S. Pearce Browning III ’50

Pearce died in Norwich, Conn., Jan. 14, 2010.

He graduated from Exeter. At Princeton, he majored in chemistry and was active in WPRU and the Flying Club. His father was in the Class of 1922.  

After graduation from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1954, he interned in surgery at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. In 1956, Pearce went on active duty in the Navy, serving for two years as a lieutenant. Just one week after completing a three-year residency in orthopedic surgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, he married Mary Houwink, a Johns Hopkins nursing graduate.  

Following a brief residency at the University of Iowa, Pearce moved back to Connecticut, where he began a private practice in orthopedic and hand surgery in Norwich. In nearby Baltic, he and Mary restored a 1771 farmhouse, stone walls and all, where he lived until his death. Their twin sons were born in 1967.

His interests were archaeology, historical architecture, U.S. history, and silversmithing. He served as president of the local historical society and was an honorary staff member of Norwich’s Backus Hospital.

We extend our condolences to Pearce’s wife, Mary; sons Frederick and Samuel; and his brother, William ’53.