WHQR Mourns the Loss of Dr. Jerry Nolan. We owe him an incredible debt of gratitude for his role in founding our public radio station WHQR, we send our condolences to his wife Sandy, and their family.
Jerome T. Nolan, Jr., M.D. died on November 3, 2024, at age 99. He was born on October 10, 1925, to Jerome T. Nolan, Sr., and Elizabeth Schneiker Nolan. After high school, he served for two years in the U.S. Army during WWII, utilizing his German upbringing to be the interpreter for prisoner interrogations and other needs of the battalion. He earned a B.S. from the University of Rochester and an M.D. from Rochester Medical and Dentistry School.
Dr. Nolan was a general practitioner in Exeter, New Hampshire from 1954 to 1978. During these years he held various offices on the medical staff of Exeter Hospital, including the Chief of Staff. In 1978 he moved to Wilmington, North Carolina where he joined the Emergency Medicine staff of the New Hanover Memorial Hospital and he co-founded Medac Urgent Care.
Dr. Nolan was a life member of the American Academy of Family Practice, an organization that was an early champion of the concept requiring members to participate in continuing medical education. He was the author of two papers in the Journal of this organization, one of which won the Meade-Johnson Prize.
He was a founder of Wilmington's public radio station, WHQR, and was proud of its success. For many years he was the voice of opera for the station, and he remained supportive of the station even after he stopped broadcasting. As a longtime fan of opera, he was an early supporter of Opera Wilmington and served as president in 2017-18.
Dr. Nolan married Phoebe Gay in 1950, and the couple had four children. After her death in 1973, he married Sandra Higgins of Exeter, New Hampshire. In retirement, the Nolans divided their time between Wilmington and Hanover, Maine, remaining active in tennis, golf, hiking, and reading. They traveled extensively and were particularly fond of spending time in Switzerland.
Dr. Nolan leaves his beloved wife of 50 years, Sandra, and four children, sons Thomas and Daniel, daughters Hollister and Julie, 8 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.