Memorial Ralph A. (Bud) Dorner, M.D.

Ralph A. (Bud) Dorner, M.D. was born on August 11, 1908 in Burlington, Iowa. He died November 19, 2003 at his home in Des Moines. Bud was featured in the September/October issue of The PCMS Bulletin. He was our oldest member and a wonderful part of the medical community. He will be missed.

Bud graduated from Carthage College and the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1934. Following his residency in general and thoracic surgery, he assumed a staff position. Proud to volunteer for service to his country, Major Dorner landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, France on the day after D Day. Prior to the landing he had survived the Tiger Maneuver, a bungled operation designed for preparation for D Day, which he described as the single most terrifying event in the war. After almost three years in the service and having earned the Bronze Star, he returned to a faculty position at the University of Iowa College of Medicine and in 1947 moved to Des Moines to begin private practice.

Active in service to his community, he served as President of the Great Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, a Life Trustee of Drake University, was one of the original owners of the Iowa Cubs, a member of Rotary Club, the Des Moines Club, and St. John’s Lutheran Church.

He was preceded in death on November 13, 1994 by his wife of 60 years, Gene Bloom Dorner. He is survived by a daughter, Carolyn Jeanne Dorner, M.D., and son, Douglas Bloom Dorner, M.D., and by six grandchildren.