Alumnus Ganaway Mourned
Dr. James R. Ganaway, who retired after 33 years of federal service in the summer of 1984 as NIH’s principal expert on naturally occurring infectious diseases of laboratory animals, died Oct. 4 at age 91 in Lewes, Del.
Ganaway’s NIH career began in 1961 when he became chief of the microbiology unit, comparative pathology section, Veterinary Resources Branch, Division of Research Services. He was also a veterinary director in the PHS Commissioned Corps.
Ganaway received his D.V.M. from the University of Missouri in 1953; he had served in the U.S. Army 1944-1947. He began veterinary and public health practice as a commissioned officer in the Air Force, 1953-1961, and during that period he earned an M.P.H. degree in 1958 at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. He then began his career in diagnostic and research laboratory work at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology before joining NIH.
After his retirement from NIH and the PHS, Ganaway spent 3 years at Microbiological Associates, Inc., as director of veterinary medicine.
Ganaway was a member of numerous academic fraternities and veterinary medical associations, authored more than 41 peer-reviewed papers in medical journals and chapters in books and made many presentations at national and international scientific meetings. He received the PHS Commendation Medal in 1980, and the Charles A. Griffin Award—the oldest award given by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science—in 1984 “for outstanding accomplishments in the improvement of the care and quality of animals used in biologic and medical research.”
Ganaway is survived by a brother and sister, 3 daughters, 9 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.