Houston Chronicle

Billboards remember slain dad

Houston Chronicle, Feb. 13, 2005

Some new billboards in Houston are intended to keep alive the memory of Dr. Rick Lohstroh, the surgeon who police say was shot and killed by his 10-year-old son last year.

Several of Lohstroh's friends have formed a group called Help Stop Parental Alienation Syndrome, named for the unofficial disorder that they say contributed to the 41-year-old father's death.

Lohstroh's family and friends believe his 2003 divorce was so contentious that his ex-wife turned their children against him, setting the stage for the Aug. 27 shooting.

Now they hope to raise awareness of the so-called syndrome that stems from one parent's efforts to alienate a child from another parent.

"This is becoming a really big problem and a lot of parents don't know anything about it and don't understand what is happening," said Judy Jones, of Friendswood, a founder and head of the new group.

Help Stop PAS is buying billboard space, including on Westheimer in west Houston and in Midtown.

The billboards feature drawings of a mother saying, " our daddy doesn't love you any more."

"Don't turn your kids against their mommy or their daddy," the caption urges.

The group is lobbying the American Psychiatric Association to recognize PAS as a formal medical diagnosis.

Jones said the issue was important to Lohstroh. Friends found material about PAS on his desk after his death, she said.

Copyright 2005, Houston Chronicle