SPONSOR:

Sen. Simpson & Rep. Outten

Sens. Ennis, Hocker; Reps. Gray, Kenton, Wilson

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

149th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 14

HONORING DR. VINCENT G. LOBO FOR HIS MEDICAL CAREER SPANNING NEARLY SIX DECADES AND HIS OUTSTANDING SERVICE AS A PUBLIC-SPIRITED CITIZEN OF THE FIRST STATE.

WHEREAS, Dr. Vincent G. Lobo has been a practicing doctor of optometry in Harrington, Delaware, since 1959, and a practicing Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in that community since the mid-1960s; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Lobo was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1935 and moved with his parents to Southern Delaware at the age of five years; and

WHEREAS, he was educated in local schools before matriculating first at the University of Delaware and then at the Pennsylvania College Of Optometry in Philadelphia, completing his studies there in 1959; and

WHEREAS, upon his return to Harrington, he renewed his acquaintance from high school days with a young lady who in 1960 became Mrs. Herla Lobo, with whom he has enjoyed nearly 57 years of wedded bliss, enriched by a son, Steven, a daughter-in-law, Nichele, and two grandchildren, Lauren and Steven; and

WHEREAS, several years after entering the practice of optometry in Harrington, Dr. Lobo decided to return to school to study medicine and enrolled at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, from which he graduated in 1965 as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), after commuting between Harrington, where he would practice optometry on weekends, and Philadelphia, where he would study medicine during the week; and

WHEREAS, he has continued to practice both optometry and medicine in Harrington ever since, during which time he has served many thousands of people from throughout Southern Delaware and the surrounding region and has had a positive influence on the lives of several generations of area residents, including, but certainly not limited to, many members of the Delaware General Assembly, past and present; and

WHEREAS, among his many patients and/or close personal friends in the General Assembly have been such esteemed members of this body as Governor Ruth Ann Minner and members of her family, former President Pro Tempores Thurman Adams, Jr. and Richard S. Cordrey, former Senator George Howard Bunting, Jr., former Representatives J. Benjamin Ewing and G. Robert Quillen, Senators F. Gary Simpson and Bruce C. Ennis, and Representatives Bobby Outten, David Wilson and Harvey R. Kenton among others; and

WHEREAS, in addition to his medical practice, Dr. Lobo has found the time to be a remarkably public-spirited and active citizen, having served, among many other things, as town councilman and mayor of Harrington, town councilman and mayor of Fenwick Island, where for many years he and his wife had a summer home; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Lobo was the first doctor of osteopathic medicine to serve as a member and president of the Delaware State Board of Medical Practice, also serving as the board’s liaison with the Delaware General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Lobo was largely responsible for bringing about the full acceptance in the State of Delaware of doctors of osteopathic medicine as full-fledged medical practitioners with the same rights to practice medicine as allopathic physicians, known as MDs, helping in his capacity as president of the Delaware State Osteopathic Medical Society, helping to win passage by the General Assembly of legislation that put DOs and MDs on an equal footing; and

WHEREAS, he has also served as a member of the board of directors of the Delaware Institute of Medical Education and Research (DIMER), which oversees state scholarships for Delaware students wishing to attend medical school; and

WHEREAS, during the gubernatorial administration of his dear friend and longtime patient, Governor Ruth Ann Minner, the governor signed into law legislation that provided state scholarships to Delaware students attending medical school to become DOs, and often turned to Dr. Lobo for advice on health care policy; and

WHEREAS, when Dr. Lobo began practicing in Delaware as a DO in the 1960s, he was one of 35 DOs working in the state, a number which has now risen, in no small part due to his efforts, to 334 DOs, with an additional 15 Delaware students in the Class of 2020 at Dr. Lobo’s alma mater, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Lobo has long been a loyal alumnus of the college, having served on its board of trustees and as president of its alumni association; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Lobo was recently honored by the college with the award of its prestigious O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal for 2017 for his many contributions to the college and to the practice of osteopathic medicine;

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 149th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the members do hereby honor the distinguished Delaware physician and community leader, Dr. Vincent G. Lobo, DO, for his remarkable lifetime of service to the citizens of the First State and for his efforts to encourage Delaware young people into pursuing medical careers.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Dr. Lobo upon receiving well-deserved recognition from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members do hereby welcome Dr. Lobo and his family and friends to the Senate and House chambers on this 28th Day of March, 2017, and direct that they be presented with suitable copies of this Senate Concurrent Resolution upon its passage.

SYNOPSIS

This Resolution honors Dr. Vincent G. Lobo of Harrington and Bethany Beach for his long and distinguished career as a doctor of optometry, doctor of osteopathic medicine, and public-spirited citizen, and congratulates him upon his receipt of a prestigious award from his alma mater, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Author: Senator Simpson