Dr
Herbert Augustine Claiborne, Jr. (August 12, 1923 - February 16, 2020) was a member of the
Horace
Walpole Society, elected in 1975. Queer Places:
204 W Franklin St, Richmond, VA 23220
Hollywood Cemetery
Richmond, Richmond City, Virginia, USA
Dr
Herbert Augustine Claiborne, Jr. (August 12, 1923 - February 16, 2020) was a member of the
Horace
Walpole Society, elected in 1975.
“Hobie,” his nickname since childhood, was born in Richmond, Virginia on August 12, 1923 at his family home at 204 W. Franklin Street, the son of Herbert Augustine Claiborne and Virginia Christian Claiborne. He married Catherine “Kitty” Robertson and had the following children: Herbert Augustine Claiborne III, Mary Claiborne Frediani, William Robertson Claiborne, and Thomas Hamilton Claiborne.
Hobie grew up in Richmond, attended St. Christopher’s School, and graduated from Woodberry Forest School in 1941. He earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi, Calconon Club, Raven Society, T.I.L.K.A., Lambda Pi, Omicron Delta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha. After receiving his M.D. degree, he completed his internship and a fellowship at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, followed by residencies at the Medical College of Virginia in general surgery and the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Having served in the U.S. Naval Reserves while completing his medical training, he was called to active duty in 1950 and served as a surgeon at Tokyo General Hospital during the Korean War. After being honorably discharged from the Navy in 1952, he returned to Charlottesville, Virginia, where he became an Associate Professor in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. In 1962, he moved back to Richmond to open his own obstetrics and gynecology practice. He later combined his practice with that of Dr. Hudnall H. Ware to form what eventually became known as Drs. Claiborne, Ware, Battista & Montague, which has since evolved into the Virginia Women’s Center, one of the Richmond area’s highly respected obstetrics and gynecology practices. His professional memberships included the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology, American College of Surgeons, Continental Gynecological Society and the Virginia Medical Society. He also served as an Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Medical College of Virginia. He retired from medical practice in 1992.
In addition to his distinguished medical career, Hobie also served his community in numerous capacities, serving on the boards of a number of institutions including the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation (Chairman), the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (President), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Foundation (President), the Medical College of Virginia Foundation (Chairman), St. Mary’s Hospital Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology (Chairman), the Virginia Historical Society, the University of Virginia Medical School Foundation, Woodberry Forest School, the University of Richmond Board of Associates, Wright’s Island Game Association (President),The Richmond German (President), and the Country Club of Virginia. Among his many achievements, he received the Outstanding Medical Alumnus Award from the University of Virginia Medical Alumni Association, the Lifetime Achievement in Philanthropy Award from Central Virginia Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Award from the Westminster Canterbury Foundation and Westminster Canterbury Management Corporation, and the Dowdy Award for Exemplary Volunteer Service from the Medical College of Virginia Foundation. Hobie was also a member of the Walpole Society, the Society of the Cincinnati, the Custis Pond Fishing & Hunting Club, the Cohoke Club, the Commonwealth Club and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
Perhaps more than anything else, Hobie always showed warmth, gentleness and compassion, traits he exemplified every day of his life. He had a dry sense of humor, was an attentive listener, and had a way of making everyone around him feel embraced. He cared deeply about his patients, his community and most of all his family, whom he adored and who adored him in return - we affectionately called him “Doc.” He was a voracious reader, a student of history, and a lover of art and architecture, with a remarkable recall of each. Throughout his life, he had a great passion for wingshooting and fly-fishing – some of his fondest memories were those times spent with family and friends in the outdoors.
He died on February 16, 2020 at the age of 96.
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