Richard George Fadal, M.D.

Richard George Fadal, M.D. May 29, 1931 - April 4, 2011 Richard George Fadal, M.D., 79, of Waco passed away Monday, April 4, 2011. Services will be 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 6, at St. Alban's Episcopal Church with the Reverends Jeff Fisher, Michael Attas, M.D. and Jimmy Abbott officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. Dr. Fadal was born May 29, 1931, in Waco, to George Moses Fadal and Katherine MacKosher Fadal. He attended Waco public schools, graduated from Baylor University in 1951, and graduated from Southwestern Medical School in 1955. While at Southwestern, he met Margaret Aline DeBusk, and they were married January 6, 1956, at Oak Lawn Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Fadal completed his medical internship at Providence Hospital in Waco, in 1956. He then served as captain in the U.S. Air Force from 1956-1957, after which he began his private practice. He worked in general practice for 20 years, which included his tenure as the attending physician at the Methodist Home in Waco. Dr. Fadal's keen interest in allergies led him to obtain his board certification for allergy and immunology from The American Board of Allergy and Immunology. In 1975, the radioallergosorbent test RAST was developed in Sweden to replace the time-honored skin test with a simple blood test for the detection of specific antibodies present only in the serum of allergic individuals. In 1977, Dr. Fadal introduced this new technology into his medical practice in Waco for confirming the specific diagnosis of allergic diseases such as hay fever, eczema, food allergies or animal dander sensitivity. Dr. Fadal gave numerous lectures in allergy seminars on its use, and in 1978, working with one of his students, Dr. Donald Nalebuff from New Jersey, they modified the test to create a system to allow the testing physician to design individual treatment schedules related to the patient's test scores. These treatment schedules became known as the Fadal-Nalebuff Modified RAST. In 1981, they were awarded a U.S. patent and published a book entitled RAST in Clinical Allergy. Over the next 20 years they traveled extensively throughout the United States, England, Sweden and Australia, teaching their methodology to thousands of physicians. This technology is still widely used among pediatricians, family doctors, pulmonologists and ear, nose and throat physicians. Dr. Fadal also played an important role in educating insurance companies on the cost effectiveness and coverage of these tests in the state of Texas. Dr. Fadal was a member of the McLennan County, Texas and American Medical Association, the Texas Allergy Society, past president of Pan American Dr. Fadal is survived by his wife; daughter, Stacy Fadal Coker and husband, Burl; sons, Richard D. Fadal and wife, Jennifer; Thomas A. Fadal and wife, Tracy; and Michael R. Fadal and wife, Debbie; granddaughters, Dr. Lacy Coker Kessler and husband, Jimmy, Ashley Coker Blossman and husband, Cody, Dr. Jennifer Fadal Salisbury and husband, Kurt, Holly Fadal Hinojosa and husband, Kyle, and Jill Fadal; grandsons, Dr. Christopher Fadal and wife, Dr. Stephanie Byrd Fadal, Tyler Fadal, Kyle Fadal, and Colt Fadal; and great granddaughter, Katherine Elizabeth Kessler. Memorials may be made to St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Providence Hospice or the charity of choice.