This photograph was published a third time, with a caption reading "Lieut. Harold F. Birk who is on leave from active duty with the Navy and is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Birk of the Bloomingdale road. He is a member of the Navy Dental corps serving with the Atlantic Fleet."
Undated, unidentified clipping in a scrapbook at the Saranac Lake Veteran's Club.
Undated, unidentified clipping in a scrapbook at the Saranac Lake Veteran's Club.Born: March 8, 1917
Died: September 8, 2000
Married: Jane Tipton
Children: Frank T. Birk, Stephanie Birk Costello, John R. Birk, Harold F. Birk, Jr., Edward L. Birk, Elizabeth Birk Oatis
Harold F. Birk was the son of Frank Birk, who established Birk's Swiss Chalet on the Bloomingdale Road. He was a World War II veteran and served as team dentist for the Boston Bruins for more than twenty years.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, September 12, 2000
Captain Harold F. Birk
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. - Captain Harold F. Birk, Sr., D.M.D., (USNR), 83, died Friday, Sept. 8, 2000.- Born on March 8, 1917 in New York City, Dr. Birk was raised in Saranac Lake, and earned his undergraduate and dental degrees at Tufts University, Medford, Mass.
Dr. Birk interned at Knickerbocker Hospital in New, York City before joining the Navy. After WW II, he settled in Wellesley, Mass. where he raised six children with his wife, Jane Tipton Birk, and he practiced dentistry until 1983.
Survivors include his wife of 55 years, four children: Stephanie Birk Costello and her husband David, of Philadelphia, Pa., John R. Birk and wife Susan, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Harold F. Birk, Jr. and wife Susan, of Westport, Conn., and Edward L. Birk and wife Cecilia, of Jacksonville, Fla.; his daughter-in-law, Connie C. Birk of Birmingham, Ala., and son-in-law, Theodore A. Oatis of Boston, Mass.; 12 grandchildren, and four nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by a son, Col. Frank T. Birk (USA.F ret.), a daughter, Elizabeth Birk Oatis, and his only brother, Robert Slovan Birk of Bloomingdale.
Dr. Birk's parents emigrated from Austria to New York City after the turn of the last century. Later they moved to northern New York and established a hotel and restaurant business, the Villa St. Armand and Birk's Swiss Chalet.
Dr. Birk was team dentist for the Boston Bruins for more than 20 years. "He loved going to the games and taking the children with him," said Mrs. Birk.
Dr. Birk joined the Navy in 1942. Among his duty stations in the Navy were two assignments at the naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. He was also a member of the first crew of the U.S.S. Wisconsin, one of four Missouri class battleships, which operated in the Pacific theater. He was a member of the ship's dental corps, caring for more than 3,000 men and he assisted the medical corps in the treatment of the wounded. He remained on active duty until 1947 when he transferred to the Navy reserve until his retirement in 1977.
In addition to military service, he was involved in the Boy Scouts of America, the PTA, the Massachusetts and American Dental Societies, dental fraternity, Delta Sigma Delta, and was a member of St. James the Great Church in Wellesley. He volunteered at the pharmacy at Hansom Air Force Base in Massachusetts, was a member of Kiwanis International, the Ward Room Club of Boston, and the Retired Officers Association.
He had a great love of the outdoors, including fishing, skiing, mountain hiking, and hunting.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Sept. 11 in the Chapel of Mayport Naval Station with Chaplain Cmdr. Daniel DePascale, (USNR) as celebrant. A private family burial will be held.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice.
