Obituary
- PDF / 44,395 Bytes
- 3 Pages / 595 x 785 pts Page_size
- 95 Downloads / 176 Views
871
Virology Division News
Obituary In Memoriam Robert R. Wagner (1923–2001)
R
obert R. Wagner, dedicated teacher, scientific pioneer, visionary administrator and loyal friend, died of cancer on September 15, 2001. Bob had successfully beaten various cancers seven times in the last 35 years so it was a great shock to find that his courage and determination were not able to win the battle this eighth time. Those of us who were fortunate enough to see him shortly before his death were greeted by a cheerful and active man who enjoyed visiting and reminiscing about the wonderful times and acquaintances we had shared. Bob had a fulfilling life in which he was able to work in some of the best educational institutions of the time and to interact with inspired and talented scientists, most of whom became life-long friends. His love of science and of life made it a joy to know and to work with him. Bob graduated from Columbia University in 1943 and received his M.D. from Yale Medical School in 1946. As a medical student, he discovered his passion for studying infectious diseases and began his first research projects in bacteriology and immunology. He joined the U.S. Navy Medical Corp after completing his internship and served as a physician at the Chelsea Naval Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. A turning point in his life occurred when he was transferred in 1948 to the U.S. Navy Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland: it was there that he became fascinated with influenza viruses and embarked upon his career as a virologist. Next was a postdoctoral stint in the laboratory of Dr. Christopher Andrewes in England. This adventure sealed his fate as a virologist and also turned him into a life-long anglophile. He and his wife, Mary Burke Wagner, returned to London many times to enjoy the city they both particularly loved. Bob returned to Yale University in 1951 as a member of the Faculty of Medicine, and then joined the Faculty of the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology at Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1956, where he added interferon to his list of research interests (and accomplishments). By 1959, he was Director of the Infectious Disease Division of the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins. He finally gave up his clinical practice in 1960 when he agreed to serve as Head of the Division of Virology in the newly formed Department of Microbiology at Johns Hopkins.
872
Virology Division News
Bob’s final move was made in 1967 when he traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia to become Professor and Chairman of the Department of Microbiology in the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He began with a faculty of 5 and had expanded it to 28 by the time he retired as Professor Emeritus in 1994 (although he maintained an office and a presence in the Department until his death). His contribution to the University was not just to increase the size of the Department but to mold it into a broad-based, cohesive group with diverse but complementary interests; the faculty included bacteriologists, virologists, imm
Data Loading...
