Douglas Farmer
Encyclopedia
Douglas Alexander Farmer (January 22, 1916 – March 29, 1977) was an American football
player, medical doctor, and professor of medicine. He was a quarterback
for the University of Michigan
football team, attended Harvard Medical School
, and later served as a professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine
and as chief of the department of surgery at the Yale – New Haven Hospital.
and received his undergraduate degree there in 1938. He played college football
at Michigan from 1935 to 1937 and was the starting quarterback of the 1937 Michigan Wolverines football team
. While at Michigan, he was also a member and president of the Beta Theta Pi
fraternity, president of the senior class (Class of 1938), and a member of the Sphinx and Michigamua
. A profile of farmer in the 1938 University of Michigan yearbook described Farmer as follows:
. He became a medical doctor and professor of medicine at Boston University
and Yale University
. He was also the chief of the department of surgery at the Yale – New Haven Hospital. He lived in Madison, Connecticut
in his later years. He died in March 1977 at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, Connecticut
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, medical doctor, and professor of medicine. He was a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
football team, attended Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, and later served as a professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine
Yale School of Medicine
The Yale School of Medicine at Yale University is a private medical school located in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. It was founded in 1810 as The Medical Institution of Yale College, and formally opened its doors in 1813....
and as chief of the department of surgery at the Yale – New Haven Hospital.
University of Michigan
Farmer attended the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and received his undergraduate degree there in 1938. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Michigan from 1935 to 1937 and was the starting quarterback of the 1937 Michigan Wolverines football team
1937 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1937 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1937 college football season. The team's head coach was Harry G. Kipke...
. While at Michigan, he was also a member and president of the Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
fraternity, president of the senior class (Class of 1938), and a member of the Sphinx and Michigamua
Michigamua
The Order of Angell is a senior honor society at the University of Michigan. Known for a brief period as the Hot Air Club and subsequently known throughout the remainder of the twentieth century as Michigamua, the organization officially renamed itself the Order of Angell in 2007 in an effort to...
. A profile of farmer in the 1938 University of Michigan yearbook described Farmer as follows:
"Known by his fraternity brothers as 'Wife Beater,' by his friends as the 'Blooming Tory, and by practically ever woman on the campus as 'The Cutest Thing,' Doug Farmer is the man who called those forward passForward passIn several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
es on his own two-yard line last fall. ... Farmer is a very versatile guy. Intelligent, too. From something known as Hinsdale, Ill.Hinsdale, IllinoisHinsdale is a suburb of Chicago, Illinois; it is located partly in Cook County and mainly in DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 17,349 at the 2000 census. The town's ZIP code is 60521. The town has a rolling, wooded topography, with a quaint downtown and is a 30-minute...
'Pretty Muscles' is still a cosmopolite. He walks down State Street just as if he were used to a big town."
Medical career
After graduating from Michigan, Farmer attended Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. He became a medical doctor and professor of medicine at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He was also the chief of the department of surgery at the Yale – New Haven Hospital. He lived in Madison, Connecticut
Madison, Connecticut
Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 18,812 at the 2000 census....
in his later years. He died in March 1977 at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
.