Dr. Henry C. Everett, prominent Andover area psychiatrist, died on Tuesday night, December 9th, from complications of prostate cancer.

As a passionate advocate for the mentally ill who fought against discrimination by insurers, Dr. Everett helped to dispel the social stigma that has accompanied mental illness. By speaking at public gatherings and on radio programs, as well as through countless private efforts, Dr. Everett played a significant role in this sensitive and often controversial issue.

He was named Psychiatrist of the Year in 2002 by the Massachusetts chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill for his work in educating teachers, the clergy and community leaders on mental health topics.

Throughout his battle with cancer, Dr. Everett continued to care for his patients and inspire his family and friends, living according to the humanistic philosophy he outlined in his books. He was an eternal optimist, a sentiment he expressed in quoting the Dalai Lama, "My religion is simple; my religion is kindness."

Dr. Everett joyously shared the natural world of the outdoors with his family, as well as the world of ideas. He had a particular enthusiasm for science and philosophy, and enjoyed staying current in astronomy, cosmology, and ethics. He was a member of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science, and believed that science and medicine need not conflict with spirituality and religion, but rather complement each other. He celebrated the spirit of overcoming great obstacles by handing water to the runners of over twenty Boston Marathons, just past the top of "Heartbreak Hill."

Dr. Everett was born in Boston on February 14, 1928, the second child of Henry C. Everett Jr. and Clara Barnes Everett. He was one of the closest living relatives of the former Governor of Massachusetts, Edward Everett, and a descendant of Tristram Coffin, among the first European settlers of Nantucket.

It was on Nantucket, following a personal revelation at the age of 15, that he dedicated himself to a life of service, eventually choosing a career as a physician, rather than that of the ministry or as a medical missionary, which he had also considered.

Dr. Everett interrupted his undergraduate education at Harvard to serve in the Army in Korea, returning to receive his undergraduate degree in 1951, and later his medical degree from Johns Hopkins in 1955. After a two-year medical internship at Rhode Island Hospital and a year in general practice, he returned to Johns Hopkins for specialty training in psychiatry.

His two books, From Adversity to Invincibility: From Cutting Edge Psychiatry to an Empowering Philosophy, and How to Reach Your Goals, along with 25 professional publications are based on research in neurology, group therapy, support groups, family therapy, and psychopharmacology. He was also an active member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, Massachusetts Psychiatric Society, Mensa, and was a supporter of the Boston Museum of Science.

Dr. Everett is survived by his wife, Beverly, his sister Claire Low, five children, Peter, Christopher, Elizabeth, Jonathan and Michael, their mother Joan Reals, and five grandchildren, Theodore, Vivian, Catherine, Cynthia and Ken.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 20th, at 1 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 239 Woburn Street, Reading, MA. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Massachusetts chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI-Mass.), Attn: Janet Hodges, 400 West Cummings Park, Suite 6650, Woburn MA 01801, or through www.namimass.org.