Dr. Albert William Dibbins II

Born in 1933 in Everett, MA, Al Dibbins, from an early age, knew he wanted to be a doctor. During a speech he gave in 2003 as President of the New England Surgical Society he said, “Being a surgeon has been a great joy to me… I have an overwhelming sense of responsibility for all aspects of my patient’s care and a responsibility defined as my patient’s having first call on me regardless of what it meant to my personal life.”

A renowned pediatric surgeon, Dr. Dibbins was a scholar, teacher, mentor, and healer. Many would say he was the founder of specialized pediatric care in Maine, passionately and tirelessly dedicating his life to the relentless care and advocacy of Maine’s sick children and their families for over 40 years. Although he cared for his patients at Maine Medical Center and the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, his impact and influence on pediatric surgery and the training of the next generation is nationally and internationally recognized.

Dr. Dibbins started his education journey at Phillips Academy Andover (‘51) followed by Princeton University (‘55) and Tufts Medical School (‘59 - first in his class). It was while he attended medical school that he met his loving and devoted wife Betty, and they wed in 1960. His general and pediatric surgical training would take him to the Yale-New Haven Medical Center and Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. His curious mind led him to a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. In 1965, while conducting research at the Walter Reed National Military Hospital, he was deployed to the Vietnam War as an Army general surgeon with the 85th Evac Hospital in the Central Highlands. He was one of the surgeons who received the wounded from the Ia Drang Valley Campaign, one of the bloodiest encounters of the war. These powerful memories of his time in Vietnam stayed with him throughout his life, greatly impacting his skill and care as a surgeon. In 1974, Dr. Dibbins moved to Portland where he joined the medical staff at Maine Medical Center in the Department of Surgery where he would spend the rest of his career.

Dr. Dibbins established the first pediatric surgical practice in Maine, Maine Pediatric Surgical Associates. “Dr. D” was known for his lab coats painted with Winnie-the-Pooh and other characters and for somehow instinctually showing up just in time when a pediatric patient became sick. His personal love of baking brought loaves of Christmas stollen bread to a hungry pediatric hospital staff and he always looked forward to judging the annual pie-making contest. A passion for teaching and mentorship, he was the General Surgical Residency Program Director at Maine Medical Center for 10 years, where he taught hundreds of medical students and surgical residents, instilling in them a sense of dedication and responsibility to care for the welfare of the children that he had demonstrated throughout his career.

Among his many professional appointments and awards, Dr. Dibbins held faculty appointments at Tufts, University of Pittsburgh and University of Vermont Medical Schools; leadership positions as Director and Senior Examiner of the American Board of Surgery, member of the Pediatric Surgery Advisory Council of the American College of Surgeons, Governor of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, President of the New England Surgical Society, and Founding Member of New England Pediatric Surgical Society.

He was the first inductee to the Maine Pediatric Hall of Fame and a two-time nominee of the local Jefferson Award for public service.

After his retirement from surgery in 2000, Dr. Dibbins continued to teach, mentor, and consult with the medical community he loved. He would spend the next 20 years dedicated to his committee work with the adult and pediatric National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP).

Dr. Dibbins is survived by his wife, Betty of 62 years, and three daughters, Betsy Crocker and husband David of Portland, Tory Dibbins of Portland and Susan Dibbins and husband Robert Stamerra of Virginia; three grandchildren, Salvatore and Raffaella Stamerra, and Ainsley Shannon Kelly and husband Jeff of California, and great-grandson, Kit Kelly.

As per his wishes there will be no visiting hours or memorial service. A family graveside service with military honors will be in the care of the Jones, Rich and Barnes Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the Dibbins family requests donations to be made to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. Memories and condolences can be shared with the family at www.jonesrichandbarnes.com