Obituary of Nicholas P. R. Spinelli

Physician and Medical Educator Nicholas P. R. Spinelli, M.D., a well known and much loved physician and medical educator, died at the age of 86 on Friday, November 30, 2007 following a lengthy period of disability. Born on March 26, 1921, he was a resident of Milford and the son of the late Domenick and Gertrude Finaldi Spinelli. In 1937, at the age of 16, he began a pre-medical curriculum at Yale University where he had been awarded a four year scholarship. He graduated in 1941 and was an honor graduate of the Yale University School of Medicine in 1944. A U. S. Army veteran he served as a neuropsychiatrist in Germany. His medical career of more than six decades included nearly twenty years of community service as a specialist in internal medicine in Stratford, CT. Following that period he became a Director of Medical Education at Bridgeport Hospital where he developed an active collaboration with the Yale University School of Medicine. His collaboration included the development of a strong program in pediatric medicine and an active recruitment and training of medical practitioners and educators from third world countries. Dr. Spinelli retired from Bridgeport Hospital in 1985 and promptly immersed himself in further medical education efforts as the Director of Alumni Affairs for the Yale School of Medicine. During his long and intense affiliation there, he was honored with many different awards, the capstone being the Yale Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the university on its alumni. Dr. Spinelli is survived by his sister Viola Spinelli, herself an accomplished hospital administrator with whom he lived for many years. He is also survived by numerous cousins. Funeral Information Friends are invited to meet directly in St. Ann Church, 501 Naugatuck Ave., Milford on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. for a Mass of Christian Burial. Entombment will follow in St. Michael Cemetery, Stratford. Family and friends may call on Monday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at The Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull. Donations Information In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Dr. Nicholas P. R. Spinelli Scholarship Fund at the Yale School of Medicine, c/o Yale Development Office, P. O. Box 7611, New Haven, CT 06519 ATTN: S. McManus