William Brydon Obituary

William "Bill" Lloyd Brydon was born at St. Anthony Hospital in Pocatello, ID on Saturday April 5th, 1930 to Lloyd Brydon and Lenoir Hulihan Brydon. He died peacefully at his home on Sunday June 14th, 2020 surrounded by his loving wife and children by his side.

Bill grew up in Pocatello and graduated from Pocatello High school in 1948. In high school he was active in student government, sports, choir, plays, and many other activities. He attended Idaho State College and graduated as valedictorian in 1952 in pre-med. He was voted outstanding senior by the Associated Men Students. While at Idaho State he took part in choir, student government, musicals, clubs and fraternity life, including a musical quartet called the "Tunesmiths". Bill met Doris Ann Weaver of Twin Falls, ID at German Club while learning how to roll strudel.

In the fall of 1952 Bill was accepted to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO with a Jackson Johnson Scholarship. In addition to studying, he wrote part of and conducted the junior med school show and worked for the St. Louis Symphony. When a physical therapy scholarship became available, he encouraged Doris to apply and enroll in the Physical Therapy Program which she did, and they continued their relationship.

On June 27th 1954 they were married in Twin Falls ID. The newlyweds chose Banff National Park in Canada for their honeymoon and upon the return trip decided Bill should get a job with the US Forest Service. They spent the summer in a lookout tower as firewatchers on Cyclone Peak overlooking Glacial National Park.

Bill graduated cum laude from WU Medical School in 1956 and Bill and Doris moved to Seattle where he did his rotating internship at Harborview, King County Hospital and his residency in Pediatrics at Children's Orthopedic Hospital. Bill joined the Air Force in 1959 and was stationed at Fort Warren Air Base in Cheyenne, WY where he served as "base pediatrician" for two years. They returned to Seattle where he practiced at Group Health Cooperative for a year.

In the spring of 1962, Bill and Doris returned to Pocatello, where Bill began to practice Pediatrics with Dr. Gene Earl. After Dr. Earl left, he was the only Pediatrician between Pocatello and Ogden, UT for about two years until he was joined by Dr. Roger Boe, followed a year later by Dr. Don Roberts. With Dr.'s David Jones and Robert Rush, the Pediatric half of the Pocatello Woman and Children's Clinic was built. As the number of doctors grew, the two specialties separated and the Children's Clinic became the Pocatello Children's Clinic and is present today. In 1985 Bill became board qualified in allergy, asthma, and immunology and he and Doris opened the Pocatello Allergy and Asthma Clinic which is now operated by Dr. David Parry. He retired from medicine in 1997.

Bill and Doris, with other professionals, were instrumental in founding WAMI which is an organization of four states: Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. This collaborative effort assured a certain number of student admissions to medical school from these states. As part of the program, students would take some of their basic science courses at sites such as the University of Washington and the University of Idaho and some of their clinical work at locations such as the Pocatello Children and Adolescent Clinic and other facilities. WAMI was a novel medical education program model because it crossed state lines. No other attempts to develop similar conglomerates elsewhere have been as successful.

Bill has a long list of professional, community, and philanthropic activities which include, but are not limited to, IMA, AMA, AAP, AAAAI, Staff and Chief of Staff of Pediatrics at Pocatello hospitals, CASA Board of Directors, and the first Child Abuse Education Director for the state of Idaho. He participated on the Faculty Evaluation Committee for the Family Residency Program. He was a member of the Idaho State Civic Symphony Board and its president for 12 years. He was selected as Rotarian of the year twice. He was Pocatello Rotary Club president in 1995 and attended the International meeting in Nice, France. Bill and Doris were the originator of the 50+ Reunion. They have long supported ISU with scholarships and donations and were major donors for the construction of the Stephens Performing Arts Center. They contributed to the building of the Grizzly Bear habitat at the Pocatello Zoo, and the Idaho Museum of Natural History, the home of the Saber Tooth Tiger exhibit. Bill was a member of the Sagebrush Society, an intellectual group, for over 20 years, and he enjoyed his many years of singing with the Camarata Singers. He was an avid gardener, enjoyed hiking, biking, skiing, and loved the outdoors. Bill and Doris enjoyed traveling and cruising, including the USA, Canada, Europe, Mexico, parts of Central and South America and a Rotary Safari to South Africa.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Jean (Kenneth) Thrasher. Bill is survived by his wife Doris Ann of 65 years, his sister Kibber (John) Miller, Springfield, IL, his children, Cathy Brydon (Steve), William Lloyd Brydon Jr., and Timothy Carl Brydon, all of Pocatello; two grandsons, Brydon Murray (Jenny) of Pullman, WA, Harley (Heather) Brydon, and triplet great-grandchildren, Kinzlee, Adalynn, and Wyatt, of Macon, GA. A private family graveside service was held at Mountain View Cemetery under the care of Downard Funeral Home.

ISU will present the 2020 Presidents Medallion award to Bill and Doris at Homecoming. A celebration of life for Bill is being planned for some time in the fall. Donations in his memory may be made to: William L. and Doris Brydon, Scholarship Endowment, Idaho State University at: Idaho State Foundation, 921 South 8th Avenue, Stop 8050, Pocatello, ID 83209, or call 208-282-3470.