C. Thomas Boylen, M.D., passed away on Friday, April 10. He was 78 years old.
Born in Louisville, Ky. on September 16, 1937, Boylen graduated from Carrollton High School, Carrollton, Ky. in 1955 and Purdue University in 1959. Boylen received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati Medical School in 1963. That same year, Boylen was drafted into the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant and medical officer, serving on the USS Lenawee, a transport vessel for Marines, used in Da Nang, Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged in 1966.
Boylen’s residency was spent at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, La., with a fellowship on the Pulmonary Service at the LAC+USC Medical Center. Upon completion of his medical training in 1972, he joined the teaching staff at USC Medical School as assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, specializing in pulmonology. In 1982, he became an associate professor, and after 42 years of teaching at USC Medical School, he retired in June 2014.
In 1975, Boylen moved to Malibu when it was still a semi-rural community. He enjoyed his commute on Pacific Coast Highway to downtown L.A. and was well known along the route by the local booksellers as “Doc.”
In the 1980s, Boylen traveled the world lecturing on HIV-AIDS treatments. His proudest professional achievement was his contribution to the development of the pulmonary/critical care program at USC Medical School.
Boylen was also known in the legal community as a medical expert. He found physicians’ mistakes an invaluable teaching tool for his students.
He eventually amassed one of the largest academic and art catalogue collections in private hands. His other interests were fine dining, the arts and sports.
Boylen was first married to Alice Lois Cota (deceased), a former professor at USC Medical School. They had two children, Kevin Boylen of Nairobi, Kenya and Deborah Boylen (deceased). That marriage ended in divorce. In 1999, Boylen married Elaine Norton Boylen.
Boylen is survived by wife Elaine Norton Boylen; sister, Carolyn Fisk; numerous grandchildren and other relatives.
No services are planned.