GenealogyBuff.com - University of Michigan Obituary Collection

GenealogyBuff.com - making genealogy simpler; a free genealogy surname research tool that reaches for data from all over.


University of Michigan Obituary Collection
(Obits and death notices of former and recent faculty.)

Michigan Newspapers Online
Michigan Counties
Michigan Cities
Michigan Honor Students
Michigan GenealogyBuff.com Library Page
Michigan Marriages Search


University of Michigan Obituary Search:
First Name:
Last Name:

[ Return to Index ] [ Read Prev Obituaries ] [ Read Next Obituaries ]

University of Michigan Faculty Obituary Collection

GenealogyBuff.com - University of Michigan Obituary Collection - Page 38

Posted By: GenealogyBuff.com
Date: Friday, 14 January 2022, at 3:18 a.m.

Search Archived Marriage Records

Ernie N. Ushiro

Ernie N. Ushiro born in Lemoore, Calif., Feb. 10, 1937, and later moved to Ann Arbor. He was employed by the U-M for 42 years and retired from the Institute for Social Research Jan. 12. He is survived by his mother, Sue Ushiro; sister, Marilyn (Peter) Hayashi of Chicago; eight nieces and nephews; eight grandnieces and grandnephews; and fiancee, Denise Rhodes.

David L. Angus

Professor of Education David L. Angus will be remembered by the University community as an exceptional scholar of education whose research in the area of equity and quality issues in education shed light on some of the most pervasive issues facing schools today.

Angus, 65, died Aug. 30, 1999 at the University Hospital Trauma-Burn Center following an Aug. 2 accident during renovations on the G. G. Brown Building. He was 53.

Polliey was working on a lab renovation project on the first floor of the G. G. Brown Building Aug. 2 when a short in the bus box started a fire. He was taken to the Trauma-Burn Center where he remained in critical condition until his death. The precise cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“It is hard to express our sorrow at the loss of William Polliey from the University of Michigan community. His many friends and colleagues have been devastated by his death, and all of us extend our deepest sympathy to his family,” said President Lee C. Bollinger. “It is especially tragic that Mr. Polliey died of cancer Feb. 1, 2000 at his home in Ann Arbor. He was 84.

An internationally renowned scientist, Neel was a pioneer in the study of human genetics and one of the first to foresee its importance in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. During his 39-year career in the Medical School, Neel established one of the first clinics to evaluate and counsel people with hereditary diseases, as well as the first academic department of human genetics in the United States.

Neel was the first scientist to recognize the genetic basis for sickle cell anemia. He conducted an extensive study on the aftereffects of atomic radiation on survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their children. During the 1960s, he proposed the “thrifty gene” hypothesis, which states that genes associated with common modern diseases like diabetes, hypertension and obesity are part of the human gene pool, because they helped our early ancestors survive when calories and salt were less abundant. Neel also was widely known for his studies of the genetic consequences of consanguineous marriage, the timing of human migration into North America and the genetic characteristics of isolated tribes in the Amazon rain forest.

Neel’s most recent research focused on severe chromosomal damage in what he named “rogue cells,” which he first identified in his studies of the Yanomama tribe in the Amazon and Japanese populations. Neel suggested that the origins of this chromosomal damage could be attributed to infection with human Polyomaviruses.

“Jim Neel was one of the most distinguished faculty in the 150-year history of this Medical School,” said Dean Allen S. Lichter. “He was a true visionary in how genetics would one day be used, not only to determine the cause of disease, but also to treat it. He trained some of the finest minds in the field and his international reputation was impeccable.”

“Dr. Neel was the father of the field of human genetics. He was the first to introduce a long list of bedrock principles, which we now take for granted,” said Francis S. Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, who is on leave from the Medical School. “He made a habit of being ahead of his time. Today, the Human Genome Project and associated advances in genetics are making it possible to test many of his hypotheses. There are growing signs that he was right on target.”

Neel was born on March 22, 1915, in Hamilton, Ohio, and received his A.B. degree in 1935 from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. After receiving his Ph.D. (1939) and M.D. (1944) from the University of Rochester, he completed his internship and residency at the Strong Memorial and Rochester Municipal Hospitals.

Neel joined the U-M in 1946 as an assistant geneticist in the Laboratory of Vertebrate Biology. From late 1946 to 1947, he served in the Army Medical Corps and directed field studies for the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission of the National Research Council. In 1948, he returned to the U-M to direct the Institute of Human Biology’s Heredity Clinic. Neel established the Medical School’s Department of Human Genetics in 1956, which he chaired for 25 years. He was named the Lee R. Dice University Professor of Human Genetics in 1966-a position he held until his retirement on June 30, 1985.

“Jim Neel’s contributions to the studies of populations throughout the world and in patients right here in Michigan are seminal and legendary,” said Gilbert S. Omenn, executive vice president for medical affairs. “He has been one of our most prominent faculty members and a great presence on this campus for more than five decades. He was completing additional collaborative research up to the time of his death, with work that will continue for several years.”

“Not only was James Neel a pioneer in human and medical genetics, he always kept foremost the physician’s perspective,” said Thomas D. Gelehrter, professor and chair of the Department of Human Genetics. “He had a keen sensitivity to the societal implications of the knowledge he discovered. He truly embodied the title of his remarkable book, Physician to the Gene Pool.”

“Dr. Neel was a great figure and thinker in genetic research,” said Stefan S. Fajans, professor emeritus of internal medicine. “He made many important scientific discoveries and proposed challenging hypotheses, which are still being pursued by other investigators four decades later. He had a tremendous influence on generations of geneticists and other scientists.”

Neel’s many honors include the Albert Lasker Award, election to the National Academy of Sciences, the Allen Award from the American Society of Human Genetics, the Henry Russel Award from the U-M, the National Medal of Science, the Smithsonian Institution Medal, the Wadsworth Distinguished Service Award from the New York State Department of Health, the Michigan Scientist-of-the-Year Award from the Michigan State Legislature, and the March of Dimes/Colonel Harlan Sanders Award.

He is survived by his wife, Priscilla (Baxter) Neel, of Ann Arbor; a daughter, Frances Neel, of Ann Arbor; and two sons, James V. (Lynn) Neel of Santa Rosa, Calif., and Alexander (Robin) Neel of Dodge City, Kan. Additional survivors include a granddaughter, Nicole London; two grandsons, Justin and Gregory Neel; and a sister, Mary Ann Blackwood of Atlanta, Ga.

A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. Memorial contributions can be made to the James V. Neel Fund, which will be used to support an annual fellowship and an annual lectureship in the Department of Human Genetics. Contributions should be sent to the Department of Human Genetics, 4708 Medical Science II Building, Box 0618, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.

USA Yearbooks by State and County

[ Return to Index ] [ Read Prev Obituaries ] [ Read Next Obituaries ]

University of Michigan Faculty Obituary Collection is maintained by GenealogyBuff with WebBBS 5.12.

Records Search | PublicData.com
Find Records From Across The USA For Just Pennies A Search! Search NOW!

GenealogyBank.com - latest additions!

NEW! - Michigan Data Catalog

Handy Wikitree Search Engine

Search Michigan Obituaries

US Federal 1940 Census Search (FREE)

MyHeritage.com Hacks (No, really...lol!)

5 Basic Strategies for searching Newspapers.com



Obituaries memorialize the lives of your ancestors.

The 1950 Federal Census release!

Ancestry HACKS

Births, Deaths, Marriages

Military Records

Census / Voter Lists

Immigration Research

Colorize or Animate Photos
Surname Origin and Meanings

Choose the first letter of your surname:

A   B   C   D   E

F   G   H   I   J

K   L   M   N   O

P   Q   R   S   T

U   V   W   Y   Z

Surname Origin and Meanings

Choose the first letter of your surname:

A   B   C   D   E

F   G   H   I   J

K   L   M   N   O

P   Q   R   S   T

U   V   W   Y   Z

SEARCH VARIOUS VITAL RECORDS:

Death Records

Cemetery Records

Obituary Records

Marriage Records

Birth Records

Divorce Records

Vital Records

  Discover you family history through historical newspapers at Newspapers.com

Show ALL Obituary Collections

User-Contributed Genealogy Data Forum

User-Contributed Obituary Forum

Library of Genealogy Files

United States Newspaper Directory

United States Counties

United States Cities

USA NEWSPAPER
ARCHIVES
Alabama Newspapers
Alaska Newspapers
Arizona Newspapers
Arkansas Newspapers
California Newspapers
Colorado Newspapers
Connecticut Newspapers
Delaware Newspapers
Florida Newspapers
Georgia Newspapers
Idaho Newspapers
Illinois Newspapers
Indiana Newspapers
Iowa Newspapers
Kansas Newspapers
Kentucky Newspapers
Louisiana Newspapers
Maine Newspapers
Maryland Newspapers
Massachusetts Newspapers
Michigan Newspapers
Minnesota Newspapers
Missouri Newspapers
Montana Newspapers
Nebraska Newspapers
Nevada Newspapers
New Hampshire Newspapers
New Jersey Newspapers
New Mexico Newspapers
New York Newspapers
North Carolina Newspapers
North Dakota Newspapers
Ohio Newspapers
Oklahoma Newspapers
Oregon Newspapers
Pennsylvania Newspapers
Rhode Island Newspapers
South Carolina Newspapers
South Dakota Newspapers
Tennessee Newspapers
Texas Newspapers
Utah Newspapers
Virginia Newspapers
Washington Newspapers
West Virginia Newspapers

This website may earn a commission when buying items through keyword links on this page.


CanadianObits.com - GenLookups.com
Marriage Search Engines - WeddingNoticeArchive.com - HonorStudentsArchive.com

Return to Main Page
Copyright © 2004-2024 All Rights Reserved - Bill Cribbs, CrippleCrab Creations