Charles D. Hummer Jr., 79; orthopedic surgeon and Swarthmore mayor
Charles D. Hummer Jr., 79, formerly of Swarthmore, a longtime orthopedic surgeon and mayor of the Delaware County borough in the 1980s, died Tuesday, Oct. 11, of cancer at White Horse Village in Newtown Square.
Charles D. Hummer Jr., 79, formerly of Swarthmore, a longtime orthopedic surgeon and mayor of the Delaware County borough in the 1980s, died Tuesday, Oct. 11, of cancer at White Horse Village in Newtown Square.
Dr. Hummer was born in Chester to Charles DeWitt and Thelma Mae Wood Hummer. He spent his boyhood in Swarthmore and returned as an adult to rear his own family there.
In 1954, he played fullback on the Swarthmore High School football team, before graduating a year later from the school.
Dr. Hummer earned a bachelor's degree from Amherst College in 1959 and a medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College in 1963.
He went on to complete his medical training in orthopedics at York Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and the Alfred I. duPont Institute.
Known as "Charlie," Dr. Hummer served in the Air Force Reserve starting in 1966 as a first lieutenant and surgeon at Dow Air Force Base in Bangor, Maine. He was honorably discharged in 1968 with the rank of captain.
Back in Swarthmore, he practiced for 44 years as an orthopedic surgeon with Premier Orthopaedics in Upland before retiring in 2012.
Throughout his career, he was an advocate for his patients and fellow physicians, holding leadership positions at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine, the Pennsylvania Medical Society, and the Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society.
His zest for politics and civic affairs led him to serve on the Swarthmore School Board. He also was mayor of Swarthmore in the 1980s. In that time, he presided over matters such as stormwater runoff control and arranging for cost-effective policing.
In 1983, Dr. Hummer was one of a group of Swarthmore residents who founded Swarthmore Academy, a small private school offering grades seven through 12. It was intended as an alternative to the merger of Swarthmore and Nether Providence High Schools into Strath Haven, a move that the residents group had opposed.
Dr. Hummer was known for wearing whimsical, brightly colored ties, said his daughter Katherine H. Rebillard. "He was friendly, funny, warm and jovial. His patients liked him." she said.
"Ultimately, Charlie derived his greatest joy in life from bringing happiness to others," his family said.
Dr. Hummer was married in 1961 to Deborah Anne Ward. She died of cancer in 1997.
Besides his daughter, he is survived by a son, Dr. Charles D. Hummer III; daughter Mai T. Whitsett; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Carr Funeral Home, 935 S. Providence Rd., Wallingford. Burial is private.
Donations may be made to the WHV Employee Appreciation Fund, c/o White Horse Village, 535 Gradyville Rd., Newtown Square, Pa. 19073.
610-313-8102