Patch Adams
American physician, activist (born 1945)
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Key Takeaways
- Hunter Doherty " Patch " Adams (born May 28, 1945) is an American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author.
- Institute as a not-for-profit in 1989.
- Adams is currently based in Urbana, Illinois.
- Early life and education Adams was born on May 28, 1945, in Washington, D.
- His maternal grandfather, Thomas Lomax Hunter, was a Poet Laureate of Virginia.
Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams (born May 28, 1945) is an American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute as a not-for-profit in 1989. Each year he also organizes volunteers from around the world to travel to various countries where they dress as clowns to bring humor to orphans, patients, and other people.
Adams is currently based in Urbana, Illinois. In collaboration with the institute, he promotes an alternative health care model not funded by insurance policies.
Early life and education
Adams was born on May 28, 1945, in Washington, D.C., the son of Anna Campbell Stewart (née Hunter) and Robert Loughridge Adams. His maternal grandfather, Thomas Lomax Hunter, was a Poet Laureate of Virginia. His father, a United States Army officer who fought in the Korean War, died while stationed in West Germany when Adams was 16. After his father's death, Adams returned to the United States with his mother and brother. Adams has stated that upon his return he encountered racism and segregation amongst his peers against which he stood up, and this made him a target for bullies at school. As a result, Adams was unhappy and became actively suicidal. After a third hospitalization in one year he decided "you don't kill yourself, stupid; you make revolution."
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