Obituary

Yvonne S. Thornton, MD, MPH, ScD(hon), FACOG, FACS


Dr. Thornton was truly a Renaissance woman. Doctor Thornton was the first black woman in the United States to be Board-certified in High-Risk obstetrics and to be accepted into The New York Obstetrical Society. She was a double Board-certified perinatal consultant in obstetrics, gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine. She held the position of Vice-Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and rose to the faculty rank of Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cornell University (Weill) Medical College. She eventually became Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York Medical College in New York. Dr. Thornton was a Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a former Senior Oral Examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. During her career, she delivered 5,542 babies and supervised more than 12,000 deliveries.

Dr. Thornton was born in New York City and was raised and educated in the public school system in Long Branch, New Jersey. Before entering the field of medicine, Dr. Thornton played alto saxophone and was a member of an all-girl family band, known as 'The Thornton Sisters'. The Thornton Sisters performed from 1955 until 1976, appeared on 'Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour' and won six consecutive weeks in the Amateur Night contests at the World Famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem. In order to finance her college education, the all-girl band (including her mother) toured and performed at the East Coast colleges which included Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, Cornell, Colgate and many others. After graduating with honors from Monmouth College in New Jersey, she received her MD degree with honors from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

As senior perinatologist in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Thornton established and developed the program for a new form of early prenatal diagnostic testing known as CVS (chorionic villus sampling). Dr. Thornton was one of the original American investigators whose CVS results were relied upon by the FDA prior to its granting approval for the procedure.

Dr. Thornton was a member of the Association of Women Surgeons, a life member of The New York Academy of Medicine, and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Her biography was in Who's Who in America, Wikipedia and Who's Who in the World. She was listed in The Best Doctors——New York Metro Area, as well as in New York Magazine as one of the top ten Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists in New York City. Dr. Thornton and her husband volunteered for active military duty and she was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy at The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda (Hospital of The President).

In 1969, Dr. Thornton was the first contestant of color to appear on the original Jeopardy! with Art Fleming as host. Dr. Thornton was the first woman in the 165-year history of the International Platform Association to win the prestigious Daniel Webster Oratorical Competition held annually in Washington, DC. For many years Dr. Thornton was an outspoken advocate on women's health issues and was a spokesperson for The March of Dimes. She hosted her own television show broadcast from New York City on women’s health and her own weekly radio show, 'Inside Information for Women'. She appeared on such popular television shows as 'The Oprah Winfrey Show', 'The TODAY Show' and 'Good Morning, America'.

She was the author of the beloved national bestselling memoir, 'The Ditchdigger's Daughters', which was first published in 1995 and has never been out of print. Her book was also featured on the “Oprah Winfrey Show”. This family biography is a tribute to her parents and was condensed in The Reader's Digest, translated into 19 languages, adapted into an award-winning World Premiere Movie and nominated for the Peabody Award and the CableACE Award for Best Picture. The American Library Association has named “The Ditchdigger’s Daughters” as one of the Best Books for Young Adults. In 2006, her book was selected as ONE BOOK New Jersey to spearhead the state’s literacy campaign. Doctor Thornton has authored three other books: a medical text entitled, 'Primary Care for the Obstetrician and Gynecologist' and two women's health books, 'Woman to Woman' and ”Inside Information for Women”. Her highly acclaimed second memoir, “SOMETHING TO PROVE”, was released in 2010, and chronicled her life as a wife, mother and full-time practicing obstetrician in an academic medical center and was named the Grand Prize Winner of the 2011 New York Book Festival.

In the medical arena, Doctor Thornton was the first American woman to be accepted into the OB/GYN residency program at The Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Maternal-Fœtal Medicine at The Sloane Hospital for Women and The Babies Hospital at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.

Dr. Thornton was awarded several honorary doctorate degrees, including the degree of Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) from Tuskegee University. She and her husband also received their Executive Masters (MPH) degree in Health Policy and Management from Columbia University. Dr. Thornton was married at The Riverside Church on June 8, 1974 to her beloved medical school sweetheart, Dr. Shearwood J. McClelland. Her husband is an orthopædic surgeon and she was the mother of two children, both physicians: Shearwood McClelland, III, MD and Kimberly Itaska McClelland, MD, MPH, MBA. Her daughter is a graduate of Stanford University with an MPH from Columbia University in sociomedical science and her son, also a physician, is a cum laude graduate of Harvard University and received his MD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

In 2013, Dr. Thornton was the recipient of the 'LIVING LEGEND' award given by the Joseph Henry Tyler, Jr. chapter of The National Medical Association. In its 250th year, Dr. Thornton was the honored recipient in 2017 of the Virginia Kneeland Frantz award for Distinguished Women in Medicine——the highest recognition for an alumna of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

She was predeceased by her parents, Donald E. and Itasker F. Thornton, and her sisters, Donna Lee Nelson, Jeanette F. Thornton, MD and her husband, Dr. Shearwood J. McClelland. Dr. Thornton is survived by (xxxxxxx)