VU mourns loss of noted pediatrician Harris 'Pete' Riley

Home

VU mourns loss of noted pediatrician Harris 'Pete' Riley

Written by Administrator

Sunday, 04 April 2010 12:27

Dr. Harris D. “Pete” Riley Jr., professor of pediatrics, emeritus, at Vanderbilt University, died March 26. He was 85.

Riley was a longtime supporter of Vanderbilt. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1945 from Vanderbilt University and medical degree in 1948 from the School of Medicine. He completed a pediatric residency at Vanderbilt University Hospital and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the School of the Medicine. He joined the faculty of the Department of Pediatrics in 1953.

In 1958, he was appointed chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, where he served until 1991. During that time, he was president of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association from 1974 to 1975 and served on the Vanderbilt Board of the Trust from 1976 to 1986. In 1980, he and his family established the Riley Scholarship Fund for deserving Vanderbilt students.

After retiring from Oklahoma, Riley returned to Vanderbilt as a professor of Pediatrics. He oversaw the Amos Christie Society's Summer Scholars Program and continued to teach and care for pediatric patients.

Riley received many honors and accolades at Vanderbilt. In 1986, three years after the inception of the Medical Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna award, Riley was honored with this designation. He is one of only 33 VU medical alumni to win the award. In 1994, Riley received the Vanderbilt Chair from the Amos Christie Pediatric Society for distinguished contribution to the Department of Pediatrics and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. In 1996, he received the “Outstanding Physician and Role Model” award from the Department of Pediatrics.

Riley is survived by his wife, Margaret, three children, Steven Allen Riley (Laura), Mark Barry Riley (Becky) and Margaret Riley Sisson (Fred); and seven grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Harris D. Riley Jr. Chair in Pediatric Education at University of Oklahoma Children's Hospital, 940 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104 or to Vanderbilt in memory of Dr. Harris Riley, designated to the Riley Scholarship, Vanderbilt University Gift Processing Office, PMB 407727, 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37240-7727.

Contact: Jessica Ennis, (615) 322-4747

Main Menu

Categories