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In Memoriam: William E. Connor, MD (1921–2009)
Journal of Clinical Lipidology (2010) 4, 82
In Memoriam: William E. Connor, MD (192122009) Bill Connor passed away peacefully at his home on October 25, 2009. He was born September 14, 1921, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, and attended the University of Iowa, where he received a BA degree and then a MD degree after serving in the Army Signal Corp in Hawaii during World War II. He was a faculty member in the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, College of Medicine from 1961 to 1975 and Director of the Clinical Research Center from 1968 to1975. He moved to Portland in 1975. Bill was a faculty member in the Department of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) from 1975 to 2009. Bill, a physician scientist with a boundless curiosity, was a pioneer in diet and heart disease, a field that took him (and many who were caught up in his wake) on a remarkable tour of the breadth and depth of research about dietary cholesterol, omega-3 fats, changing eating habits (The Family Heart Study), and diseases of sterol metabolism. His fascination with other cultures led to studies with the Tarahumara Indians in the Copper Canyon area of Mexico. He was devoted to his patients at OHSU as well as those he administered to once a month first at the Neighborhood Health Clinic and, more recently, at the Wallace Medical Clinic along with his son Rodney, also a physician. Bill worked tirelessly and persistently on social justice issues through his church and other groups. During the 1960s he worked on racial equality, including opening his home to two black high school students who could not attend their school in Virginia. He worked with Iowans Against the Death Penalty from 1962 until the death penalty was repealed in 1965. Bill was a passionate peace advocate and worked on this effort with many groups (Physicians for Social Responsibility, American Friends Service Committee, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Friends Committee on National Legislation). He and two friends stood on a corner of the University of Iowa campus every Wednesday for 9 years from 12:00 to 12:30 pm in protest of the Vietnam war, with as many as 300 joining them. He had been involved in efforts to repeal the death penalty in Oregon since 1991, was a chief petitioner of the Life for a Life ballot initiative effort, and was recently named chair emeritus of the Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Bill was in constant contact with his legislators,
both state and national, to promote passage of policies to help the disadvantaged. Bill was involved with the Friends of Marquam Nature Park from the beginning in 1978; he promoted the development of new trails, the latest of which is the Connor trail from OHSU to the shelter. He was a big supporter of the Nature Conservancy. Bill was physically active and had climbed Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St Helens; he was well known for riding his bike around Fairmont Boulevard every day. He did 40 minutes of yoga every morning until 5 days before his death. Bill was a devoted family man who instilled in his children and grandchildren a love of books, hiking, biking, camping and gardening and, of course, a passion for helping others. Bill had many distinguished and accomplished disciples. I was fortunate to collaborate with two of them: Dr. Roger Illingsworth, who reached the highest stature as a clinical lipidologist and lipid researcher, and Dr. William Harris, who was the director of my lipid clinic laboratory at the University of Kansas. I was also fortunate to get my first introduction to fish oils as therapeutic agents when I heard Bill give an invited lecture at a Drugs Affecting Lipid Metabolism meeting in the early 1970s. Everybody who knew Bill was highly impressed with his scientific knowledge and productivity but also and equally important by his friendly and humble demeanor. It was truly a pleasure to interact with him and his devoted wife, an accomplished nutritionist/dietician and research collaborator. In the last 2 years, as a newly arrived faculty member, I was blessed with the opportunity to meet with Bill frequently at OHSU. I was amazed to see him work so hard, full time, at his research projects at age 88 and to continue to communicate his insightful knowledge and to continue to generate creative research ideas. The lipidology community in particular and the whole medical science world has been blessed by a prolific researcher and a truly caring man. We will sure miss him. Carlos A. Dujovne, MD Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Director, Clinical Cardiovascular-Metabolic Risk Treatment Programs, Certified Clinical Lipidologist Mission, KS
1933-2874/$ -see front matter Ó 2010 National Lipid Association. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2010.02.007
In Memoriam: William E. Connor, MD (192122009) Bill Connor passed away peacefully at his home on October 25, 2009. He was born September 14, 1921, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, and attended the University of Iowa, where he received a BA degree and then a MD degree after serving in the Army Signal Corp in Hawaii during World War II. He was a faculty member in the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, College of Medicine from 1961 to 1975 and Director of the Clinical Research Center from 1968 to1975. He moved to Portland in 1975. Bill was a faculty member in the Department of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) from 1975 to 2009. Bill, a physician scientist with a boundless curiosity, was a pioneer in diet and heart disease, a field that took him (and many who were caught up in his wake) on a remarkable tour of the breadth and depth of research about dietary cholesterol, omega-3 fats, changing eating habits (The Family Heart Study), and diseases of sterol metabolism. His fascination with other cultures led to studies with the Tarahumara Indians in the Copper Canyon area of Mexico. He was devoted to his patients at OHSU as well as those he administered to once a month first at the Neighborhood Health Clinic and, more recently, at the Wallace Medical Clinic along with his son Rodney, also a physician. Bill worked tirelessly and persistently on social justice issues through his church and other groups. During the 1960s he worked on racial equality, including opening his home to two black high school students who could not attend their school in Virginia. He worked with Iowans Against the Death Penalty from 1962 until the death penalty was repealed in 1965. Bill was a passionate peace advocate and worked on this effort with many groups (Physicians for Social Responsibility, American Friends Service Committee, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Friends Committee on National Legislation). He and two friends stood on a corner of the University of Iowa campus every Wednesday for 9 years from 12:00 to 12:30 pm in protest of the Vietnam war, with as many as 300 joining them. He had been involved in efforts to repeal the death penalty in Oregon since 1991, was a chief petitioner of the Life for a Life ballot initiative effort, and was recently named chair emeritus of the Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Bill was in constant contact with his legislators,
both state and national, to promote passage of policies to help the disadvantaged. Bill was involved with the Friends of Marquam Nature Park from the beginning in 1978; he promoted the development of new trails, the latest of which is the Connor trail from OHSU to the shelter. He was a big supporter of the Nature Conservancy. Bill was physically active and had climbed Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St Helens; he was well known for riding his bike around Fairmont Boulevard every day. He did 40 minutes of yoga every morning until 5 days before his death. Bill was a devoted family man who instilled in his children and grandchildren a love of books, hiking, biking, camping and gardening and, of course, a passion for helping others. Bill had many distinguished and accomplished disciples. I was fortunate to collaborate with two of them: Dr. Roger Illingsworth, who reached the highest stature as a clinical lipidologist and lipid researcher, and Dr. William Harris, who was the director of my lipid clinic laboratory at the University of Kansas. I was also fortunate to get my first introduction to fish oils as therapeutic agents when I heard Bill give an invited lecture at a Drugs Affecting Lipid Metabolism meeting in the early 1970s. Everybody who knew Bill was highly impressed with his scientific knowledge and productivity but also and equally important by his friendly and humble demeanor. It was truly a pleasure to interact with him and his devoted wife, an accomplished nutritionist/dietician and research collaborator. In the last 2 years, as a newly arrived faculty member, I was blessed with the opportunity to meet with Bill frequently at OHSU. I was amazed to see him work so hard, full time, at his research projects at age 88 and to continue to communicate his insightful knowledge and to continue to generate creative research ideas. The lipidology community in particular and the whole medical science world has been blessed by a prolific researcher and a truly caring man. We will sure miss him. Carlos A. Dujovne, MD Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Director, Clinical Cardiovascular-Metabolic Risk Treatment Programs, Certified Clinical Lipidologist Mission, KS
1933-2874/$ -see front matter Ó 2010 National Lipid Association. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2010.02.007