Thomas Judson Irish

Background

Thomas Judson Irish was born on May 23, 1936, in Forest City, Iowa, to Thomas Judson Irish Sr. and Magdalene Irish (Grimm). He graduated from Forest City High School in 1955 and began his higher education in Iowa during the postwar expansion of American scientific and medical training.

He remained connected to Forest City throughout his life. After a long medical career in Washington, he died in Tacoma on November 12, 2020, and was cremated and buried at Oakland Cemetery in Forest City.

Education

Irish graduated from Forest City High School in 1955. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State College in 1958 and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the State University of Iowa in 1962. Iowa State College was a land-grant institution founded in 1858, while the State University of Iowa, now the University of Iowa, had developed a major medical and research tradition by the time of his medical training.

His postgraduate education moved through general surgery and plastic surgery. He completed general-surgery residencies associated with Denver General Hospital and the University of Colorado Medical Center from 1966 to 1970, followed by plastic-surgery training at Norfolk General Hospital and Kings Daughters Children's Hospital in Virginia from 1970 to 1972. He also undertook fellowship training in plastic surgery at Canniesburn Hospital in Bearsden, Scotland, in 1971. Canniesburn became an important West of Scotland center for plastic and maxillofacial surgery during the period in which modern reconstructive services were becoming increasingly specialized.

Career

Irish began his medical career with an internship at King County Hospital in Seattle from 1962 to 1963. The hospital, later known as Harborview Hospital and Harborview Medical Center, had served as a public county hospital since its relocation to Seattle's First Hill in 1931. He then practiced general medicine privately in Forest City, Iowa, from 1963 to 1966.

From 1966 to 1970, Irish trained in general surgery at Denver General Hospital and the University of Colorado Medical Center. He continued with plastic-surgery residency training at Norfolk General Hospital and Kings Daughters Children's Hospital in Virginia from 1970 to 1972, and completed a plastic-surgery fellowship at Canniesburn Hospital in Scotland in 1971. Canniesburn's specialist unit, developed in the postwar period and opened in the late 1960s, was associated with the expansion of organized plastic and maxillofacial surgery in Scotland.

After settling in Tacoma, Irish established a private plastic-surgery practice with Plastic Surgeons Northwest in 1972 and continued there until 2003. His Tacoma work included reconstructive and general plastic surgery and extended to institutional leadership in burn and wound care. He served as medical director of the Firefighter Burn Center at St. Joseph Medical Center from 1976 to 1983 and as medical director of the Franciscan Wound Care Center from 1998 to 2003. His leadership in these programs formed part of Tacoma's developing regional medical infrastructure for burn treatment and wound management.

Achievements

• Irish helped establish and lead burn-care services in Tacoma, serving as medical director of the Firefighter Burn Center at St. Joseph Medical Center from 1976 to 1983.

• As medical director of the Franciscan Wound Care Center from 1998 to 2003, Irish contributed to the development and administration of specialized wound-care services in Tacoma.

Membership

Irish was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and maintained memberships in the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, American Burn Association, American Cleft Palate Association, American Academy of Wound Management, American Medical Association, Washington State Society of Plastic Surgeons, Pierce County Medical Society, and Tacoma Surgical Club. These organizations represented major professional, specialty, regional, and civic networks in American medicine, including surgery, plastic and reconstructive care, burns, wound management, and cleft-palate treatment.

He was also associated with Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society recognizing academic and professional achievement. His organizational affiliations connected his private practice with continuing medical education and the professional institutions serving surgeons and physicians in Washington.

• Fellow

  American College of Surgeons , United States

• American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons , United States

• American Burn Association , United States

• American Cleft Palate Association , United States

• American Academy of Wound Management , United States

• American Medical Association , United States

• Washington State Society of Plastic Surgeons , United States

• Pierce County Medical Society , United States

• Tacoma Surgical Club , United States

• Member

  Alpha Omega Alpha , United States

Personality

Irish was described by colleagues and patients as humble, soft-spoken, kind, friendly, and attentive in his interactions with patients and coworkers.

Quotes from others about the person

• A colleague who worked with Irish in the operating room described him as an exceptional surgeon and a pleasure to work with. Patients and former colleagues also remembered his calm manner, humor, and considerate bedside conduct.

Interests

• Sport & Clubs

  He enjoyed Wii bowling in later life.

• Music & Bands

  He was reported to enjoy Prince's music, particularly "Little Red Corvette."

Connections

Irish married Sandra L. Rudolph on August 12, 1978, in Tacoma, Washington. They had four children: daughters Katherine Irish and Julianne Irish, and sons Judson Irish and Robert Irish. He was preceded in death by his sisters AliceJean Kenny, Ellen Craig, and Sally Baker.

Father:

Thomas Judson Irish

Mother:

Magdalene Irish

Also identified as Magdalene Irish (Grimm).

Wife:

Sandra L. Rudolph

Married Thomas Judson Irish on August 12, 1978, in Tacoma, Washington.

Daughter:

Katherine Irish

Daughter:

Julianne Irish

Son:

Judson Irish

Son:

Robert Irish

Sister:

AliceJean Kenny

Sister:

Ellen Craig

Sister:

Sally Baker

References

• Thomas Irish Obituary, News Tribune Documents Irish's birth, education, medical training, Tacoma practice, medical directorships, memberships, honors, family, and death.
  2020
• American College of Surgeons 1976 Convocation and Initiates Lists Thomas Judson Irish Jr. among the American College of Surgeons convocation initiates.
  1976
• Oakland Municipal Cemetery Lot Registry Documents Irish's 1936–2020 dates and burial at Oakland Cemetery in Forest City, Iowa.