Stuart I. Phillips

Stuart I. Phillips, age 85, died at his home on February 17th, 2022, surrounded by the things he loved: family, friends, home, and gardens. Graveside services will take place at Hebrew Rest at 10 am on Sunday, February 20th.

Stuart was raised and educated in New Orleans. His father died when he was a teenager, so he completed his studies at Isidore Newman at the age of 16, and then enrolled at Tulane University. Graduation from Tulane was followed by his acceptance into the LSU School of Medicine, from which he graduated in 1959 at the age of 23. Stuart completed his residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans after which he served in the United States Air Force as a Captain, from 1962 until 1964.

Excelling and achievement were the hallmarks of Stuart as a young man, and those qualities continued throughout his life. He not only excelled as a medical doctor, but also as a businessman. He helped found and was CEO of The Louisiana Clinic, a multispecialty medical practice that grew from a single office into a large practice with several satellite clinics across southern Louisiana. He retired from medical practice in 2003.

In 2016, Stuart made the decision to go back to work with a goal of doing all he could to fight for change in our political system. He was always passionate and vocal about the unfairness of monied interests having overwhelmingly powerful voices in our political system and so he and his wife Ida founded Make it Fair, a small non-profit focused on shining light on the problem. Stuart noted “Unprecedented inequity in the power of the monied voices and current laws have made it so that money is speech and Pay-For-Play politics has become the accepted norm. Lots of money allows us to speak loudly. Lack of money forces us to whisper.” He feared for the future of our country if we continue on this path.

Stuart had a lifelong interest in conservation and the environment. He was active in the Sierra club beginning in the 70’s, and held local and national offices, including president of the local Louisiana Delta chapter. At the time, the Sierra Club was involved in stopping shell dredging in Lake Pontchartrain, promoting energy efficiency, opposing nuclear power and wetlands preservation. Stuart served on the National Energy Committee of the Sierra Club and on the Mayor’s Committee for Energy for the City of New Orleans.

Stuart reached astounding heights as an orthopedic surgeon, and as a businessman, but his success never distracted him from lifting up others, every chance he got. It was as instinctual for him to mentor those lucky enough to find their way into his orbit, as it was to fight for a fairer and more just world for everyone. His unquenchable thirst for knowledge made him a fountain of information for anyone who asked. His unyielding search for truth amplified his activism far beyond the words that came out of his mouth. His love for life was exceeded only by his unconditional love for his fellow human. An eternal optimist, Stuart always provided an uplifting view, even in the face of tragedy. His absence will be deeply felt, far and wide by the voluminous cast of people whose lives were greatly impacted by his presence. Still, even at this moment, Stuart would want us all to remember him in celebratory fashion, because, as he would always say, “Life is for the living.“

Stuart is preceded in death by his parents Elliot and Byrdie, his first wife, Joan, and their two sons, Eric and Steven. He is survived by his second wife Ida, his stepdaughter Juliet, his grandson Sebastian, his daughter-in-law Deborah, his sister Jeannine and a host of relatives that only a blended family can provide. He was a member of Touro Synagogue.