Dr. Emmett Dunbar, Jr.

Dr. Elmer Emmett Dunbar, Jr., departed this life on May 22, 2023 at 7:05 p.m., but not before he left an indelible impression on so many. He was a cherished husband, father, physician and friend.

Ollie (as he was known to many) was born in Manchester, New Hampshire on September 23rd, 1951 to Ellen Sullivan Dunbar and Elmer Dunbar, Sr., who preceded him in death. He was one of four children, two girls and two boys. His two sisters, Clover and Shirley Ann, also preceded him in death. He is survived by his older brother, Allen E. Dunbar.

Ollie graduated from Keene State College (University of New Hampshire) in Keene, New Hampshire in 1973. He was a guard on the college basketball team and an excellent scholar. During his junior year of college, he met Delores Huggins when she visited her sister Ellen at Thanksgiving. Ellen lived on campus in Keene at the time. What a love story that was! He visited Delores at Indiana University the following spring, proposed, they married in August, and she left her family to begin her life with her new husband. They moved to New Hampshire and spent a year there, living in a picturesque red farmhouse, complete with barn. Delores, being the southern girl that she was, was stunned when there was a snow storm that blew snow drifts so high that they could not get out of their farmhouse! Snow drifts blew against their doors and blocked their exit. They had to be dug out. The day after graduation, they rented a large truck, drove their VW Beetle into the back of it, packed their furniture around the VW and set off for Louisville, Ky.

After matriculating from Keene State, Ollie was accepted into the University of Louisville School of Medicine, where he graduated in 1978, and became Elmer Emmett Dunbar, M.D. That snow drift may have had a big part to play in their relocation south. After spending 4 years getting his M.D. degree, he spent 2 years of internship (1978 - 1980) at the University of Louisville where he chose the specialty of Anesthesiology, and 1 year of residency in Pain Management at the University of Cincinnati, (1980 - 1981). While practicing anesthesiology at Audubon Hospital, Dr. Dunbar was on the team with Dr. Allen Lansing, the renowned heart surgeon. They traveled to Romania to train the physicians there in open heart surgery.
To this union Dr. Dunbar and Delores had two children: Chad Huggins Dunbar and Daniel Huggins Dunbar. Those boys were his heart. During his illness, both were instrumental in transporting him to his medical appointments and being his support system.

During his professional career, he received many certifications and awards as follows:
• National Board of Medical Examiners (American Board of Anesthesiology)
• American Board of Anesthesiology With Certification in Pain Medicine
• American Board of Interventional Pain Physician
• Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice Of the World Institute of Pain (American Academy of Pain Management)
• Doctorate of Humane Letters, Honorary Degree from Keene State College and the University of New Hampshire
• Louisville Top Doc in Anesthesiology/Pain Management several years in a row, as voted by his peers.
In addition, he had many appointments:
• Chairman Department of Anesthesia, Humana Hospital Audubon, 1986-1989
• Vice-Chairman Department of Anesthesia, Humana Hospital Audubon, 1989-1990
• Medical Director of Day Surgery Center, Humana Hospital Audubon, 1986-1993
• President - Louisville Society of Anesthesia, 1992
• Legislative Chairman for Kentucky Society of Anesthesiologists 1999-2010
• Associate Editor for Pain Physician Journal 2008-2010
• President – Kentucky Society of Interventional Pain Physicians 2002-2009
• Director At Large - American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians 2008-2010
• Member of the Board of Trustees Alumni Board
• University of Louisville School of Medicine 1998-2007
• Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at University of Louisville School of Medicine 2004-2022
• Medical Consultant for Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure for Pain Management 2005-2022

After positions on the staff of Audubon Hospital, Dr. Dunbar became a pioneer in the field of Pain Management, and opened his own office and Ambulatory Surgery Center, Pain Control Network and PCN Surgical Suites in 1998 until 2011. He employed as many as 17 employees. There was a "prayer closet" designated at the facility where all could feel free to go when they had the need to confer with a higher power. It was regularly used by him and his employees.

He served on the staff of Baptist, Jewish and Norton hospitals, where he performed pain management procedures and implant surgeries.

Dr. Dunbar was a member of Zion Baptist Church under the guidance of Pastor H. Donald Cockerham, where he served on the Trustee Board. He sang in the Omega Choir, holding down the tenor section. The choir was under the direction of the late Thomas Queen. He enjoyed singing in the presentation of Handel's Messiah for many years. His family later joined Canaan Christian Church where his Pastor was Dr. Walter Malone, Jr.

The family remembers the fun times they had when Ollie could get away from work. He worked "hard" and played "harder." He made sure "his boys" got to experience things firsthand and trips to Hilton Head, SC, Palm Beach, FL, New York, NY, and Palm Springs, CA. were some of his regular retreats. One of his favorite beach locations is Magens Bay in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. His ashes will be cast in these locations as well as Manchester, New Hampshire (where he was born) and Greenville, S.C. (where the majority of his relatives reside.)

When he was diagnosed with cancer, he refused to retire, and successfully practiced for 6 more years. As the twinkle in his eye began to dim, his family encouraged him to retire and take care of himself instead of others. For those of us who loved him, this was a very difficult time. It was hard to watch a guy who was an avid tennis player and sports nut slow down. He had fantastic memories of attending yearly U.S. Open Tennis Championships in Flushing Meadow in New York City. His older brother Allen was a tennis pro for many years and this was their yearly "bro" trip.

He leaves to mourn his passing, his wife Delores Huggins Dunbar, his sons Chad Huggins Dunbar and Daniel Huggins Dunbar, his brother Allen Dunbar (Valleria), his cousins in Greenville, S.C. and Philadelphia, Pa., his nieces and nephews and numerous in-laws, friends and business associates.

God called him home and we know that he is singing in the tenor section of The Almighty's Choir.

Rest well, Doc.

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