Professionally, he’s Dr. Winn, but with his medical specialty in pediatrics, he’s always been known as “Winnie.” Yeah, like Winnie the Pooh.
Winnie has served as a Park City doctor for the last 46 years. He was the original Medical Director for Deer Valley when the lifts started turning in 1981. He became Medical Director for the Park West resort three years later and has also served in that capacity for Park City Mountain. Last week, Winnie was celebrated by the resorts, Intermountain Healthcare, his colleagues and friends as he stepped down from that role.
Chuck Morrison who has worked with him for 20 of those years, praised Winnie’s mentorship.
“Because of all of this, we want to, we meaning Intermountain, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and the community, want to present you with this plaque thanking you for your 46 years of service.”
Calling him the “most compassionate man” he has ever met and that Winnie has always gone “above and beyond,” Deer Valley Director of Mountain Operations Steve Graff presented Winnie with one of the chairs from the original Burns chairlift that was installed for the resort’s 1981 opening.
“Burns chairlift was a chair that was brand new, when Winnie was our brand-new medical director,” Graff said. “We retired that chair in 2022 and Winnie outlived our original chairlift. Your tenure is longer than our oldest chairlift.”
The staff from Park City Mountain presented Winnie with a replica of a ski sign, titled “Winnie’s Way.” Two other signs will be installed at both the Park City and Canyons Village clinic areas.
Courtney Morrison, an Intermountain Health nurse manager for the resort clinics, explained the display of hot tub gifts, including a fleece robe, a floatie to hold beverages and a mockup of the 1985 hot tub Ski Clinic orientation as guests walked into Deer Valley’s Silver Lake Lodge.
“One story that Winnie tells every year at orientation with the clinic staff is that back in the day, Winnie used to host his orientation in his hot tub,” Morrison explained. “A lot of us get pretty grossed out by that. It's definitely an HR nightmare. But we love you dearly. And everyone is correct. The culture you have created in the clinics is one that I really hope that we can continue in your honor, and because it provides the best patient care possible.”
Winnie told the crowd he had hoped to retire by sneaking out the side door so that no one would notice. But party organizers who had hoped to surprise him had to leak the secret, to ensure he would show up.
He thanked his family for allowing him to take phone calls in the middle of their school performances and while on vacation, so he could always be available to his patients.
“I have always cherished the opportunity to practice medicine,” Winnie said. “The intellectual challenge, the ability to help others navigate illness, injury and disease, and the rewards interacting with so many individuals, most of whom became friends. Being a resort doc has simply been perfect for me.”
Winnie started working in Park City before the town even had its first traffic signal. As Park City grew, he said, so did he…
“I've loved being a small-town country doctor practicing what I call resort medicine,” he said. “Resort medicine is attempting to give excellent care while doing all the big and little extra things that make it easier for patients and promoting education at every level in our system. But now, because I'm incredibly lucky, I get to pass on to the resorts in our community, a team composed of superstars.”
Winnie added he leaves feeling gratified and fulfilled and excited to follow what is yet to come.
