VOLUME 33, ISSUE 2
Frank J. Villamaria, M.D., MPH
Staff Anesthesiologist, BS&W Healthcare,
Vice Chair of Anesthesiology
CAPT Medical Corps, United States Navy (FS)
Temple, TX
On the Shoulders of Giants Series: Legends of Texas Anesthesiology
Francis Joseph Dannemiller, M.D.
My first exposure to the name Dannemiller came in 1986. I was an anesthesiology resident at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. My best friend, Bill Oliver, and I attended what was considered the best anesthesiology review course at the time: the Dannemiller Anesthesiology Refresher Course held in San Antonio. I was excited to go. I was tired of the winter and was looking forward to fajitas and margaritas on the San Antonio Riverwalk. The course was held in June each year, about 3 weeks before the written board exam. The list of presenters read like a “Who’s Who” in anesthesiology with big names such as Ron Miller, Alon Winnie, Robert Kirby, Robert Stoelting, Ted Eger, Paul Barash, Joel Kaplan, Jonathan Benumof, and John Savarese, just to name a few. They were all there, summarizing various areas of anesthesiology in their areas of expertise with a goal to prime us for passing our written board exams.
This was long before the internet, social media, or podcasts. Study aids that our trainees frequently rely upon today. The lectures were all delivered in person and the auditorium was always packed.
Sometime during the 3rd day of the conference, the speakers gave a short tribute to Dr. Dannemiller and the Dannemiller Memorial Education Foundation. The Anesthesiology Refresher Course Lectures began in 1953, chiefly for Air Force Residents to prepare them for their board examinations. However, in the early 1970’s, Dr. Dannemiller expanded the refresher course program, broadening the audience to both civilian and military attendees and he greatly enhanced the quality of the faculty presenting the material. During that era, the Dannemiller Review Course was considered the premier CME offering for our specialty.
Who was Dr. Dannemiller? Francis Joseph Dannemiller was born in Akron, Ohio on March 31, 1931. As a young boy, he suffered from bouts of asthma. A few times, his symptoms were so severe that the family physician was called to the house to treat him. He was impressed by the self-confidence and care of this physician and decided that he’d like to be a physician. Joe graduated from Holy Cross College in 1953 and Yale University School of Medicine in 1957. He completed a rotating internship at Philadelphia General Hospital. Dr. Dannemiller was a “Berry Planner” (the Berry Plan was devised by Dr. Frank Berry as a response to the drafting of physicians into military service under President Eisenhower) and was required to enter a branch of the armed services following internship. He was assigned to the Air Force as a Flight Surgeon/General Medical Officer. During his tour of duty, he experienced two things that profoundly affected his future career. As a flight surgeon he got experience flying high performance aircraft (flight surgeons get flight time). Secondly, as a General Medical Officer he was directed to occasionally administer anesthesia and, in that role, gained some on-the-job experience. This latter experience led Joe back to Yale to pursue formal residency training in anesthesiology.
Returning to active USAF duty, he held various assignments inside and outside the United States. These included serving as Chief of Anesthesia Services at Lackland Air Force Base in 1961 and Chief of Anesthesia Services at Kessler Air Force Base in 1966. During his time at Kessler he completed a fellowship in regional anesthesia at the University of Mississippi. Two assignments, however, were especially notable. The first was as Chief of Anesthesiology Service, Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines in 1963. Clark Air Force Base is now closed, but, in 1963, it was a very large and active Cold War military base that served as a major casualty receiving station during the Vietnam War. According to Joe’s son, during his first year at Clark, Dr. Dannemiller had time to play golf many afternoons, however, during the second and third years of his tour, he was hardly ever home. The escalation of the Vietnam War had begun and so had the number of casualties they received at Clark. Casualties were usually stabilized in Vietnam and then shipped to Clark AFB for more definitive surgery. Dr. Dannemiller obtained abundant trauma experience during this tour.
The next assignment of note was as Chairman and Director of the anesthesiology residency program at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center in San Antonio in 1970. With hard work and foresight, Dr. Dannemiller built this department into a first-class residency training program, with a high level of academic and research productivity. Additionally, during this time he expanded the Annual Anesthesiology Review Course lectures. For years beyond his retirement and death, this course remained one of the premier anesthesiology refresher courses in the nation.
Dr. Dannemiller maintained his lifelong interest in aviation and aerospace medicine. While on active duty, he continued to obtain flight time in high performance military aircraft and held a multi-engine commercial pilot’s license. He worked closely with NASA and was a member of the Launch Medical Team for the Gemini and Apollo space programs, being in attendance for multiple liftoffs at Cape Canaveral.
Dr. Dannemiller held many prestigious positions over his career. These include: Founder and Secretary of the Society of Air Force Anesthesiologists, USAF Representative to the International Standards Organization, a member of the Z-79 Committee of the National Standards Institute, Chairman of the ASA Defense and Military Affairs Committee, President of the Military Society of Anesthesiologists, and Consultant in Anesthesiology to the USAF Surgeon General.
Col. Dannemiller retired from the Air Force in 1979 after 22 years of service. He went into the private practice of anesthesiology in San Antonio, providing OR anesthesia services in the morning, and pain management services in the afternoon. He continued to present lectures and workshops. At the time of his death, Dr. Dannemiller was President of the San Antonio Society of Anesthesiologists and had an academic appointment as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio.
Dr. Dannemiller and his wife, Marguerite, met while he was in college. They married while Joe was in medical school and raised seven children together. In 2020, Mrs. Dannemiller passed away in San Antonio at the age of 86. Of note, his oldest son, David, continued his father’s love of aviation, obtaining a degree in aeronautical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and pursuing a long career at NASA in Houston. Dr. Dannemiller was present for the birth of his oldest grandson, Joseph, (he placed the labor epidural in his daughter-in-law), who is now grown and holds a PhD and is an Assistant Academic Dean of Engineering at Texas Tech University.
Dr. Dannemiller’s life was one of service. Service to his patients, his profession, and his country. His goal was to provide excellent learning opportunities and motivation for his colleagues to continue to grow in their knowledge of the practice of anesthesiology. He was a devoted father and husband and he leaves a legacy for us all to emulate.
References:
1- We salute…Francis J. Dannemiller, Colonel, USAF (MC). Anesth Analg 1977; 56 (6):875-6.
2- Brochure for The 30th Annual Dannemiller Anesthesiology Review Course (1983)
3- Personal communications with David P. Dannemiller (oldest son of Dr. Dannemiller) and Joseph Dannemiller, PhD (oldest grandson of Dr. Dannemiller)
