So he did something about it. Beginning in 1967 he started planning a hospital on the coast. Since the state would only allow an acute hospital in areas with populations over 50,000, he opened the Moss Beach Rehabilitation Center on Jan. 1, 1971. It became an acute hospital and a community hospital before being purchased by Seton in 1980.
“He was very determined to have (complete medical services) on the coast,” said his wife, Cecelia.
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Dr. Goldthorpe and his wife were known to care about all aspects of the hospital. They built a child care center near the Moss Beach facility, for the children of hospital staff.
“He was a very caring person,” his wife said. “That’s why he had such a big practice,” which spanned generations of patients.
A man of precise habits, Dr. Goldthorpe wore a suit, dress shirt and impeccable white medical coat “every single day of his life” when he went to work at the hospital or at his private practice in family medicine, his wife said. He prided himself on being on time. Described by his daughter, Wendy Hummer, as a “very quiet man,” he focused on care, not small talk, with patients.
“All his patients were very happy because he was always on time,” she said.
Dr. Goldthorpe lent those organizational skills all through his community. He was a major force behind unifying many small groups that led the communities of Princeton, Montara and others, into the present-day Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce and Visitors’ Bureau. “He said, we have to bring them all together to be influential,” said his wife.
Dr. Goldthorpe complemented his business and organizational skills with his love of the arts. An ardent opera fan, he and his wife held the same seats for Tuesday evening performances of the San Francisco Opera for 43 years. He loved travel, combing the world after his retirement to see sights in Europe and the Orient, and for several years owning a condominium in Cancun.
He was a solid family man, urging his three daughters to go to college. Though not given to idle talk, he loved quiet and meaningful conversation over a glass of wine with friends.
“He was just a mellow guy who would sit and talk,” said his daughter.
A celebration of Dr. Goldthorpe’s life will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15 at Cameron’s Restaurant and Inn at 1410 South Cabrillo Highway in Half Moon Bay.
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