Saratoga Lake, NY – Dr. Leo J. Hoge, MD, 96, passed away Friday, May 4, 2012.
Born November 23, 1915, in Saratoga Springs, he was a son of the late Dr. Leo J. and Anne (Jordan) Hoge. The senior class president and a 1933 graduate of Saratoga Springs High School, he attended Hobart College on a basketball scholarship, was captain of the freshman team and the college’s varsity team in his senior team. A graduate of the University of Louisville Medical School, he served as a research assistant in the department of Pathology. His work, entitled “Gelatin as a Substitute for Blood after Experimental Hemorrhage,” was published in the American Journal of Medical Sciences, July, 1942 (No.1, Vol. 204, pp4-11). In 1938, he worked for a year in Manati, Puerto Rico, as instructor-companion for Juan Enrique D’avila, who had a congenital cerebral hemorrhage. A 17-year-old weighing only 70 pounds, Juan Enrique’s father had the largest sugar cane plantation on the island and was often visited by Munoz Marin, who later became the first governor of Puerto Rico.
Dr. Hoge joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and served aboard LST 531, later sunk in the English Channel by a German Schnell boat. He later served aboard LST 371 which landed at Normandy Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Following several trans-channel crossings, Lt. Hoge and his corpsmen were ordered to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater for the Iwo Jima invasion with the U.S. Marines. While on leave in the US, he was ordered to the USS Atlanta cruiser, with Admiral Halsey’s Fast Carrier Task Force 38.1 and later Admiral Spruance’s 58.1 force. At Okinawa, the group was repeatedly attacked by Japanese kamikazes, resulting in 32 ships sunk and 9,700 U.S. Navy casualties. Later awarded several citations and medals, including the European Theater ribbon with one bronze star, the Asiatic-Pacific theater ribbon with two bronze stars and the NYS Medal Award for Conspicuous Service, he was also a recipient of the French Liberte’ Medal for service during the D-Day invasion.
His late wife, the former Sheila Scott of Glasgow, Scotland, served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service during World War Two when they first met in 1944 and later married in Saratoga Springs in 1946. Following the war, they resided at 129 Circular Street where he conducted his medical practice. This historic home was built in 1835 and once owned by Eliza Jumel, one of the largest land owners in Saratoga Springs at that time. In 1832, Aaron Burr married the widow Jumel.
Dr. Hoge joined the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in 1965 as lab physician and was responsible for the radiological emergency response to KAPL’s three reactor sites. Dr. developed procedures for medical personnel that remain incorporated in emergency response plans today and was responsible to area hospitals, including Saratoga, Ellis and St. Francis in Hartford, CT for training and management of all radioactive contaminated patients and certified as such specialist.
Long active in community activities and organizations, he was a member of the U.S. Naval Institute, American Nuclear Society, a founder of the U.S. TransUranium Registry, an early member of the Dr. Harold Plumley KAPL group along with the Retired KAPL organization and an active member of the Council of Retired Military Personnel at the Watervliet Arsenal.
His hobbies included sailing, photography and an absolute love of thoroughbred horse racing. He crewed on John Hertz’s 72 foot ketch Ticonderoga in the Transatlantic Sailboat Race from Havana to Spain (4,200 miles, 25 days, 14 hours, 58 minutes and 20 seconds). Along with numerous other races, he participated in sailing the Bermuda races and owned the first International 14 on Saratoga Lake. He maintained a large collection of 16mm film and multiple albums of still photography relating to thoroughbred horses and racing at Saratoga. A member of the Saratoga Springs History Museum, he later served as a docent at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame where he volunteered for many years. An avid backgammon player, he was a founder of the Saratoga Backgammon Club. He and his late wife (“Marty” who died Oct. 13, 1989) always traveled with their backgammon board, whether it be to England, Cape Horn to Cape Hope, South Africa, French Guiana to Dakar, Yacht Highlander, Costa Rica or throughout the US.
Survivors include his son, Lee Scott Hoge; three grandchildren, Larissa Scott Albashian, Ian Scott Hoge and Jack Hoge; and one great-granddaughter, Ilee Sheila Hoge.
A memorial service was held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Wednesday, May 9, 2012.
Memorial donations may be made in Leo’s name to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church or Wesley Health Care Center, 131 Lawrence St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
The family would like to thank the staff on the 3rd floor of the Hathorn Building at Wesley for their care and compassion. A special thank you to Debra Eggleston and William Pettigrew for their friendship and love.
Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.
