Dr. Stuart L. Joslin, 92
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. â€' Dr. Stuart Lorin Joslin, 92, of East Main Street, formerly of Fairfield, Conn., died Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, after a short illness.
Born in Springfield in 1916, son of Lorin and Florence Joslin, he had a longstanding interest in science and medicine, graduating with a bachelor's degree in biology from Wesleyan University in 1937, and earning his master's degree in bacteriology from Yale University in 1939. He received his medical degree in pediatrics from Yale Medical School in 1943. He was a member of Psi Upsilon and Phi Beta Kappa fraternities.
A Navy veteran of World War II, he served as a medical officer and doctor.
Dr. Joslin practiced pediatric medicine in Fairfield for many years. He was one of the founding directors of the six-town, Mid-Fairfield Child Guidance Center as well as founder and chairman of the Well Baby Clinic, operated by the Fairfield Visiting Nurses Association. The Fairfield Town Council appointed him to the Board of Public Health, on which he served as chairman for three years.
In 1966, the National Institutes of Health awarded Dr. Joslin a fellowship to pursue further medical study in child psychiatry and neurology at Yale Medical School and the Child Study Center, under Dr. Albert J. Solnit. He received a combined medical degree in these two fields in 1970 and subsequently expanded his practice to focus on child psychiatry. He retired and moved to North Adams in 1991.
He was a member of the First Congregational Church of Williamstown, where he served on the committee, Advocates for Mental Health Awareness.In addition to being a skilled and beloved physician, he also was an accomplished pianist and photographer, and had an avid interest in woodworking and gardening.
The hallmark of his life and, therefore his legacy, say family, was his tireless and conscientious devotion to family and childrens' physical and emotional health. He was particularly well known for his insights into family dynamics and relationships and was a frequent speaker at community and professional events on these topics. One of his special projects was consulting to Boys' Village in Bridgeport, Conn.
His wife, the former Dorothy Dennett, whom he married in 1941, is deceased. She was the daughter of Ellen Cutting Dennett and granddaughter of Charles Cutting, founder of the clothing store C.H. Cutting and Co., which became Roberts Co.
He leaves two daughters, Nancy Joslin Fritz of North Adams, with whom he resided, and Ellen Joslin Johnck of San Francisco, and four grandsons, Alex Fritz of Boston, Didrik Johnck of Portland, Ore., Sebastian Johnck of San Francisco and Charles Johnck of Elk Grove, Calif., and a granddaughter, Joslin Fritz of North Adams.
A son, Ernest Perry Laurent, is deceased.
FUNERAL NOTICE â€' A memorial service for Dr. Joslin will held Saturday, Jan. 31, at 2 from First Congregational Church of Williamstown, 906 Main St., with a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested for National Alliance for Mental Illness, c/o Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, Central Chapels, 74 Marshall St., North Adams, MA 01247.