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Celebrating the life of Donald MacLean Switz, M.D.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026
WHEREAS, Donald MacLean Switz, M.D., a trusted health care professional and a leader in the study of gastroenterology who pioneered novel treatments and surgical techniques and trained generations of doctors in the Richmond area, died on January 19, 2026; and
WHEREAS, Donald “Don” MacLean Switz, M.D., graduated from Carleton College in Minnesota, completed his medical training and residency at the University of Chicago, and conducted further studies at the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, the Mayo Clinic, and Harvard University; and
WHEREAS, during the Vietnam War, Don Switz served as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, treating wounded United States Marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, Don Switz subsequently settled in the Richmond area and worked at the Medical College of Virginia, now the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine; he served as a faculty member for 35 years before retiring as professor emeritus in 2005; and
WHEREAS, specializing in gastroenterology, Don Switz pioneered the use of surgical endoscopy in the Commonwealth, training hundreds of health care practitioners and student doctors over the years; he also played an important role in a major clinical study of Crohn's disease and helped establish the VCU Medical Center at Stony Point, giving communities south of the James River local access to care; and
WHEREAS, Don Switz provided his visionary leadership to the Richmond Academy of Medicine and the boards of Sheltering Arms Hospital and Westminster Canterbury; he volunteered his time with his local Rotary Club and conducted volunteer medical work in the Commonwealth and beyond; and
WHEREAS, Don Switz enjoyed fellowship and worship with the congregation of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where he was a member of the vestry; and
WHEREAS, after his well-earned retirement, Don Switz and his wife, Lee, traveled the world, visiting China, India, and countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe; he loved learning about the history of the Commonwealth, the United States, and the world whenever possible and relished every opportunity to stop at a museum or a roadside historical marker; and
WHEREAS, Don Switz was also a lifelong sailor who participated in multiple races and was part of a winning crew in 1964; over the course of his life, he sailed the Chesapeake Bay and the waters around Maine, the British Virgin Islands, and Sorrento, Italy; and
WHEREAS, Don Switz will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his beloved wife of 60 years, Lee; his children, Neil, Geoffrey, and Katherine, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Donald MacLean Switz, M.D.; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Donald MacLean Switz, M.D., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.