Sarah Carracher
News Editor
Viola Startzman Robertson, a 1935 graduate of the College who later served as its medical director for 23 years, passed away on August 28 at age 99.
As the namesake of Wooster’s Viola Startzman Free Clinic and the College’s medical director from 1956 to 1979, Robertson has earned a reputation as a pioneer and a lifesaver.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the College, Robertson received her master’s from Western Reserve University in 1941 and an M.D. from Western Reserve School of Medicine in 1945.
“Dr. Viola Startzman was indeed an amazing woman in many ways,” said Stanley Gault, chairman emeritus of the College’s board of trustees. “Especially during these recent turbulent economic times, it is difficult to imagine how many people would not have had the opportunity for medical consultation or attention [without her contributions].”
She was well loved among students during her time as medical director. “She was greatly trusted by students at a difficult time,” said history professor Hayden Schilling, who began working at the College during the Vietnam War in 1964. “She had the confidence of everyone I knew. She was a remarkable person.”
She has also been hailed as a feminine role model in a time when men dominated the medical field.
“She was incredibly compassionate and competent,” said Wooster alumna Bobbi Douglas, who attended the College while Robertson was medical director. “I admired her greatly. She went to medical school when that was not an easy thing to do. She was a true visionary and had a strong belief [that] everyone should have access to health care.”
After her retirement from the College in 1979, Robertson dedicated her time to the community. Former Wooster mayor Clyde Breneman asked Robertson to lead a committee dedicated to finding a way to provide medical care to people without medical insurance. The committee led to the founding of the Healthcare 2000 Community Clinic, which opened in August 1995. The name was changed to the Viola Startzman Free Clinic in 2000.
Startzman has received numerous awards and honors, including the Speaking of Women’s Health Achievement Award from the Cleveland Clinic Center for Specialized Women’s Health; the American Medical Association Foundation’s Jack B. McConnell, M.D., Award for Excellence in Volunteerism; and the Woman of Achievement Award from the city of Wooster. She was named The Daily Record’s Citizen of the Year in 2001.