by Bruce Hershfield, M.D.
[April 1995; Vol. 22 No. 2]
Dr. Addison Pope died on January 28, 1995 at the age of 68. Originally from Baltimore, Dr. Pope did an internship at Provident Hospital and a residency at the Institute of Psychiatry & Human Behavior. He founded the psychiatric center at Provident in 1964 and was appointed Chief of Psychiatry there in 1969. Later, he was active in private practice in Baltimore, provided services to students at Morgan State University, founded a state-run evaluation unit at Baltimore City Hospitals, and became Medical Director of the outpatient division of the Liberty Community Mental Health Program at Liberty Medical Center in Baltimore.
Martin Booth, M.D. of Silver Spring, who commented that he had known Dr. Pope since they were in high school, said that he valued him as a personal friend as well as a mentor. Dr. Pope was totally committed to the community that he served, said Dr. Booth, and he was able to establish and maintain quality psychiatric services. Dr. Booth mentioned that many of Dr. Pope's patients wept on hearing of his death.
I knew Dr. Pope while he was helping Morgan State provide mental health services to students and I would see him from time to time after that. He was a warm and thoughtful man. His colleagues as well as his patients have many reasons for missing now that he is gone.