Dr. Joseph L. Whelan died on Sun, May 15, 2005, at St. John Hospital in Detroit.
When Dr. Whelan began his practice in Detroit in 1949, he was the first private practice physician to limit his practice to neurology. He was considered a pioneer in his field and was a founding member of the Michigan Society of Neurology and the American Society of Clinical Neurologists.
Whelan was an assistant clinical professor of neurology at Wayne State University, consulting neurologist for the Detroit Board of Education and the U S Public Health Service and Chief of Neurology Service at Grace Hospital, St. John Hospital and Bon Secour HOpsital. In 1973 he moved to Northern Michigan, practicing neurology in Petoskey and Gaylord until his retirement in 1987.
He was born in Chisholm, MN, in 1917 and told wonderful stories of growing up during the wild days of the Iron Range. He graduated from the University of Minnesota and interned at Detroit Receiving Hospital.
During WWII, Whelan served in the Army Air Force. He was a fellow in neurology at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital and a special fellow in electroencephalography at the Mayo Clinic.
During his years in northern Michigan, Whelan and his wife, Gloria, relished their wilderness home on Oxbow Lake.
Watching the fox and coyotes trotting around the lake, the beavers building their lodges and the eagles and osprey fishing the lake, Whelan decided he wanted to preserve the lake and the surrounding woods forever and donated the property's development rights to the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. It was the fledgling's conservancy's first easement.
Both Whelan and his wife went on to serve on the conservancy board.
In addition to his wife, Gloria, Whelan is survived by a son, Joseph (Linda) Whelan; daughter, Jennifer (E. Michael) Nolan, a granddaughter, Jacqueline; and grandson Patrick.
There will be a memorial gathering before mass on Wed, May 18, at the Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 467 Fairford Rd, Grosse Pointe Woods.
Arrangements were made by Chas. Verheyden Inc. of Grosse Pointe.
