Pioneering Surgeon, Dr. Stanley Biber
Dr. Stanley Biber, a small-town physician who said he performed more than 4,500 sex-change operations died on Jan. 16, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He was 82. He passed away in Pueblo, Colo., where he had been in the hospital due to complications from pneumonia.
Biber, an Iowa native, moved to Trinidad, Colo., in 1954 after serving as an Army surgeon in South Korea. As the town's only general surgeon, he delivered babies, removed appendixes and performed other more routine operations.
He told the Associated Press in a 2000 interview that he performed his first sex-change operation in 1969. Word spread and, at one point, he was performing 150 transsexual operations a year, he stated. He stopped doing surgery in 2003 and closed his practice in 2004, saying insurers refused to renew his malpractice coverage.
Many spoke fondly of Biber. According to PlanetOut Network, Dr. Marci Bowers, who underwent a sex-change operation several years ago and now performs an average of five such operations a week in Trinidad, said that Biber 'put the operation on the world map. He made it safe, reproducible and functional and he brought happiness to an awful lot of people.'
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force ( NGLTF ) issued a release mourning the loss of Biber. Marsha Botzer, an NGLTF board co-chair, described Biber as 'a man who brought courage, intelligence and outstanding surgical skill together in a combination that allowed him to perform the most delicate surgery in the morning, face any and all questions in the afternoon, and smile joyfully over a convivial dinner party in the evening.'
Charles Basil Cross
Charles Basil Cross, who headed Marshall Field's antique furniture department for more than 40 years, passed away Jan. 15 in Michigan City, Ind., after a long illness. He was 79.
Cross began his career at Field's as an assistant buyer of antiques and furniture during the 1950s. When the principal buyer stepped down, Cross became the head of those departments.
However, Cross's first love was theater. He attended Northwestern University and studied alongside Cloris Leachman and Paul Lynde. Later, he became involved in the Dunes summer Theater near Grand Beach, Mich.
With his longtime partner, Bill Brincka ( who passed away in 2001 ) , Cross created large, lush gardens that were praised by societies.
Cross is survived by nieces and nephews. A memorial service was held Jan. 22 in Michigan City.