Submitted by Fran Olson Gustafson 1965 <fgustafson917@gmail.com> on 11/Dec/2018 184.103.230.42
Dr. Harold Leo Kaplan, retired general practitioner, passed away peacefully at his home on December 8, 2018. He was one month shy of his 91st birthday, and a resident of Boynton Beach, FL. Born in Newburgh, NY, and the eldest of three boys, Dr. Kaplan graduated from Cornell University in 1948 and then received his M.A. in psychology from Syracuse University in 1950. He stayed in Syracuse where he graduated magna cum laude on a full scholarship from the NY State University College of Medicine in 1954. Following an internship at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Kaplan deployed to Japan with the USAF, where he was attached to the 374th Tactical Hospital in 1955 and then the 6407th USAF Hospital. He was captain in charge of the hospital's outpatient department at Tachikawa Air Force Base near Tokyo, which was the chief American logistical and equipment center for the Far East. Following his military service, Dr. Kaplan became the third partner in a general practice in Beacon, NY in 1957. He only reluctantly raised office visit fees from $3, and house call fees from $4, over the course of his 41 years in practice. At its peak, the practice delivered over 300 babies every year, in addition to setting broken bones, suturing lacerations, and caring for his legion of loyal patients. Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY purchased the 16 North Elm Street practice in 1991, but Dr. Kaplan stayed on for seven more years, including a move to an office a few blocks away, finally retiring in 1998. He was known as the consummate country doctor who possessed superb diagnostic skills and a charming smile. He was an avid stamp collector and reader of mystery novels and historical fiction. He eagerly read both Smithsonian magazine and Military History magazine cover to cover. Dr. Kaplan served as the Chief of Staff of the now defunct Highland Hospital in Beacon, and also spent a term as President of the Beacon Hebrew Alliance, where his family worshipped. In 2000, Dr. Kaplan and his beloved wife of 59 years, Ruth (nee Greenwald), relocated to Boynton Beach, FL to be closer to their grandchildren. He is survived by his wife; by his younger brother, Stewart, of Tarpon Springs, FL; by his sister-in-law, Mady Kaplan of NYC; and by his three children, Edward (Zerlina) of Boca Raton, FL, Deborah (Scott Clancy) of Seattle, WA, and David (Hannah) of East Haven, CT. He was a wonderful Zayde to his eight grandchildren, Jared, Brynna, and Trent Kaplan, Ethan and Noah Clancy, and Clif, Jacob, and Jennifer Fisher, and his great-grandson, Farrest Fisher. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Beacon Hebrew Alliance (
https://beaconhebrewalliance.org ) or Temple Beth Kodesh in Boynton Beach (
https://templebethkodesh.org ). Funeral services and shiva will be private. Published in the Poughkeepsie Journal from Dec. 11 to Dec. 16, 2018
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Dr. Harold Leo Kaplan, retired general practitioner, passed away peacefully at his home on December 8, 2018. He was one month shy of his 91st birthday, and a resident of Boynton Beach, FL. Born in Newburgh, NY, and the eldest of three boys, Dr. Kaplan graduated from Cornell University in 1948 and then received his M.A. in psychology from Syracuse University in 1950. He stayed in Syracuse where he graduated magna cum laude on a full scholarship from the NY State University College of Medicine in 1954. Following an internship at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Kaplan deployed to Japan with the USAF, where he was attached to the 374th Tactical Hospital in 1955 and then the 6407th USAF Hospital. He was captain in charge of the hospital's outpatient department at Tachikawa Air Force Base near Tokyo, which was the chief American logistical and equipment center for the Far East. Following his military service, Dr. Kaplan became the third partner in a general practice in Beacon, NY in 1957. He only reluctantly raised office visit fees from $3, and house call fees from $4, over the course of his 41 years in practice. At its peak, the practice delivered over 300 babies every year, in addition to setting broken bones, suturing lacerations, and caring for his legion of loyal patients. Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY purchased the 16 North Elm Street practice in 1991, but Dr. Kaplan stayed on for seven more years, including a move to an office a few blocks away, finally retiring in 1998. He was known as the consummate country doctor who possessed superb diagnostic skills and a charming smile. He was an avid stamp collector and reader of mystery novels and historical fiction. He eagerly read both Smithsonian magazine and Military History magazine cover to cover. Dr. Kaplan served as the Chief of Staff of the now defunct Highland Hospital in Beacon, and also spent a term as President of the Beacon Hebrew Alliance, where his family worshipped. In 2000, Dr. Kaplan and his beloved wife of 59 years, Ruth (nee Greenwald), relocated to Boynton Beach, FL to be closer to their grandchildren. He is survived by his wife; by his younger brother, Stewart, of Tarpon Springs, FL; by his sister-in-law, Mady Kaplan of NYC; and by his three children, Edward (Zerlina) of Boca Raton, FL, Deborah (Scott Clancy) of Seattle, WA, and David (Hannah) of East Haven, CT. He was a wonderful Zayde to his eight grandchildren, Jared, Brynna, and Trent Kaplan, Ethan and Noah Clancy, and Clif, Jacob, and Jennifer Fisher, and his great-grandson, Farrest Fisher. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Beacon Hebrew Alliance (
