Homer Steffen Musgrave

Homer Steffen Musgrave, 93, long-time resident of Albuquerque, passed away Thursday, December 19th. He is survived by his son, John Musgrave and wife, Barbara of Los Alamos, NM; daughter, Caroline McClurg and husband, Jon of Boulder, CO; grandchildren, Laura, Karen and Maria Musgrave and Audrey and Michael McClurg. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Catharine (Kate) Musgrave and his daughter, Suzanne Louise. Homer was born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1920, the son of John Knox Musgrave and Elizabeth Steffen Musgrave. He spent his childhood in the suburb of Mount Lebanon, PA. Homer won a scholarship from the local Harvard Alumni Club, so was educated at Harvard College, graduating in 1942 with a degree in History. While at Harvard, he was chosen for the Grant Study, one of the longest running and most comprehensive longitudinal studies ever conducted. He went on to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, from which he received a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1945. While in Philadelphia, he met Catharine Mawhinney and they were married in 1946. From 1946-50, he served his country in the Army Medical Corps, first at Fort Dix, then at other postings. He continued his training at the Lahey Clinic in Boston, MA, where he trained under Dr. Frank Lahey. Homer and Kate moved to Albuquerque in 1950, where he practiced medicine as an anesthesiologist (the third in the state) until retirement in 1983. Homer was very active in the Albuquerque community, supporting many civic and cultural institutions, including serving on several boards. He was the founder of the New Mexico Society of Anesthesiologists, and served on the boards of the Friends of the University of New Mexico Libraries, Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, and the Albuquerque Historical Society. It is difficult to find anything that Homer wasn't interested in, but his greatest loves were history, travel, music and books. As a teenager in 1936, Homer bicycled around Germany with his older brother and future sister-in-law. The many family vacations always included stops with historical interest. And, he almost always took music into the operating room with him. Homer was a great optimist and always had faith in his fellow humans to do right by one another. His optimism carried over into his general demeanor and a nurse was once heard telling someone visiting the hospital that they could find Dr. Musgrave by walking down the hall, turning right, and he is the doctor with a big smile. Services will be held Saturday, December 28, 2013, 10:00 a.m. at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John, 318 Silver SW. Interment of cremated remains will take place at Sunset Memorial Park. Should friends desire, please make memorial contributions to the Albuquerque Museum Foundation, P. O. Box 7006, Albuquerque, NM 87194 or Friends of Cathedral Music at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John, 318 Silver SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102.