Philip J. Escoll, 81, analyst and professor
Philip J. Escoll, 81, of Penn Valley, a retired psychoanalyst and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease Sunday at Sunrise Assisted Living in Haverford.
Philip J. Escoll, 81, of Penn Valley, a retired psychoanalyst and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease Sunday at Sunrise Assisted Living in Haverford.
Dr. Escoll helped establish the psychiatric clinic for older adolescents at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and was a former chairman of the committee on clinical faculty at HUP. He was a training and supervising analyst at the Philadelphia Center for Psychoanalysis and a past president of the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Association.
In 1985, he received an excellence in teaching award from the residents at Penn's medical school, and in 1998, he received the Philadelphia Psychiatric Society Practitioner of the Year Award. He retired in 2003.
His family said Dr. Escoll's warmth, kindness, and empathy made him a sought-after teacher and analyst.
Dr. Escoll grew up in Elkins Park. In the summer, he was a camper and later a counselor at Blue Mountain Camp in the Poconos; the camp was founded by his father, Morris.
Dr. Escoll graduated from Cheltenham High School, where he played basketball, and attended the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College, where he won the biochemistry and psychiatry prizes, and was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.
He interned at Philadelphia General Hospital and completed a residency in psychiatry at the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital, where he maintained a practice for many years.
A lifelong tennis player, he also enjoyed sailing, swimming, and spending time with his children and grandchildren at his summer home in Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island.
Dr. Escoll is survived by his wife of 55 years, Audrey Golden Escoll; sons Andrew and Paul; a daughter, Linda; and five grandchildren.
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. today at Bringhurst Funeral Home, 225 Belmont Ave., Bala Cynwyd. Donations may be made to the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia, 3810 Mount Pleasant Dr., Philadelphia 19121.