Today, on the newly proclaimed Dr. Kipp Charlton Day by the city of Phoenix, Child Crisis Arizona renames the Phoenix Emergency Children’s Shelter as “Kipp’s Place”.
This dedication is to honor the years of service and compassion Dr. Kipp provided to thousands of children and families who lives have forever been changed.
Dr. Kipp graduated from Cornell Medical School and went to Ohio State University to complete a residency in Internal Medicine. During a two year stint in the United States Air Force, he developed a passion for Pediatrics. He completed a residency in Pediatrics at Dallas Children’s Hospital and brought his family to Phoenix in 1970 and began working at the now Maricopa Medical Center. Dr. Kipp developed a passion for child abuse prevention and for many years, he was the expert in Phoenix for the evaluation of suspected cases of child abuse or neglect.
“All of us who trained under Dr. Kipp’s nurturing know how freely he gave out the now iconic “gold stars” for smart ideas and caring behaviors. While many in our society, especially leaders, tend to celebrate accomplishments that are extraordinary, Dr. Kipp praised others on a daily basis for their acts of wisdom, courage and caring that would otherwise have probably gone unnoticed. He knew how these quiet acts of goodness, and acknowledging people for their actions, could lead to great outcomes,” says Dr. Prabodh Hemmady, the Director of Children’s Services at Maricopa Medical Center and Child Crisis Arizona’s Volunteer Medical Director.
Dr. Kipp was a community advocate for children and families and he was convinced that parents needed a supportive place that they could reach out to when things got tough. He brought together a group of community volunteers who launched a public education campaign to convince a wary public that child abuse and neglect existed in our community and that everyone had a responsibility to support efforts to prevent it.
Under, Dr. Kipp’s leadership, Crisis Nursery, Inc. opened in 1977. Despite more than a full-time job at Maricopa Medical Center, Dr. Kipp was a regular fixture at Crisis Nursery, Inc. Conservatively (as he has consistently refused to keep track of his hours), Dr. Kipp donated more than 10,000 hours of service over the years. Dr. Kipp was a teacher, mentor, and friend to so many in the medical community and beyond. Through his teaching, Dr. Kipp was known to give out “gold stars” to celebrate good ideas, acts of kindness and other small gestures. A gold star plaque now hangs on the front door of Kipp’s Place.
Dr. Kipp dedicated his entire career to improving the lives of Phoenix’s youngest residents. On February 23, 2015, Dr. Kipp passed away. He is greatly missed by his friends, his family, and the Phoenix community and his legacy continues to live on by all of those who were touched by his great humbleness, infinite wisdom and his commitment to making the world a better place. Please join us in celebrating Dr. Kipp’s contributions to the community.
