This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Dec. 9, 2009 - Dr. Armand Brodeur, a renowned pediatric radiologist who comforted his young patients with magic and shared his wisdom with thousands of listeners on KMOX radio, died Monday at St. Agnes Home in Kirkwood. He was 87.
Dr. Brodeur was the first chief of radiology at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital and former chief of radiology at Shriner's Hospital.
He may be best known in the community as the former host of the KMOX radio program "Doctor to Doctor." But his patients will remember the magic and mirth he shared with them as he provided their treatment.
"He could get a sick kid to hold still for an X-ray better than anybody else," said Dr. Robert Heaney, senior associate dean of Saint Louis University School of Medicine and a friend and colleague for more than 30 years. "He discovered and used magic early on to bring smiles to the faces of sick children and helped them fight their illnesses."
Dr. Brodeur had been a magician since high school (his skills put him through college) and he was a member of the Society of American Magicians. Magic, though, was just one of the ways he made the environment in Cardinal Glennon's radiology department "child friendly." He replaced his traditional colorless doctor's lab coat with one adorned with Snoopy, Charlie Brown or a Star Wars character; and he transformed the radiology suite into a spaceship or a cartoon world. He also was one of the earliest physicians to bring parents into the examination room.
National publications, including the Reader's Digest and Time magazine, recognized his innovative efforts in treating and communicating with children.
"You can do as much with a smile as penicillin," Dr. Brodeur was quoted as saying in a 1974 Time article. "When I do magic and paint halls and wear corny jackets, it's not because I haven't grown up. To stand tall in pediatrics, you have to do it on your knees."
His national recognition extended to television. One of his proudest moments said his youngest son, Paul Brodeur, was an interview in the 1970s with the late CBS newsman Charles Kuralt for the On the Road series.
He appeared on the David Letterman Show in 1982, alongside the late Saturday Night Live comedienne and actress Gilda Radner, to promote the Museum of Quackery, a memorial to outlandish medical "cures" like the cure-all electric rod. Dr. Brodeur was the museum's honorary curator.
Dr. Brodeur was a local media celebrity. He proudly wore the radio moniker of "Dr. B" while hosting his own medical show, "Doctor to Doctor," on KMOX radio for many years. He frequently served as an expert source for television and newspaper stories. He founded the National Association of Physician Broadcasters and taught physicians who attended American Medical Association meetings how to work with reporters.
Dr. Brodeur was born on a farm in Penacook, N.H., a village near Concord. He attended St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., on a drama scholarship. He came to Saint Louis University as a medical school student in 1945, and had his medical education briefly diverted by service in the U.S. Army in Washington during the Korean War.
After being discharged from the Army, he picked up his medical career right where he left off and spent the better part of the next 40 years at Saint Louis University and Cardinal Glennon.
Pioneer in Pediatric Radiology
Dr. Brodeur helped create the pediatric radiology program at Cardinal Glennon and Saint Louis University. He served as the hospital's first chief of pediatric radiology and helped decide what imaging equipment to order when the hospital opened its doors in 1956. He went on to serve as director of radiology at Cardinal Glennon for 32 years and was chair of the department of radiology at SLU from 1975-78, and department vice chair and director of radiology at Cardinal Glennon until 1988. He was chair of radiology and on the radiology staff from 1988 to 2004 at Shriner's Hospital in St. Louis.
"We are endlessly grateful for his contributions to the hospital and the school," said Dr. Heaney. "We are all better because of him."
Dr. Brodeur also recruited and mentored some of the nation's best radiologists, including Dr. Michael Wolverson,, now chair of radiology at Saint Louis University / Saint Louis University Hospital / Cardinal Glennon.
"Back in the 70s, he was very persuasive in bringing me to Saint Louis University Hospital," said Dr. Wolverson. "He was a lively, vivacious person; outgoing with a gift for interacting with people in a very positive way."
That's an assessment with which Dr. Brodeur's son, Paul, agreed. "He was a truly larger-than-life personality," said Paul Brodeur, the only one of Dr. Brodeur's six children to pick up the magic bug from his father. "He always talked to us (children), not down to us. That's the way he was as a father, husband, doctor and on the radio."
Advocate for Children
Dr. Brodeur was an advocate for abused children who frequently wrote and lectured on diagnosing child abuse. He was the author of two radiology textbooks, and he developed techniques to reduce X-ray exposure of children to avoid injury to growing tissues.
Among his many civic activities was supporting the March of Dimes and serving as a favorite pro-life speaker for Birthright. He received numerous awards, but treasured none more than being named the top public speaker in New Hampshire in 1939 while still in high school. He was also proud to earn the Boy Scouts of America's highest ranking, the distinguished Eagle Scout award.
Dr. Brodeur also found time to do woodworking, making toys for children, and was a cruciverbalist, solving crossword puzzles with the same joy he had for solving radiological problems on behalf of children. And he was not averse to spreading a little magic around, just for fun: He taught Cardinals baseball great Stan "The Man" Musial a few magic tricks.
Dr. Brodeur was preceded in death by his parents, Felix and Patranine (nee Levoix) Brodeur and two brothers, Richard Brodeur and Edgar Brodeur.
Dr. Brodeur, a resident of Huntleigh, Mo., for 40 years, is survived by his wife, Gloria Brodeur (nee Thompson), whose attention he attracted while wearing his Army uniform during a streetcar ride down Grand Boulevard.
In addition to his wife and son Paul (Donna) of Glendale, Dr. Brodeur is survived by five other children: Armand (Joyclyn) Brodeur, St. Louis; Garrett (Debbie Weil) Brodeur, M.D., Philadelphia, Pa.; Mark (Cheri) Brodeur, Festus,; Mariette (Peter) Brodeur Goplerud, Jacksonville, Fla., and Michelle (Joe) Adcock, Ballwin. He is also survived by his sister Rose Freeman of Concord, N.H., and his brother, Arthur Brodeur, also of Concord, along with 16 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be 3-8 p.m. Thursday at Bopp Chapel, 10610 Manchester, in Kirkwood. The funeral Mass will celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at Ste. Genevieve du Bois Catholic Church, 1575 N. Woodlawn Ave., in Warson Woods.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to Birthright (www.birthrightstlouis.org ) and St. Agnes Home (www.stagneshome.com ) would be appreciated.
Gloria Ross is the head of Okara Communications and the storywriter for AfterWords, an obituary-writing and production service.