private pediatrician :: Article CreatorDr. James Bethel Brayton, A Retired Pediatrician, Public Health Researcher And Veterinarian, Dies
Dr. James Bethel Brayton, a retired pediatrician, public health researcher and veterinarian, died of congestive heart failure June 18 at his Monkton home. He was 89.
Born in Poultney, Vermont, he was the son of James Edward Brayton, who was Poultney's mayor and a dairy farmer, and Mary Irene Bethel, who also worked on the family farm founded circa 1880.
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"My father developed a love of animals, honed his horsemanship skills and was active showing dairy calves with 4-H annually at the state fair in nearby Rutland," said his son, Michael James Brayton. "My grandfather purchased his first tractor in 1939 so my father grew up around draft horses."
He was an accomplished athlete at Poultney High School, where he graduated in 1952. He played basketball, football and baseball and finished academically at the top of his class.
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He earned a degree at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine on an Army ROTC scholarship.
Dr. James Bethel Brayton worked in infectious diseases research.
Dr. Brayton served as a veterinarian in Connecticut for a short time before being called to fulfill his Army obligation and was trained in San Antonio. He later spent several years in Huntsville, Alabama. He left military service as a captain.
While stationed in Huntsville, he met his future wife, Rose Marilyn Smith, a nurse. They married Dec. 16, 1961.
As a veterinarian, he inspected dairy processing and meat packing plants.
"Through the process of inspections, he developed a keen interest in infectious diseases. It blossomed into a desire to continue his medical education," his son said. "He was fascinated by public health issues."
Dr. Brayton considered joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where he was offered a job but declined the post. He earned a medical degree at Tulane University in New Orleans.
He then moved to Baltimore in 1966 and did his residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He worked in infectious diseases research.
Once at Hopkins, Dr. Brayton worked alongside physicians from the World Health Organization. While completing his residency, he spent months in India, Micronesia and Colombia. He studied dysentery.
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"Through his work in infectious diseases, he moved on to an interest in studying children and in preventative medicine related to children and adolescents," said his son.
In 1970, he and his wife moved to a small farm in Monkton and raised beef cattle as a hobby. They had a horse, a pony, rabbits, and cats and dogs.
Dr. Brayton opened a private pediatric practice in Bel Air. By the early 1980s, he took several partners to handle his numerous patients.
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Dick Hall was an Orioles Hall of Fame reliever with impeccable control who helped Baltimore win two World Series. (Baltimore Sun staff/Baltimore Sun)
He served as chief of pediatrics at Franklin Square Hospital from 1988 to 1994 and as an adjunct professor of pediatrics with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
He retired in 2003. He traveled to Ireland and played golf at Baltimore County courses.
He liked to visit his family's farm in Vermont.
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He was a longtime parishioner at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Hydes. He was a member and volunteer with the Knights of Columbus and worked concessions at Orioles baseball games. He also delivered food to the homeless along Route 40.
He was a member of American Legion Post 39 in Poultney.
"Throughout his life he was surrounded by a collection of animals, typically including at least one dog and several cats," said his son. "In summers, he bought livestock at auction at the Harford County Farm Fair. He then donated it back to the family and their farm. He typically bought calves, sheep and a goat."
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His son also said: "My father was known for his kindness and would greet everyone with a smile, a hearty laugh and often a story. His ability to work a room was perhaps learned from his father, the Poultney mayor."
Dr. Brayton enjoyed parking his farm truck next to the BMWs at the hospital parking lot as he tried not to scratch them, his son said.
A visitation will be held Monday from 2 p.M. To 4 p.M. And 6 p.M. To 8 p.M. At the Ruck Towson Funeral Home at 1050 York Road. A funeral will be held Oct. 14 at Saint Raphael's Catholic Church in Poultney.
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Survivors include his son, Michael James Brayton of Monkton; a daughter, Rose Kathleen Brayton Cano, also of Phoenix in Baltimore County; and four grandchildren. His wife of 45 years, a Sheppard Pratt psychiatric nurse, died in 2007.
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