Bust of Dr. Arthur Weiland Celebrates the Contributions of this Visionary Orthopedic Surgeon
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in January unveiled a bust of one of its founding leaders, Dr. Arthur Weiland, an orthopedic surgeon who was among the first to envision a pediatric specialty hospital in South Florida, and during the 1930s, organized acquisition of the land on which the hospital stands.
Descendants of Dr. Weiland and hospital leaders gathered to dedicate the bust, which is situated in a garden immediately outside the hospital’s Central Building lobby. The unveiling is part of the Nicklaus Children’s advance preparation for its 75th anniversary celebration, slated for 2025.
“Dr. Weiland was a true visionary. It is thanks to his many-year quest to acquire the land and identify collaborators to build the hospital that we are here today. Because of his vision our region has world-class pediatric care that draws children from throughout Florida, the U.S., Central and South America and the Caribbean,” said Matthew A. Love, president and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System, parent organization of the hospital.
During the dedication ceremony, Arthur Weiland Hutson, grandson and namesake of Dr. Weiland, said, “My grandfather loved to golf. He would have been so pleased and honored that a remarkable golfer whom he admired greatly and his wife – Jack and Barbara Nicklaus --shared in his passion for pediatrics. He would be so proud that the hospital he envisioned so many years ago, now bears the Nicklaus name.”
Also assisting with the monument unveiling were Wesley Rae Braznell and Charles Weiland Braznell, great-grandchildren of the hospital’s founder.
While the hospital began serving the community in 1950, preparation began nearly 20 years earlier with the work of Dr. Weiland. A collaboration with Miami Tent #33 of Variety Clubs International, led to the opening of the hospital under the Variety Children’s name on March 20, 1950. Soon after the opening, the polio epidemic spread rapidly throughout the U.S., affecting many children. The hospital quickly became known as the southern center for polio treatment.
In 1983, the hospital was renamed Miami Children’s Hospital and in 2015 became Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, following a generous pledge from Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation and golf icon Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara.
For more information on Nicklaus Children’s hospital and Dr. Arthur Weiland, please visit Nicklauschildrens.org/history.