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Eugene G. Laforet faculty papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS-1992-032

Dates

  • Creation: 1947 - 2001

Scope and Contents

The Eugene G. Laforet faculty papers mostly contain materials relating to Laforet's time as a professor of medical ethics at Boston College, including materials on the medical ethics seminar he co-taught with Thomas O'Malley, S.J. Also featured are drafts and correspondence pertaining to an ethics workbook Laforet compiled and edited based on the subjects taught in his seminar, as well as two awards he won for his publications on ethics. Additionally, there are materials from the organization and attendance of conferences and forums, including the Annual Greater Boston Undergraduate Conference on Bioethics at Boston College and a bioethics forum co-sponsored by Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Boston College. There are also copies of Laforet's publications concerning issues in the medical ethics field and a small coin collection.

Creator

Restrictions on access

Collection is open for research.

Restrictions on use

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Biographical note

Eugene George Laforet was born on April 18, 1924, in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He attended Boston College High School before enrolling at Boston College, where he was a feature editor for The Heights in 1943. He graduated in 1944 with an A.B. He then attended the Medical School of Tufts College, graduating with an M.D. in 1947.

Laforet married Mitsuku A. (Tashiro) Laforet, M.D. (1920-2006) and they lived in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They had one daughter, Genevieve A. Laforet, M.D., Ph.D.

Laforet was a member of the United States Naval Reserve from September 1942 until June 1976. He served in the Korean War and was a captain in the United States Navy Medical Corps. He was the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, as well as a consulting or visiting surgeon at numerous other New England area hospitals. He practiced medicine until 1985.

He also served as editor for the Linacre Quarterly and was on the editorial board of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. Laforet received two awards during his lifetime, the Thomas Linacre Award in 1959 and the Pope John XXI International Prize for Medical Ethics in 1962. They were awarded for Laforet's publications, "Boxing: Medical and Moral Aspects" (1958) and "The 'Hopeless' Case" (1962) respectively.

From 1970-1980, Laforet was the Alumni Lecturer in Medical Ethics in the Department of Theology at Boston College. During this time he co-taught a course called "Christian Perspectives on Medical Ethics" with Thomas P. O'Malley, S.J.

Laforet died on June 8, 2002.

Sources:

Eugene G. Laforet C.V., Box 1, Folder 48, Eugene G. Laforet faculty papers, MS.1992.032, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

"Eugene G. Laforet M.D.'s Obituary on Boston Globe." Boston Globe. (Accessed April 1, 2020). https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=eugene-g-laforet&pid=362125.

Extent

3.75 Linear Feet (5 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Eugene G. Laforet faculty papers contain materials relating to Laforet's time as a professor of medical ethics at Boston College, including materials from the seminar he taught; the conferences he helped organize, including the Annual Greater Boston Undergraduate Conference on Bioethics at Boston College; his own publications; and the ethics subjects about which he collected material. Also included is a small collection of ancient coins gathered by LaForet.

Arrangement

Arranged into seven series: I. Awards; II. Conferences; III. Correspondence; IV. Ethics workbook; V. Seminars; VI. Subject files; and VII. Coin collection.

Provenance

Gift of Eugene G. Laforet in multiple accessions from 1991-2001.

Separated Materials

Materials originating from LaForet can also be found in:

Japanese prints collection, MS.2013.043, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Title
Eugene G. Laforet Faculty Papers
Status
Completed
Subtitle
1947-2001
Author
Stephanie Hall
Date
2017
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the John J. Burns Library Repository

Contact:
John J. Burns Library
Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill MA 02467 USA
617-552-4861