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COBURN - Frank Emerson. Died Peacefully in his own home on Saturday, April 10,2004, at the age of almost 93 years. He was born at Toronto, April 25, 1912, the son of Rev. John and Susanna Coburn. He was predeceased by his wife, Reba (Gilham); two sisters, Lily, McQueen and Katherine (Kay) Coburn; and three brothers, Wesley, Gordon and Carroll. He was raised in Toronto, Midland Ontario. Frank completed his arts degree in 1936 and graduated from medicine in 1939 at the University of Toronto. After one year of internship at the Vancouver General Hospital he proceeded to three years of post-graduate study in psychiatry at the University of Iowa. He was on the faculty there during the Second World War. |
Even though he was a pacifist, he was so concerned about the atrocities of Hitler that he enlisted in the medical corps (psychiatric services) of the Royal Canadian Army in 1943. He was district psychiatrist (district #6 - Halifax) responsible for both screening new recruits and helping those returning who were suffering from trauma. He returned to 1946 to the Faculty of Psychiatry, University of Iowa. He returned to Canada to the Faculty of the College of Medicine of the University of Saskatchewan in 1955 where he remained till he retired in 1979. Following retirement he continue to practice as psychiatric consultant to the Student Health Services of the University of Saskatchewan into his late eighties.
Frank Coburn was a socialist since his middle teens. He ran as a CCF candidate for the Ontario provincial election of 1945 in the Woodstock constituency. In Saskatchewan he was active in the CCF (later NDP). He served as Provincial president from 1965-1969 and played a major role in the Medicare dispute of 1967 and the subsequent formation of community clinics.
Frank was highly involved in many aspects of the wider community including Veterans Against Nuclear War, Project Ploughshares, Planned Parenthood, EGADS, and the Broadway Theatre project. He was a founding member of the Unitarian Congregation of Saskatoon.
He is survived by four children. Patricia (Woodall), Stewart.
Peter and Judy Coburn; and by five grandchildren (Pam and Jan Woodall
and Benjamin and Martin Sampson-Coburn, Nicole Liberty and Jennie Coburn);
and one great grandchild.
In lieu of flowers, Frank would appreciate contributions to the Unitarian
Church of Saskatoon, The Community Clinic of Saskatoon or Project Ploughshares.
A Memorial Service was held at Grosvenor Park United Church at 11 :00 a.m on Saturday, Anril 24, 2004.
