Robert Lowry, retired CEO of N.E. Deaconess Hospital
Robert D. Lowry, a former chief executive officer of New England Deaconess Hospital, died in his Chelsea home June 22 after a short illness. He was 95.
Regarded as an effective administrator, he saw the hospital grow from 298 beds to a 482-bed renowned specialty referral hospital during his 22 years at its helm. For his employees, Mr. Lowry’s legacy was measured more by his energy, approachability, and even-keeled disposition.
“He was a consensus builder,’’ said Joanne Casella, chief administrative officer of the Department of Medicine at the hospital now known as Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “He had a quick pace, and, no matter where he was in the hospital, he just smiled at everybody.
“I still have a clear recollection of him in my early years,’’ said Casella, who arrived at the hospital as a student in the 1960s. “I’ve worked with a thousand people, but I just remember him because he was always present. No matter where I went in the hospital, he was there. He knew every employee, and they knew him. . . . He was and is to me Mr. Deaconess.’’
Born and raised on a farm in Doniphan, Neb., a town of about 300 people, Mr. Lowry graduated from high school in 1931 and left his hometown to pursue a career in commercial photography in Hastings, Neb.
Only months later, however, he left to attend Sacramento College in California. He worked in sales during the Great Depression before starting his own commercial refrigeration business in Sacramento.
In March 1941 he was drafted into the Army for what was supposed to be a nine-month stint, but when war was declared in December his service was extended to five years. Mr. Lowry began his career in the Army in San Luis Obispo, Calif., helping set up an X-ray department and train X-ray technicians at the station hospital. In 1942, he was commissioned a captain in the Medical Administrative Corps and served as adjutant to the 102d Station Hospital in Australia and later in New Guinea, the Netherlands, East Indies, and the Philippines.
During this service, he cultivated his passion for hospital administration, said his wife of 30 years, Eleanor (Clapp).
When he returned to California in 1946, Mr. Lowry looked to East Coast hospitals to gain training in hospital administration and was eventually offered a position in purchasing at New England Deaconess Hospital, his wife said. Though he had intended to return to California, Mr. Lowry fell in love with the hospital, she said.
In 1954, he became the hospital’s chief executive, a position he held until his retirement in 1976. During his tenure, he was known as an enthusiastic supporter of nursing education and a willing participant whenever his staff needed assistance.
“As one doctor said to me, the strength of Mr. Lowry was that he let the doctors think they ran the hospital,’’ Casella said.
While hospital chief executive, Mr. Lowry served terms as president of the Massachusetts Hospital Association and the New England Hospital Superintendent’s Club. He was a member of the New England Hospital Assembly, the National League for Nursing, and remained a life diplomat of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
It was at the hospital that Mr. Lowry met Eleanor Clapp, who worked for him for 11 years. They were married in 1979.
“He was just one of those people that everyone adored,’’ she said. “He had just a cute little smile that melted people, and he was very thoughtful of others. His employees adored him because he cared about everybody.’’
After his retirement, Mr. Lowry remained a member of the board of directors. By a vote of the hospital’s physicians, he was also named an honorary member of the medical staff upon his retirement. When the hospital merged with Beth Israel Hospital in 1996, he was named a trustee for life. The Lowry Medical Office Building at 110 Francis St. was also named for Mr. Lowry, in recognition of his service at the hospital.
Throughout his life, photography remained Mr. Lowry’s hobby, as did sailing and entertaining on his 34-foot cabin cruiser, “The Sequester.’’
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mr. Lowry also served on the governing board of Old North Church in Boston, where he was a lifelong member of the congregation.
In addition to his wife, he leaves three sons, Donald G. of Falmouth, Maine and Osprey, Fla., David R. of Southborough, and Steven C. of East Windsor, Conn.; a stepdaughter, Gail Wood of West Roxbury; two stepsons, David V. Clapp of Cincinnati and Craig Clapp of Quincy; a brother, Richard of Tavares, Fla.; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. July 16 at Old North Church in Boston.
