George B. Caldwell ’52

George B. Caldwell ’52, health care administrator and former Cornell trustee, died at his home in Lake Forest, Illinois, on Aug. 21, 2016, at age 86.

At Cornell he was an AXE, played basketball, was on the staff of KRNL, and participated in theatre. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, he earned a master’s degree in hospital administration from the University of Iowa.

During his nearly 40 years in the health care field, he served as president of Lake Forest (Illinois) Hospital, president of Greater Southeast Community Hospital in Washington, D.C., president of Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, and president and CEO of Lutheran General Health System, also in Park Ridge. He also served as chairman of the Collier Company, a health care consulting firm.

A pioneer in the reform of the administration of health care organizations, he was one of the first chief executive officers to use the “human ecology” framework in health care, which was a forerunner of today’s patient-centered care.

He served on numerous boards and committees, including the advisory committee of the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Health Care Organizations. He founded and led the Center for the Aging in Washington, D.C., the Greater Southeast Community Center for Renal Disease in Washington, D.C., and was president of the Lutheran Institute of Human Ecology in Park Ridge, and the Parkside Foundation, also in Park Ridge.

He is survived by his wife, Phoebe Wendt Caldwell ’53, four children, and 12 grandchildren.