Our Story

Original employees of Mercer Island Pediatrics, at a recent gathering.
Front row, from left: Dr. Luz Gonzalez, Gail Provo, Dr. Jan Woolley, Dr. Al Skinner, Dr. Danette Glassy and Cheri Zavaglia. Back row, from left: Cathy Hummel, Peggy Way, Dr. Hal Quinn, Dr. John Schreuder, Dr. Ted Mandelkorn, Dr. Julie Ellner, Julie McAllister, Yin Chan and Becky Powell (Jack Woolley/Contributed Photo).
Mercer Island Pediatrics was established in the 1970's by Drs. Alfred Skinner and Philip Deane. Dr. Skinner came to Seattle by way of Boston after receiving his medical degree from Harvard University. While interning at Harborview he quickly embraced the spirit of the Pacific Northwest, and opened his first pediatric
clinic on Mercer Island in 1955.The late Dr. Deane attended Yale University School of
Medicine and joined Dr.
Skinner at the Mercer Island practice in 1957. They continued to work together for the next 30 years, until Dr. Deane took early retirement in 1985 to provide medical service and education to underserved communities with his wife, Lola. Phil and Lola also contributed to the development of an outdoor play area on the southend of Mercer Island that was deemed Deane's Children's Park, which is still a beloved community gathering place now known better as "Dragon Park". Dr. Skinner retired in 1989, but still lives in the Mercer Island home he built in 1962 and continues to advocate for children's health, including the importance of disease prevention.

A recent photo of the refurbished dragon.

A mid-century photo of the original dragon in Deane's Children's Park.