In Memoriam: Arthur M. Pappas, M.D.

Arthur M. Pappas, M.D., the first chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, died on March 22, 2016 at the age of 84. A former team doctor for the Boston Red Sox, Dr. Pappas was born and raised in Auburn, Massachusetts; he and his wife lived in the house in which Dr. Pappas was born.

Dr. Pappas leaves behind his wife, Martha Pappas, Ed.D.

The family held a private burial service, with plans for a Celebration of Life to honor Dr. Pappas near the date of his birthday in July.

Dr. Pappas cherished the opportunities he had to help children with disabilities. He chaired the boards of directors at Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital and the Massachusetts Hospital School for handicapped children, and worked with Eunice Kennedy Shriver to establish the Special Olympics in Massachusetts.

Dr. Pappas graduated from Harvard College and attending medical school at the University of Rochester. He then spent two years in the U.S. Navy as a researcher at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

A great fan of sports, Dr. Pappas played football at Harvard. In 2012, a ribbon was cut on the $4.3 million Dr. Arthur Pappas and Dr. Martha Pappas Recreation Complex on Pakachoag Hill; the couple donated $1 million toward the park’s construction, which includes baseball and soccer fields, a playground, and a performance stage.

The Pappas family also donated $763, 000 to increase the size of the new high school’s gymnasium. They established the Auburn Foundation through the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, which has awarded grants to Auburn-based nonprofit organizations since 2004.

Dr. Pappas became the medical director for the Boston Red Sox in 1978 and stayed for over 25 years.

He served as president of the Association of Professional Baseball Physicians, was a member of the Sports Medicine Committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics, and also president of the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation.

In 2011, Dr. Pappas, who was the chairman emeritus of the department of orthopedics and physical rehabilitation at UMass Memorial Medical Center, received the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Pappas received many honors, including the Massachusetts Medical Society Lifetime Achievement Award, the Massachusetts Hospital School’s Edward H. Bradford Lifetime Achievement Award for Program Development for Handicapped Children, and the Physician Achievement Award from the Arthritis Foundation.

Relaying an ongoing joke in “the office, ” Alice Shakman, senior vice president of Operations at UMass Memorial Medical Center, said, “People would tease him about his eyebrows. Especially the kids in his practice! They were fascinated by them and used to grab them. The ball players would tease him as well.”

Asked about Dr. Pappas’ motivation, Eric Dickson, M.D., president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care, stated, “I think Art’s passion was a belief that each day he could help improve the quality of life for the patients coming to see him. Dr. Pappas was passionate about working with young people and helping them realize their true physical potential. He worked a great deal with handicapped children and beyond being one of the finest doctors in the country, he will be greatly missed and fondly remembered for his philanthropy and work in the community.”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that anyone wishing to honor Dr. Pappas’ memory consider a donation to The Auburn Foundation at the Greater Worcester Community Foundation or to the Massachusetts Hospital School Foundation.