Leonard Safon, 78, delivered 10,000 babies over 40 years

Dr. Leonard E. Safon delivered more than 10,000 babies during his 40-year-plus career, including those of some of the students he taught at Harvard Medical School.

One such student was visiting Lagos, Nigeria, and stopped at the car rental desk. When he told the rental agent he was from Boston, she asked whether he knew "Lennie," who had delivered her children.

Dr. Safon died Sunday at JFK Medical Center in Atlantis, Fla. He was 78.

He was a demanding, opinionated physician. He knew from experience things other doctors learned only from books.

"In Boston, where there are so many prestigious medical school and clinicians, respected worldwide, Lennie was just a doctor. He didn't spew out the facts, or write out the research, but he knew it," said Dr. James Greenberg, who took over Dr. Safon's practice after his 1997 retirement.

In medical meetings and discussions, Dr. Safon had little tolerance for colleagues who cited obstetrical literature as proof of one theory or another.

He would listen red-faced until he could stand it no longer, Dr. Greenberg said, then he would challenge the physician to prove it from experience.

"He would hold his ground and give way to no one when it came to patient care," Dr. Greenberg said. "He was the John McEnroe of physicians -- you either loved him or hated him. There was no in-between, but there is not one obstetrician in Boston he hasn't bailed out at one time or another."

The son of a steamfitter, Dr. Safon was born in Chelsea. His family was "dirt poor," his son, Todd of Seattle, said yesterday, and he aspired to be a doctor.

After serving in the Navy, Dr. Safon graduated from Northeastern University and earned a master's degree in microbiology at MIT before graduating from Boston University School of Medicine in 1956.

He served a residency in surgery at Boston City Hospital and in obstetrics and gynecology at the former Boston Lying-In Hospital.

"He was a clinician's clinician and a wonderful teacher who was very generous with his time in helping more junior people," said Dr. Robert Barbieri chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Dr. Safon, who lived in Newton, spent so much time at Jimmy's Harborside Restaurant some thought he delivered babies from the waterfront institution.

The halls of Boston Lying-In and Brigham and Women's hospitals often echoed with "Lennie" stories about the friendly physician who liked to wear thick gold chains and Florida-style casualwear.

But he was also a serious advocate for his patients. "He could be very demanding, because he always wanted to do what he knew was best for his patients," said Dr. Beatrice Pitcher, a retired Boston obstetrician.

Dr. Greenberg said Dr. Safon was once in the hospital with pancreatitis. "He had an IV in his arm when he heard they needed help in the labor room. He went down to help still dressed in his johnny dragging an IV pole."

"He will be missed by the people who knew him," said Dr. Greenberg, "and the people who didn't know him don't know what they missed."

In addition to his son, he leaves his wife, Jean (Brooks); another son, Brad of Los Angeles; a sister, Marilyn Epstein of Texas; a brother, Ken of New York; and five grandchildren.

A funeral service is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today in Temple Aliyah in Needham.