Chicago in 1950. Together, they had five children, David, Mark, Paul (deceased), Barbara and Bruce. Betty died in 1970. He remarried Mirriel Shields Hummel who also had five children, Judy, Jeff, Eric, Deborah and Andrew.

“He often was very busy, though one of his main priorities was his family. I didn’t feel neglected, probably because of the quality of our interaction,” said David Bedell, MD, (’95 F).

“Having a father who was a doctor, it was assumed I would go to college. Being a child of the 60s, from high school on I swore I wouldn’t be a physician. As I matured he became my role model. Sometimes I feel like I fell into a medical career. It was the path of least resistance, or maybe the path that was most brightly illuminated,” said Bedell.

As the son of a very caring physician, he feels his humanistic strengths—ability to listen in a non-judgemental way and help students or patients arrive at their own solutions—came from his father’s example. His father also helped form his sense of social responsibility and commitment to service. He volunteered for Concern America for eight and a half years.

“My father always was extremely supportive of these activities, even if I wasn’t creating any financial stability. He was my biggest moral supporter, and always told me to ‘follow my heart,’” said Bedell. “He also told me to ‘learn from my patients and learners’ and to walk a mile every day.”

His father had many interests including gardening, travel, bridge and spending time with his children and grandchildren. He was a staunch Democrat, serving as a Eugene McCarthy delegate to the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. He also was active in the Unitarian church and a contributor to the Iowa City Arts and many other local organizations. He and Mirriel loved to entertain and often welcomed family, friends, colleagues and students into their home.

“In George’s mind we were all a happy family,” said Fieselmann. “He’ll be missed.”