Dr William James Fink's Obituary
Dr. William James Fink died on May 24 at home in Fayetteville, AR. He was born in 1917 in Washington, DC, the son of Gail and Elizabeth Thomas Fink. He graduated with an AB degree from DePauw University in 1939, and obtained his M.D. degree from George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC in 1944. Between college and medical school he worked from 1939-1941 as a Document Examiner in the Technical Laboratory of the FBI, Washington, DC. Following a year of rotating internship, a six-month residency in anesthesia and four years of surgical residency he became Board Certified in Surgery in 1954. Dr. Fink moved to Fayetteville in 1951, and he was appointed Chief, Surgical Service at the VA Medical Center in 1953, which position he held until his retirement in 1979. Dr. Fink was a member of the American College of Surgeons, the Western Surgical Association, Southwestern Surgical Congress, and the Association of VA Surgeons (serving as Treasurer 1977-1978). He was listed in Who’s Who in Arkansas, Who’s Who in Government, Who’s Who in Medicine, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in the World. From 1967 to 1980 he advanced from Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery to Full Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. He served as a Captain in the Army Air Corps 1946-1948 and was Chief of Surgery at Tinker Field, Oklahoma City and Chief of Surgery at Bolling Field in Washington, DC. Dr. Fink was a charter member of Trinity United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, AR, a member and Past President of the Exchange Club of Fayetteville, a member of the Sigma Nu social fraternity and Phi Chi medical fraternity. Following retirement he was active in church and civic organizations and with his hobby of model railroading. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Kay Kerlin Fink who died in 1985, by a son Bruce in 1978, and a son William, Jr. in 1986. He is survived by his son Robert and his wife Cathy of Fayetteville, his son Barry and his wife Deborah of Eureka Springs, and by his daughter Barbara Leonard and her husband Phillip Leonard of Fayetteville. Also surviving are his second wife, Arline Peeler Fink, whom he married in 1992, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. A private burial service was held at Fairview Cemetery in Fayetteville. A memorial service will be held at Nelson-Berna Funeral Home at 2:00 PM, Wednesday, May 27, 2009. To sign the online guest book go to www.nelsonberna.com
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