R. Don Blim, a well-known Kansas City pediatrician and WWII veteran, dies at age 92
%20higher%20res.jpg "R. Don Blim, a well-known pediatrician from Overland Park, died Monday morning of natural causes, his family said.")
R. Don Blim, a well-known pediatrician from Overland Park, died Monday morning of natural causes at the age of 92, according to his family.
Blim, who was in private practice from 1956 to 1989, served as director of medical affairs and chief medical officer at St. Luke’s Hospital from 1989 to 1999.
“I don’t think I ever heard my father talk about why he chose pediatrics as a specialty,” said John Blim of Oak Park, Illinois. “I guess it just seemed so obvious, given the delight he took in the thousands of kids he treated over the decades.
“I’ve always suspected it had something to do with growing up with his older brother, who was born with severe cerebral palsy and who died quite young. Whatever the reason, he gave innumerable families the gift of helping their children to be healthy and happy.”
Blim was a veteran of World War II, where he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army in the South Pacific. He attended the University of Kansas, where he earned his bachelor of arts and medical degrees. He interned and had his residency in pediatrics at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
He was certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and became a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1958.
Blim created Pediatrics Associates and served as its president from 1976 to 1989. He was chosen the University of Kansas School of Medicine’s Alumnus of the Year in 1978.
While a clinical instructor in pediatrics at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 1980, Blim served as the 50th president of the American Academy of Pediatrics and successfully called for President Ronald Reagan to create a Maternal and Children’s Health Administration as part of the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the medical center.
Blim also served on the board of directors of the Community Blood Center, from 1990 to 2008, and Crittenton Children’s Hospital from 1993-2008. He was a member of the National Academy of Science’s National Academy of Medicine.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Myrle Blim. He is survived by a daughter, Carol Kelly of Leawood, and two sons, Richard Blim of Overland Park and John Blim of Oak Park, Illinois.
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 4:24 PM.
