Richard J. “Dick” Davidson, a former president of the Maryland Hospital Association and the American Hospital Association, died of heart disease Monday at his home in Cape St. Claire near Annapolis. He was 79.

He led the country's largest hospital association for 16 years, and colleagues recalled him as a leader and innovator in the field.

“He believed in the essential desire that people in the health care community had a core morality to do the right thing,” said Richard H. “Rick” Wade, a friend and former co-worker who lives in Arnold.

Born in Philadelphia, he earned a bachelor's degree from West Chester University and a master's degree in education from Temple University.

He also had a doctorate in education from George Washington University.

His son, Andrew S. Davidson, said that in 1969 his father was a high school civics teacher in the Wilmington, Del., school system. He said that during the summer, his father managed an Elks Club swimming pool, which led him to his later career.

One day at the pool, while performing a stunt — riding a bike off the high dive — Dr. Davidson injured himself. He spent six weeks recuperating in a local hospital.

“He got to know the hospital administrator, who told him the Maryland-District of Columbia-Delaware Hospital Association was looking for an education director. He got the job,” his son said.

In 1970, Dr. Davidson became director of the Hospital Council of Maryland and was later the first president of the Maryland Hospital Association.

“Dick's lasting legacy was that he got the citizen-trustees of local hospitals to be deeply involved in the work of the state association,” said Mr. Wade. “They were stewards of their institutions, and stewards of the whole Maryland health care system. Other states envied our system. This happened because of his skills as a convener and his ability to solve problems.”

Mr. Wade said that Dr. Davidson used his teaching style and classroom experience to bring people together.

“He could take complex issues, educate people on them and reach a consensus,” Mr. Wade said. “He never took credit for what he accomplished. He just sat back and watched the outcome.”

He said that under Dr. Davidson's leadership, Maryland hospitals worked in a collegial manner to resolve competitive issues.

“He was relaxed and smart, and always had a positive outlook,” said F. Carvel Payne, the retired director of the Maryland Department of Legislative Reference.

In a statement, the American Hospital Association noted Dr. Davidson's time at the Maryland association, saying that during his 21 years there, “the organization was recognized nationally for its work on hospital payment reform, including what is now the nation's only statewide all-payer hospital rate-setting system.”

Dr. Davidson joined the AHA in 1991, and “met with Bill and Hillary Clinton as the topic of comprehensive health care reform was being discussed in the early 1990s,” his son said.

During that time, “many hospitals underwent fundamental changes in their structures, evolving into health systems with multiple sites and services rather than the traditional hospital,” said the AHA statement.

“When the concept of managed care swept the health care field, triggering major reforms in health care delivery and payment, the AHA under Davidson's leadership undertook a wide range of policy and legislative initiatives to help its members respond to the new environment,” the statement said.

At the time of his retirement in 2007, Dr. Davidson was awarded his association's Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes “significant lifetime contributions.” The association also named the Dick Davidson Quality Milestone Award for Allied Association Leadership for him.

Dr. Davidson was also an early advocate for Heath Care for the Homeless, where a memorial fund was established in his name.

He was an avid tennis player, and a tidal and saltwater fisherman.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, 1601 Pleasant Plains Road in Annapolis.

In addition to his son, survivors include his wife of 59 years, Janet McCool, a retired administrative assistant to the president of the Maryland Senate; another son, Richard W. Davidson of Bernardsville, N.J.; a brother, Bob Voynow of Coatesville, Pa.; and seven grandchildren. Another son, Michael Davidson, died in 2012.

jacques.kelly@baltsun.com