3/1/13
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William Frohbose '39 received his degree at a luncheon given in his honor. |
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William J. Frohbose ’39, M.D. was thrilled to receive his Randolph-Macon College degree—74 years after he was a student at the college.
On March 1, 2013, Frohbose was presented his R-MC degree at a luncheon given in his honor. President Robert R. Lindgren and Provost William T. Franz presented the degree as family and friends applauded.
Frohbose, 96, attended Randolph-Macon from 1935 to 1938 and went on to earn his M.D. at the VCU School of Medicine in 1943.
Under a policy passed by the R-MC Board of Trustees in 1986, students who attended the college for three years and then transferred to the Medical College of Virginia were offered a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree from Randolph-Macon. Frohbose’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Clark, recently wrote to President Lindgren to request a diploma for her grandfather.
“Dr. Frohbose, welcome home,” said Lindgren. “We have missed you and feel privileged to have you here in person so we can thank you for your years of extraordinary generosity toward your alma mater. Formalizing your already obvious connection to R-MC with a long overdue Randolph-Macon degree is one way that we can memorialize your college years with us and your uninterrupted loyalty in the years thereafter. Through your years of service to others, and with the high ideals and strong character that personify your life, you have, since your departure for MCV in 1939, truly been a ‘son of Randolph-Macon College.’”
Frohbose played
football for R-MC and was a member of the
Concert Choir.
“I know that your three years at Randolph-Macon were filled with activity and achievement,” said Lindgren. “You played on our Yellow Jacket football team and shared the thrill of our undefeated season in 1935. You were also an active member of our Concert Choir, all the while excelling in a rigorous pre-med course of study in the classroom. You would be pleased to know that all three of those activities: football, our concert choir, and a
rigorous pre-med program remain important and vibrant parts of our campus today. Your early acceptance into medical school at MCV was testament to your stellar academic credentials and sense of purpose.”
Frohbose retired from his medical practice in 1983 after a long career as a urologist. He did his internship and surgical residency at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Richmond (1943-44) and served as a U.S. Naval Reserve Lieutenant in the Medical Corps at the end of World War II. He did his residency in urology at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia (1947-49) before beginning his practice in 1953. He currently lives in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
In addition to Elizabeth Clark, special guests at the luncheon included the following members of Frohbose’s family: daughters Blair Henry and Ann Boddie; granddaughters Katie Frohbose, Liz Boddie and Alice Frohbose; son Fred Frohbose; daughter-in-law Kelly Frohbose; and grandsons Frederick Frohbose and Richard Davis. R-MC Board of Trustees
Jack Luck ’64,
Dr. Stephen Long ’82, Frank Murphy III, and
Frank E. “Pepper” Laughon Jr. ’59 and his wife Stuart were also guests at the event.
The story about Frohbose captured significant local and national media attention. This Richmond Times-Dispatch article ran on March 2, 2013.