UofL neurosurgeon Henry Garretson, M.D., and wife, Marianna, killed in plane crash

Retired UofL neurosurgeon Henry D. Garretson, M.D., and his wife, Marianna, died Dec. 8 following a crash of the physician's private aircraft near Bardstown, Ky.

The couple was flying home to Louisville after a trip to Kiawah Island, S.C., when the accident occurred.

Garretson, an experienced pilot, was director of the Division of Neurosurgery at UofL from 1971 to 1994 and chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery until his retirement in 1997.

During his tenure, the department built an impressive research program that now ranks seventh nationally in the amount of funding it receives each year from the National Institutes of Health.

Garretson was a leading neurosurgeon in the areas of arteriovenous malformations of the brain, epilepsy surgery and awake surgeries.

In more than 35 years of neurosurgical practice, he trained 40 residents who are now practicing across the United States. Nine of those have remained in Louisville, and six more are serving elsewhere in the state.

Garretson also played leading roles in local, state and national medical organizations. He was, at one time or another, president of the Norton Hospital medical staff, a board member of the Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust, and Chairman of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons.

"Henry Garretson epitomized numerous qualities of an ideal physician," said Christopher Shields, M.D., who succeeded Garretson as chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at UofL.

"These included empathy toward patients, loyalty, intelligence and equanimity. He was a mentor to many doctors who trained with him as they learned to manage difficult surgical problems.

"He transferred his outstanding techniques to some 40 neurosurgeons over two generations. Henry displayed compassion for his patients, often personally changing head bandages or scrubbing a wound that required care.

"Dr. Henry and Marianna Garretson will be remembered for their dedication to each other and their family. The neurosurgical community has lost a great leader and a visionary in our field."

Memorial donations can be made to the Henry and Marianna Garretson Memorial Fund for Spinal Cord Injury Research, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, 210 E. Gray Street, Suite 1102, Louisville, KY 40202 or by contacting Phil Bloyd at (502) 852-0213 or phil.bloyd@louisville.edu.