DR. MILTON LEE WAGNER
1931-2020
Dr. Milton Lee Wagner,
89, passed away August 26, 2020, surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Port Arthur, Texas, on February 24, 1931, to Sam and Mary Sukman Wagner of blessed memory. Milton graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur before heading to the University of Texas where his areas of study were zoology and biology. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu, and the honorary pre-med fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Delta.
He was accepted into medical school after only three years and graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston) in 1955 earning induction into the honorary medical fraternity, Alpha Omega Alpha. Following graduation, he served as a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force in Goose Bay, Labrador. His residency followed at Philadelphia General Hospital.
In early 1962, he was introduced to Barbara Sue Alpard and they married on July 1,1962, at Westwood Country Club in Houston. Upon completing his fellowship in pediatric radiology in Philadelphia, Milton practiced in Dallas and Oklahoma City before receiving a call from Dr. Edward Singleton at Texas Children’s Hospital to come develop the hospital’s department of pediatric radiology. During this time, Milton and Barbara welcomed children Brad, born in 1965, and Alisha, born in 1967.
Milton practiced at Texas Children’s for 34 years as a highly respected and devoted member of Singleton Associates. His academic contributions to the field of pediatric radiology included co-authoring Radiologic
Atlas of Pulmonary Abnormalities in Children and Radiology of the Alimentary Tract in Infants and Children with Dr. Singleton and Dr. Robert Dutton. Milton was lead author of a landmark article, one of the very first, on the subject of the imaging appearance of typhlitis in children, published in the American Journal of Roentgenology in June 1970. In 1983, Milton served as president of the TCH medical staff.
In addition to many fun family trips with their children, Milton and Barbara also enjoyed traveling internationally as well as attending out-of-town medical conferences where they made special, long-lasting friendships.
He and Barbara were season-ticket holders to the Houston Symphony and Houston Ballet. Throughout his life, Milton developed a taste for fine wine and loved art and classical music. He enjoyed reading classic works of fiction and stories of life during World War II.
In 2003, Milton and Barbara were blessed with grandchildren, Jake and Rebecca and in 2005, Madelyn. They adored all three, often referring to them as the “Little Darlings.” Taking a page from their digital world, Milton enjoyed texting back and forth with them.
His beloved Texas Longhorns highlighted Milton’s tremendous enthusiasm for sports. He was a 50-year season-ticket holder for UT football and a big admirer of Darrell Royal. Another of his sports passions was the Boston Red Sox that originated from his adoration of Ted Williams. He also was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and enjoyed fond memories of taking his dad, Sam, to games at the Cotton Bowl in the franchise’s formative years. Houston’s teams, though, never were far from his heart, especially the Rockets, for which he was a multi-year season-ticket holder.
Membership in professional organizations included The John Caffey Society and Radiological Society of North America. He also was a member of Congregation Emanu El and the Jewish Community Center.
We extend our gratitude and appreciation to his doctors: Matthew Lenz, Roberto Lufschanowski, Hussein Elkousy, Thomas Mehlhoff, Daniel Franklin, Igor Cherches, Adrienne Glaich, F. Lyone Hochman, Garth Beinart and Bin Teh. Special thanks go to caregivers and helpers: Julia Ornelas, Yessika Garcia, Penny Isaac and Justina Anigbogu.
Milton was predeceased by wife, Barbara, who passed away in 2012, two weeks shy of their 50th anniversary. He is survived by son Bradley Wagner; daughter Alisha and husband Jonathan Risch; sister Rae and husband Paul Engel; grandchildren Jacob, Rebecca and Madelyn; sisterin-law Shirley Schnitzer; niece Julie Schnitzer, and nephews Stephen Engel,
Gary Schnitzer and Jeff Schnitzer; numerous cousins and friends.
A private service will be held and an archive of the service can be found at waldmanfuneralcare.com/ obituaries.
In lieu of customary remembrances, contributions can be made to the University of Texas Medical Branch (https://development.utmb.edu/), American Cancer Society (https://donate3.cancer.org/), or Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (https:// donate.lls.org/).