A Prince of a Man

Yosemite Falls - photo by JoAnn Sturman

 

Scott Sturman

He was by all accounts a prince of a man, and when he died unexpectedly after a short illness, the world was a lesser place.  Dr. Bernie Freeburg practiced obstetrics and surgical gynecology for over 50 years and was considered by peers and patients alike as the the standard setter of the community.  A kind and empathetic man, who never voiced a derogatory word about even the most loathsome character, he epitomized the concept of gentleman, physician, and scholar.

Dr. Freeburg and his generation of physicians are a vanishing breed, who shunned the employee model of medicine and developed private practices which spanned up to three generations.  The rewards were great but so were the responsibilities of caring for patients every hour of the day, every day of the year.  It is difficult to imagine this group of independently minded doctors interviewing their patients from across the examination room with their eyes fixed on the computer screen.  We’ll miss the human element and continuity they gave to a profession which is becoming increasingly bureaucratic and distant.

The passing of a man of considerable stature and integrity, who was a fixture in the community for a half a century, peeked a personal interest as to how the local paper The Fresno Bee would report the event.  The paper’s editors, after all, saw fit to make front page news of the deaths of two personal injury attorneys, one of whom was extolled for her penchant for fashion which matched the decor of her office, and the other with mental health issues who some say every felon between Bakersfield and Sacramento had his phone number in their back pocket.  Honoring the Saints    Despite the paper’s long antagonism toward the medical community, the death of a revered physician should transcend politics and institutional prejudices.

No front page eulogy accompanied Dr. Freeburg’s death and perhaps that is the way he and his family wanted it.  But to those of us who had the pleasure of working with him, it seemed fitting that his life should have been celebrated in a public forum and reminded readers that there are many among us, who by nature are not attention seekers but nonetheless great human beings. 

  

 Bridalveil Falls - photo by JoAnn Sturmans