Dr. David Howard Ater, born April 29, 1933 in Frankfort, Ohio the second child of Howard C. & Christine Ater, died at 10:35pm, June 4, 2004 following a fifty-three month struggle with colon cancer.
Ater has been working at the Child Protection Center since 1998 doing child abuse exams and interviews with the children and has served as the medical director most of that time

Dr. Ater served the Ross County area as a Pediatrician for 35 years & served over 30 years in the United States Air Force & Air Force Reserves.

Dr. Ater was a member of the Smith & Fleischer Pediatric Group.  He has  worked at the Child Protection Center since 1998 doing child abuse exams and interviews with the children and has served as the medical director most of that time.  He graduated from Asbury College and the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana.  He interned at St. Louis City Hospital and began residency training in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics and General Surgery at St. Louis City Hospital.  Dr. Ater entered the U.S. Air Force, where he practiced general medicine.  During his Air Force career, Dr. Ater came to realize how much he enjoyed working with children and helping them to feel better.  While still in the Air Force, Dr. Ater completed his residency in pediatrics at Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Denver, Colorado.  From there, he served as an Air Force pediatrician in both France and England.  After discharge from the Air Force, Dr. Ater returned to Ross County.  Dr. Ater is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.    He has attended a week long mini-residency with Dr. Johnson at Columbus's Children's Hospital and participated in the conference on child abuse in Minnesota. He was recognized as a hero at the Red Cross's first Hero's Breakfast for his work with children and at the Blue Ribbon Breakfast hosted by Jobs and Family Services.    

Dr. Ater, 71 died Friday evening following a 4½-year struggle with colon cancer. Ater was born in Frankfort, married Shirlee Jacobs in 1956, when he served in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserves.

Ater then moved to Chillicothe to practice medicine, which he did for 35 years. A pediatrician at Smith and Fleischer Pediatric Group, Ater touched the lives of many children, said friend and college classmate Shirley Hickman. "He loved children," she said, "He was a good Christian man. This community dearly loved him."

Dr. Stephen Fleischer, of Smith and Fleischer Pediatric Group, said Ater was a very caring person. "He was a bright, caring, interested and informed person who related well to his patients," Fleischer said. "He contributed remarkably to changes in care of children over an extended period of time ." Fleischer said Ater did a great deal to provide diagnosis and care for children who were abused.  

Pictures of Dr. Ater