Paul J. Wolfgruber, M.D.

PAUL J. WOLFGRUBER, M.D.

LOON LAKE-Well known and beloved Arkport and Hornell area physician, Dr. Paul J. Wolfgruber, 93, passed away peacefully early Monday morning (March 5, 2012) at his home at 45 East Lake Road.
Born in Buffalo on Jan. 3, 1919, he was a son of the late John F. Wolfgruber, son of immigrants from Bavaria and Prussia and Louise P. Koch Wolfgruber, daughter of farming parents from Germany.
In about 1925 he and his family moved to Ebenezer (now known as West Seneca) and graduated from Ebenezer High School in 1936 and received a bachelor’s degree in general science from Houghton College in 1940. He then attended the Buffalo Medical School (now known as University of Buffalo) which was eventually taken over by the U.S. Army and the students became Privates First Class and also took ROTC courses as well as their medical studies before completing basic training at Fort Dix in the summer of 1942. The students were required in Dec. of 1943 to do an accelerated program and he became a Medical Doctor in just three years and nine months. After completing a nine month internship at Millard Fillmore Hospital in Buffalo the Army sent Dr. Wolfgruber to Carlisle, Pa. where he attended Medical Field Training for three months and in December of 1944 he was assigned to the 1524th Engineers Construction Group and became the sole Medical Officer in February of 1945. In March of 1945 he was stationed in France and accompanied the 1524th to Germany until the European conflict ended. Dr Wolfgruber was then transferred to Marsilles, France to Manilla through the Panama Canal and eventually to a construction campsite in Batangas in the Philippines; there he was the C.O. of a dispensary serving 1700 troops and caring for sick Filipinos. He was stationed there until July of 1946 and he was honorably discharged as a Captain from the U.S. Army in September of 1946. Dr Wolfgruber was awarded several decorations and citations including the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal and the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.
After returning from the war, he was married in September of 1946 to the former Leona Kumro and began doing general practice in Newton Falls and Star Lake in St. Lawrence County where he provided deliveries of infants at home and general practice until 1949. In July of 1949 Dr. Wolfgruber came to Arkport at the invitation of the Arkport Exchange Club and began general practice in the basement of his home located on Brush St. and practiced medicine in Arkport until moving his office to the Medical Arts Building in Hornell in 1968; he retired in 1989.
He served as the Arkport Central School physician which entailed doing school physicals and annual immunization clinics; he held this position until 1989. He completed a local health officer course through the Albany Medical College in 1951 and was appointed health officer for the Village of Arkport, and the Towns of Dansville, Fremont, Hornellsville and Howard.
Dr Wolfgruber was on the medical staffs at the former Bethesda Community Hospital and St. James Mercy Hospital and well as being a member of the Board of Directors and staff officer at both hospitals. In the 1950s he was instrumental in modernizing and organizing the building program at Bethesda Community Hospital where he served on various committees and was the staff president, provided emergency room coverage and held medical surgical and obstetrics and pediatric privileges.
He inaugurated treatment of hemolytic disease of the newborn by exchange transfusions and coordinating the collection of fresh type and Rh specific blood from volunteer donors with the American Red Cross. From 1951-1952 an epidemic of type A hepatitis occurred in the Arkport area and during the polio epidemic of 1952-1953 he assisted in the massive county wide gamma globulin program to stop the spread. In the 1950s and 1960s streptococcal infections caused an unusual number of rheumatic fever patients. Dr. Wolfgruber worked with the local Heart Chapter to organize and manage the penicillin prophylaxis program. Later, the Pediatric Heart Clinics brought cardiologist from the University of Rochester Medical School to consult with local physicians in diagnosis and management of heart patients.
Dr. Wolfgruber served on a County Medical Scholarship committee with legislators who awarded financial support to county residents who agreed to return to the county to practice medicine. He also served on the committee to establish and organize Mental Health Clinics and was a member of the Regional Hospital Council, which was active in hospital affairs. Later, he served on the advisory committee for Central New York Blue Cross and Shield in the 1970s as well as the Medical Advisory Committee for Steuben County Public Health Nursing.
He was a member of the organizing committee and a member of the first Board of Directors for the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers Program (now known as Faith In Action) in the Hornell area. In 1989 he became a member of the Board of Directors of the Bethesda Foundation and in 1951 he became an honorary member of the Arkport Exchange Club and became an active member in 1989 and served as the chairman of the Child Abuse Prevention Committee. In 1951 Dr. Wolfgruber became a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and became a Fellow of the Academy in 1972.
A member of the Arkport Memorial American Legion Post No. 1248 for more than 50 years, Dr. Wolfgruber was also a member of the Arkport Presbyterian Church from 1949-1969 and served as an elder since 1958; he has been a member of the United Presbyterian Church in Hornell since 1969. In 1968 he became a member of the Board of Directors of Steuben Trust Company in Hornell where he also served on the Loan Committee and Trust Committee and was recognized in 2010 for 42 years of distinguished service.
His family includes his wife, the former Jeanne Look Roof, who he married in 1969; his son, Kurt (Kim) Wolfgruber of Manhattan; five stepdaughters, Jeanne Charles of Atlanta, Ga., Cheryl Kramer of North Hornell, Terri (David) Wuest of Rochester, Diane (Cam) Ellis of Wayland and Sandra Roof (Charlie Koch) of Dansville; four grandchildren and six step-grandchildren; also several nieces.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his son, Paul “Wink” Wolfgruber; his brother and sisterin-law, Earl and Madelyn Wolfgruber and his sister, Grace Plumley.
Calling hours are from 2-5 and 7-9 p.m. Thursday at the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc., 285 Main St., Hornell. A funeral service, with military honors, will be held 11 a.m. Friday at the United Presbyterian Church, 150 Main St., Hornell, with the Rev. David Kilgore officiating. Interment will be in the Lakeside Cemetery at Loon Lake at the convenience of his family.
The United States flag and the Army flag will proudly fly at the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc. in recognition of Dr. Wolfgruber’s service during World War II.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing may contribute in his memory to either the United Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund, 150 Main St., Hornell, N.Y. 14843, the Arkport Central School Alumni Assoc., 35 East Ave., Arkport, N.Y. 14807 or to the Loon Lake Chapel Memorial Fund, in care of Lois Whitford, 57 E. Lake Rd., Cohocton, N.Y. 14826. Envelopes for memorial contributions will be available at the funeral home.