Clinco, Paul Edward
M.D.
Paul Edward Clinco was a talented, complex, brilliant, eclectic physician, writer, Bluesman, actor, philosopher, filmmaker, scholar, historian, counterculturist, father, husband, brother, and friend. His interests were expansive and took him on adventures and cultural pilgrimages. Born in Santa Monica, California on April 16, 1948, to Arthur and Martha Romm Clinco he was the youngest of three siblings and grew up in Mandeville Canyon.
Paul attended Harvard School in Los Angeles. While there, he launched the fencing club and theater program, and directed and starred in numerous plays. He enrolled at UC Santa Barbara, then UC Riverside, and was a leading performer on the UCLA stages where he received a degree in Theater. He then attended USC where he received a Doctorate in Medicine. He moved to NYC for his medical residency at Mount Sinai Hospital where he met his future spouse, Judy Briggs. He was part of the first labor strike of medical residents in the United States, which resulted in better working conditions and reduced hours. Never limited to the role of doctor, Paul was involved with the Renaissance Swords and Swordsmen, became enthralled with medieval history, began collecting rare books, and played Blues music in any bar that had a piano.
In 1977, Judy and Paul moved to Tucson so Paul could complete his surgical residency at the University of Arizona Medical Center. They ended up making Tucson their lifelong home. They had two children: Demion Clinco in 1980, and Briggs Clinco in 1984. Paul worked as an ER doctor and then joined the urgent care team at Pima Health followed by Group Health Medical Associates (GHMA), where he cared for thousands of patients.
Paul was a long-time participant with the Society for Creative Anachronism and was knighted in the 1980s. In the S.C.A. he was known as Sir Gareth of Bloodwine Gorge and other personas. Paul was a Blues and Boogie Woogie musician, singer, and piano man who performed under the name “Professor Paul.” He traveled regularly to Chicago to perform Blues with key figures in the genre including Big Walter, Koko Taylor, and Junior Wells. He recorded on Spivey Records. In Tucson, he played regularly in local taverns and bars including a longstanding gig at Terry & Zeke’s.
Paul wrote numerous screenplays, published numerous short stories, and won first place in the 1987 L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. In 1992, he produced and directed the first of two feature-length films, Death Magic, followed by Sweet Love and Deadly in 2008. He proudly referred to himself as a “bookaholic,” collecting over 10,000 volumes. Paul saw himself in the opening …….