E. James Kohl, 76, orthopedic surgeon
E. James Kohl, 76, of Bryn Mawr, a retired orthopedic surgeon with a passion for public service, died Thursday at home of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
E. James Kohl, 76, of Bryn Mawr, a retired orthopedic surgeon with a passion for public service, died Thursday at home of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Kohl maintained a practice in Bryn Mawr and was on the staff of Bryn Mawr Hospital. He also was an assistant professor at Thomas Jefferson University Medical College. He retired four years ago.
Dr. Kohl volunteered at Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia; traveled several times to Africa on medical missions with Orthopedics Overseas; and spent 12 days training medical personnel and treating patients at Miraj Medical Center in India in 1994. He was past president of Rotary International in Ardmore and was active in the Rotary programs to provide clean drinking water and polio vaccine to developing countries.
Dr. Kohl graduated from Olney High School and earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Louisville. He served in the Navy piloting planes in Florida, Texas, and Virginia. He was then an engineer for DuPont Co. in Wilmington before being recalled by the Navy during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.
After his discharge from active military duty, he served in the Naval Reserve Medical Corps until retiring as a captain in 1993.
Dr. Kohl earned a medical degree from Temple University, interned at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital, and completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at Germantown Hospital in Philadelphia.
He was an adventurous traveler and an award-winning photographer. He took photos of his world travels and would drive into the city to shoot the Philadelphia skyline at sunset, his wife, Irene Minsterl Kohl, said.
In addition to his wife of 54 years, Dr. Kohl is survived by daughters Margaret Sorensen and Sarah; sons James and John; and 10 grandchildren.
A memorial service and celebration of his life will be observed at 11 a.m. Monday at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 625 Montgomery Ave., Bryn Mawr. Dr. Kohl was a longtime church member and sang bass in the senior choir.
Memorial donations may be made to Rotary International's End Polio Now campaign at www.rotary.org.
