Dr. Lonnie S. Burnett

BURNETT, Dr. Lonnie S. – was born August 2, 1927 and passed away April 3, 2012. He was the oldest son of Lonnie and Lois Swift Burnett. Lonnie attended Saratoga High School lettering in every sport. After pre-med at UT Austin, he attended UTMB in Galveston, TX, where he met and married his wife of 61 years, Betty Scruggs Burnett (Sherman, Texas) at Trinity Episcopal Church, Galveston. The Burnett’s then traveled to Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan, where they met Dr. Angus Crook who was later to be instrumental in bringing Dr. Burnett to Nashville. After starting a fellowship in Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Burnett was called back to the service during the Korean War, having previously served as a Naval Cadet in World War II. As a Flight Surgeon, he flew in an air medical transport team and later helped train the U2 pilots to survive at high altitudes (at Gunter Air Force Base, Montgomery, AL). In 1957 Dr. Burnett then began his training in Ob-Gyn among the giants of the field at Johns Hopkins – Dr. S. Donald Woodruff, Dr. Richard TeLinde and Drs. Georgeanna and Howard Jones, Jr., parents of Dr. Howard Jones III, now chairman of Ob-Gyn of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He then studied for two years in Microbiology at Johns Hopkins and remained at Hopkins where he pioneered sex change operations and in vitro fertilization with the Joneses. In 1976 the Burnett’s moved to Nashville, followed shortly by Dr. and Mrs. Conrad Julian, to help build the Ob-Gyn department, which was in need of leadership at Vanderbilt. Within two years Phyllis and Conrad Julian had both passed away leaving two teenagers who became the Burnett's children. Under the leadership of Dr. Burnett the department grew, bringing with it a new "town" and "gown" relationship between Nashville and Vanderbilt, assisted by such fellow practitioners as Newton Lovvorn, Houston Surratt and Angus Crook. A solid fellowship was formed between Nashville's Ob-Gyn departments and the VUMC Ob-Gyn at Vanderbilt. In 1993 The Vanderbilt Ob-Gyn Alumni Association became known as the Lonnie S. Burnett Society. Dr. Burnett loved his wife, his children and his family, good food and wine, animals, and folk and country music. He loved teaching students and touched the lives of many as a teacher, mentor, friend, and as an exemplar of medical excellence. Dr. Burnett's awards and honors are too numerous to mention here but may be viewed online. The greatest honor in Dr. Burnett's life was the endowment of the Betty and Lonnie S. Burnett chair, now occupied by Dr. Howard Jones III. Lonnie's light shining on each of our lives has made our lights shine brighter. May that light always live in our hearts and may his dogs and cats be lined up to meet him at the Gate. Dr. Burnett is survived by his wife Betty, his children Anne Fagergren (Kirk) of Leucadia, CA and Michael Julian (Gina) of Nashville, TN, his brother Donald Burnett (Carolyn) of Dallas, TX, step-brother Cecil Whitely (Jean) of Longview, TX, brother-in-law Dr. Kenneth Jones of Houston, TX, cousin Thomas Gilbert Swift of Bowie, TX, nieces Carol Bowen, Cathy Jacobson (Douglas) and Pam Trull (all of Houston, TX), four great nephews, two great nieces, one great-great niece and one great-great nephew. Memorial Services will be conducted on at 12 pm Tuesday, April 10, 2012 with visitation commencing at 10am prior to the service at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Pike, Nashville, Tennessee 37205. Donations can be made in lieu of flowers to Endowed Chairs at VUMC or Johns Hopkins Departments of Ob-Gyn, Alive Hospice and Greyhound Pets of America, Nashville Chapter (GPA Nashville).