Milwaukee County Supervisor Sheldon A. Wasserman, M.D.,
Statement on the Passing of Dr. William Finlayson
MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee County Supervisor Sheldon A. Wasserman, M.D., released the following statement today on the passing of Dr. William Finlayson:
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. William Finlayson, a remarkable physician, teacher, and community leader whose legacy will continue to live on throughout Milwaukee.
“I had the privilege of knowing Dr. Finlayson personally. When I was a third-year medical student, he served as one of my preceptors during my OB/GYN rotation at St. Joseph’s Hospital. I remember his kindness, intelligence, and the gentle grace he brought to his work with his patients and their families. Those teaching moments have stayed with me and have become part of my own practice.
“Dr. Finlayson practiced during an era when physicians, especially obstetricians and gynecologists, practically lived in hospitals because their dedication required them to be there at all hours. In today’s medical practice, very few of us will ever come close to approaching the countless hours he devoted to his patients and profession.
“He represented a time in medicine that has passed, but his dedication, compassion, and commitment to service continue through the physicians who learned from him and were shaped by his example.”
Dr. William Finlayson was a longtime Milwaukee obstetrician-gynecologist, among the first Black physicians to practice in the city’s hospitals, and a respected physician, educator, and community leader.
