William Kurt Frankenburg, an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of child development and pediatric preventive medicine, died at his home on Bainbridge Island on April 3 after a brief, courageous battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He was 78.

He was born Wolfgang Kurt Frankenburger in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany, in 1930. In 1939 his family left Nazi Germany on one of the last passenger ships allowed to leave the country. They lived for six months in Cuba while waiting for entry visas to the U.S., and eventually settled in Millersville, Pa. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1945. He later made his home in Denver, Colo., and retired to Bainbridge Island and Tucson, Ariz.

He received his medical degree from Temple University, followed by a residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a fellowship in child development and psychological aspects of pediatrics at Yale University Medical School. He also obtained a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1964 he joined the faculty of the University of Colorado Medical Center, going on to become professor of pediatrics and preventive medicine, and later professor emeritus in 1991. He served as director of the John F. Kennedy Child Development Center from 1977-1985. During his career, Frankenburg was a consultant to UNICEF and the World Health Organization, and to governments and institutions around the world. He authored numerous scholarly articles and other publications and was the recipient of several prestigious awards.

For the last 10 years, Frankenburg played an active role in the Bainbridge Island Rotary Club, participating in the “Hear and Say” reading program, the annual Auction/Rummage Sale, and the Uganda Clean Water project. He was a selfless humanitarian and a loving husband, father, and grandfather.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Wilhelmine; his son, Kurt, of Park City, Utah; his daughters Sibyl and Carrie, both of Seattle; his brother, Peter, of Wilmington, Del.; and grandchildren Carolyn, Sophie and Luisa, Steve Kessel, Simon and Theo.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island Scholarship Foundation, PO Box 11286, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110. An online guest book is at www.cookfamilyfuneralhoome.com.