Dr. Leland Burleson Baskin

Dr. Leland Burleson Baskin, 72, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, November 20, 2024, in Oklahoma City, OK. 

The funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 7, 2024, at First Methodist Church of Waco-Downtown Campus, 1300 Austin Avenue, with the Rev. Carl Rohlfs officiating. Interment will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, December 7, at Davidson Cemetery in Gatesville, TX. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Friday, December 6, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. 

Leland Burleson Baskin was born on September 9, 1952, in Waco, Texas, the second of three sons born to Lowrey Burleson Baskin and Roy Howard Baskin, Jr., one of the first board-certified surgeons in Waco. Leland graduated from Richfield High School in 1970 and attended Georgia Institute of Technology where he lettered in swimming as a freshman. Missing Texas, Leland left Georgia Tech after his first year and entered Texas A&M University, graduating in 1974 with a B.S. in Bioengineering. After earning an M.S. in Civil Engineering at Cornell University in 1977, he worked for the EPA in Ada, Oklahoma and Athens, Georgia, and spent time at the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland for additional study in forensic medicine and science. While working on a PhD in Applied Mathematical Sciences at Rice University, Leland was accepted into medical school. Before leaving Rice to start his medical training, he earned a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematical Sciences. While his formal studies in math were complete, Leland remained a mathematician at heart and would later become board certified in Clinical Informatics. He graduated from University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio, then completed a residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He went on to complete a fellowship in Chemical Pathology at the Mayo Clinic. 

Leland worked for ten years in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in various roles including as Associate Medical Director of the Clinical Chemistry laboratory and Transfusion Medicine consultant at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Among his other roles, Leland worked at the Dallas Medical Examiner office performing forensic autopsies. He maintained an academic appointment as Assistant then Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, teaching numerous pathology residents primarily in Clinical Biochemistry. During this time, Leland was also the Medical Director of Carter Blood Center in Fort Worth. 

In 2002 Leland moved to Canada, where he would work for Calgary Laboratory Services and Alberta Precision Laboratories in Calgary, Alberta for the next 20 years. He served in various roles ranging from Division Head of General Pathology and Division Head of Clinical Biochemistry to Deputy Medical Director and Vice President for Medical Operations. 

In an organizational communication mourning his death, a colleague expressed admiration of Leland in what could be well thought of as a capstone of not only his professional accomplishments, which were vast, but his character, which was deep in kindness and fruitful in virtue: “Leland’s expertise extended across clinical biochemistry, toxicology, transfusion medicine, and hematopathology. He was passionate about the intersection of biology, chemistry, and technology in medicine and mentored countless residents, fellows, and colleagues. His enthusiasm for his work was contagious and he always believed in the transformative power of science to solve problems and improve lives. Leland will be remembered for his unwavering integrity, curiosity, and his relentless drive to make a meaningful difference. His approachable and open nature made people feel at ease, fostering many great conversations and lasting connections.” 

Living in Calgary also brought Leland within a half day’s drive of his beloved Glacier National Park, Montana. His love affair with the park began in the summer of 1974 when he worked in Glacier as a supply truck driver, following in the footsteps of his father Roy. Roy worked in the park the summers of 1937-40 as a “gearjammer” driving the red tour buses. If Leland couldn’t get to Montana, the Canadian Rockies were a hiker’s paradise less than an hour away. 

As a patriotic American, Leland served in the US military reserve forces from 1999 to 2019, first as a Major in the US Air Force Reserve, then, beginning in 2004, in the US Navy Reserve, reaching the rank of Commander before retirement from the military. While working in Calgary, he continued to travel to the U.S. for his drill weekends. The weekend pay from the Navy might cover the cost of his flight or it might not, but that did not matter. Leland was proud to serve. 

After retiring from work in Canada, Leland did anything but retire. In the past two years, Leland worked half-time as Associate Medical Director for Oklahoma Blood Institute in Oklahoma City and one week a month as a Clinical Specialist at M.D. Anderson in Houston. 

Leland worked hard and loved his work; however, he still found time for community volunteer activities over the years. He served as an Assistant Scoutmaster with Boy Scouts of America Troop 232 in Waxahachie, TX and a troop in Ada, OK. In 1978 and 1996 he helped lead treks at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Leland also coached youth soccer and baseball and belonged to the Kiwanis Club. He served on the board of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco, as well as on various church committees and boards. 

Despite far-flung commitments which required much time and travel, Leland made great efforts to be closely involved in the lives of all the members of his extended family including children, grandchildren (to whom he was affectionately known as “Papa Doc”), nieces, nephews and cousins. He frequently sponsored vacation reunions with his family including a final one this summer near Glacier National Park attended by all 29 members of his immediate family. Leland’s desire and diligence to stay connected with both family and friends (old and new) was one of his most admired qualities and will always be held dear. 

One of those close friends fondly remembered him in a note to his brother, Howard, writing, “I admired his intellect. His eclectic curiosity that made him such a compendium of information and a brilliant conversationalist.” These attributes–love of people and the opportunities for lively conversation afforded through them, rapt curiosity, voracious memory–all led to a lifelong appreciation for games involving knowledge of all kinds. As such, he was the unofficial family Jeopardy! champion and ever the first pick in family rounds of Trivial Pursuit around the holidays. 

Leland was a strong advocate for daily exercise including walking to work whenever he could and taking the stairs when possible. In addition to hiking in the mountains, Leland enjoyed running and completed six marathons during his lifetime. He would likely be proud of the fact that he was running when Jesus called him home. A well-run race indeed. 

“Fair winds and following seas, Commander Baskin.” 

Leland was preceded in death by his parents Roy H. Baskin, Jr. and Lowrey B. Baskin. 

Survivors include his wife of thirteen years, Laura; sons, Jacob N. “Jake” Baskin and wife, Meredith of Waco; R. Quinn Baskin and wife Stephanie of San Antonio, TX; Benajah B. “Ben” Baskin and wife, Noel of Waxahachie, TX; Wm. Rush Baskin and wife, Kalyn of Waxahachie, TX; their mother Jean N. Baskin of Waxahachie, TX; brothers, R. Howard Baskin III and wife, Mary of Waxahachie, TX and J. Spencer Baskin and wife, Qian of Glendora, CA; grandchildren, Brooklyn S. Baskin of College Station, TX; Bostyn H. Baskin, Brenham N. Baskin, Adalyn J. Baskin, Reagan J. Baskin, Wm. Boone Baskin, Caden B. Baskin, Elizabeth M. Baskin, Breck J. Baskin and Blake N. Baskin of Waxahachie, TX; Clara M. Baskin, Rider Q. Baskin, Cate L. Baskin and Maya L. Baskin of Waco, TX; Olivia J. Baskin, David T. Baskin, Lucy E. Baskin and Nathan R. Baskin of San Antonio, TX; nephews, Roy H. Baskin IV and wife, Brittanie of Waxahachie, TX; William S. “Will” Baskin and wife, Paola of Fort Worth, TX and John E. “Jack” Baskin and wife, Taylor of Austin, TX; nieces, Elizabeth S. “Bess” Donnelly and husband, Paul of Waxahachie, TX and Bernice L. Baskin of Glendora, CA. 

Pallbearers will be Jake Baskin, Quinn Baskin, Ben Baskin, Rush Baskin, Roy Baskin, Will Baskin, Jack Baskin and Paul Donnelly. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Methodist Children’s Home in Waco (www.mch.org) or the Glacier Park Foundation (www.glacierparkfoundation.org). 

The family invites you to leave a message or memory in Leland’s “Memorial Guestbook” at www.WHBfamily.com.