Obituary of Richard A. Sullivan, MD

Richard A. Sullivan, 85 of Alexandria Township, NJ passed away on Friday, September 7, 2012 surrounded by his loving and devoted family. Dr. Sullivan was born in Rochester, NY on November 20, 1926. He served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theatre during the later stages of WWII and the post-war occupation stationed in the Philippines. He attended St. Bonaventure University graduating cum laude in 1951 with a Bachelors of Science. He attended the State University of New York, College of Medicine at Syracuse, graduating with his doctorate of medicine in 1955. He practiced general internal medicine in Rochester, NY from 1957 to 1961 and then relocated his family to the Bronx to attend the residency program at the Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU. He completed his fellowship in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at NYU in 1965, under the tutelage of Dr. Howard Rusk. He joined the faculty of NYU-Institute of Physical Medicine in 1965. He remained as a clinical associate professor until 1993. Dr. Sullivan was one of the first physicians boarded in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. His celebrated career included the Medical Directorship of the Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens from 1967 to 1969. He held the Medical Directorship of the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation from 1967 to 1987. He was the handpicked successor of Dr. Henry Kessler and during his tenure he sheparded the transformation of the Kessler Institute into an industry leader. He developed the spinal cord injury, stroke, amputee, and brain trauma programs at Kessler. He also founded the rehabilitation program at UMDNJ. He completed his career as the Medical Director of Chestnut Hill rehabilitation hospital in Philadelphia from 1988 to 1993, retiring from practice in 1993. His honors included the distinguished service award from UMDNJ (1988), the twenty five year service citation award from NYU School of Medicine (1990), and the distinguished service career award from the PA Association of Rehab Facilities (1993). He was the devoted husband of Lucille (Haubner), loving brother of Francis and the late Mary Jane; loving father of Richard (Judy), Brian (Cathy), Katherine (James) Dowdle, Suzanne (Joseph) Quick, and Philip (Patricia); grandfather of Matthew, Daniel (Sarah), Meghan, Patrick, Emily, Lisa, Caroline, Timothy, Katherine, Sean, Joseph, and Amelia; and great grandfather of Daniel. Mass of the Resurrection 10am Monday September 10, 2012 at Immaculate Conception Church in Annandale, NJ. Visiting Sunday 2-4 and 7-9pm at Kearns Funeral Home in Whitehouse. In lieu of flowers donations can be sent to the Kessler Foundation 300 Executive Drive West Orange, NJ.