Dr. George C. Branche Jr. ’46 died on April 23, 2009, in White Plains, New York.

He was born in Tuskegee, Ala., on March 22, 1925, and prepared for college at Boston Latin High School. A member of the Thorndike Club rather than a fraternity, he attended Bowdoin from 1942 to 1944 before transferring to Boston University Medical School. By the time he graduated from medical school in 1948, he had enough credits to qualify for a bachelor of science degree from Bowdoin, which the College awarded him, cum laude, the same year, though he remained a member of the Class of 1946. He interned at Boston City Hospital and served his residency at Cushing Veterans Administration Hospital in Framingham, Mass. He served in the Army Medical Corps during the Korean War, attaining the rank of captain. After leaving the military, he began practicing medicine in Richmond, Va. In 1962, he moved to Westchester County to open a practice with his brother, Dr. Matthew Branche ’49, where over the next 30 years he developed a successful private practice of internal medicine, specializing in hypertension. He split his time between practices in Harlem and Mt. Vernon and also served on the faculty at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He was very active in the community, particularly with the Westchester Clubmen, the One Hundred Black Men, the Boule Fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and the Youth Shelter of Mt. Vernon. In 1973, he was the subject of a New York Times article about black physicians. He is survived by his former wife, June Granger Branche; two sons, Dr. George C. Branche III and Scott Branche; a daughter, Dr. Leota Susan Branche; four grandchildren; and his long-time companion, Vera Anderson. He is predeceased by a brother, Matthew D. Branche ’49 and a sister, Martie Bauduit.