Obituaries

W.D. Currier, Barbara Cannon, James Sandison, Ronald Ross

W.D. Currier, M.D.

Dr. W.D. “Bill” Currier, pioneer in the field of nutrition and preventive medicine, died April 19 in Pasadena at the age of 97.

Born in Rockville, Neb., January 6, 1909, Dr. Currier received his B.S. degree in 1930, from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln; his M.D. in 1938, from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine at Omaha and M.S.,1941, from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo.

He took five years of post graduate training in ear, nose and throat and taught briefly at Harvard Medical School in Boston before moving to Pasadena in 1945 to establish his ear, nose and throat practice. In 1948, he was commissioned by the Surgeon General of the United States to inspect military and public health facilities throughout the Orient. He later served the government of India in a similar capacity.

Dr. Currier was a member of the medical societies of Pasadena, Los Angeles County and the State of California and was founder and president of the International Academy of Applied Nutrition. He served on the faculty of the University of Southern California School of Medicine for over 25 years and later took emeritus status. He was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Early in his practice, Dr. Bill began to investigate nutritional deficiencies which he believed responsible for many complaints and diseases of his ear, nose and throat patients and the connections between diet and lifestyle in his patients’ health, an idea not prevalent in the general practice of medicine at that time. He became an active promoter of metabolic medicine, wrote papers and lectured frequently in the field of nutrition and preventive medicine. He served five years as the National Secretary of the American Academy of Applied Nutrition.

Bill belonged to the University Club of Pasadena, where he enjoyed playing bridge at lunch time and was a golfing member of the La Cañada Country Club. However, his biggest passion was traveling, which he did from the Arctic to the Antarctic with many stops in between.

Dr. Currier is survived by his wife, Dorothy; sons Rock of Arcadia and Cam of Pasadena; daughter Beth of Arroyo Grande; step-daughter Carol Kunert and her family of La Cañada Flintridge and three devoted nieces living in the Bay Area, Washington and Wyoming.

Services will be private. Remembrance donations may be sent to Huntington Memorial Hospital, 100 West California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91109.

Barbara Sandison

Former La Cañada resident Barbara Starr Sandison, born June 25, 1921 in San Francisco, passed away on April 6 in San Diego. She was the beloved wife of Robert W. Sandison.

Barbara was the devoted mother of four children, Teri, Jud, Bonnie and Janet, who will miss her deeply. She also will be truly missed by her five grandchildren, Adam, Shannon, Brandi, Skylar and Heather.

Barbara was raised in San Francisco by her parents, Judson L. and Nignon Starr. Judson was an artist. Barbara and her two sisters, Elizabeth and Bernadine, met many of California’s most prominent artists during their childhood.

Barbara graduated from Lowell High School and worked for several years prior to joining the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. She met her husband, Bob Sandison, on a blind date during the war, while Bob was stationed in San Francisco.

Their courtship reflected the times, with dinner dancing to the big bands at the hotels in San Francisco being one of their special activities. They were married in that city on March 11, 1944.

After the war, Barbara and Bob moved to La Cañada, where they started their family near Bob’s family, all of whom lived in the Glendale area. Barbara devoted herself to raising her children and took pride in maintaining a beautiful home.

After retirement, Barbara and Bob traveled the world for 25 years, and were well known for their colorful travel tales and photos from exotic locales.

They moved to Solana Beach in northern San Diego County 14 years ago, and continued an active sport and social life right up to the end.

Her husband of 62 years and her entire family and numerous friends will miss Barbara. A celebration of her life was held April 23 in Del Mar.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to San Diego Hospice, 4311 Third Ave. San Diego, CA 92103-1407.

James R. Cannon

James Robert Cannon, born Sept. 14, 1925, passed away April 16 in Walnut Creek.

He was born to Frederick J. Cannon and Helen Massey Cannon in San Francisco and lived his entire life in various parts of the state.

He leaves behind his wife of 52 years, Marian Griffith Cannon; his son and daughter in law, Frederick L. Cannon and Jean Mitchell; and daughter Linda Cannon-Reese. He is also survived by his five beloved grandchildren: Kyle Cannon, Griffith Cannon, Claire Cannon, Tyler Cannon-Reese and Tucker Cannon-Reese. He was preceded in death by his father, mother, stepmother Ruth Cannon and his brother William “Bill” Cannon.

Jim was a graduate of South Pasadena High School and the University of Southern California, where he held three degrees including a B.E. and M.S. in civil engineering.

He served his country during World War II in the U.S. Navy on the battleship USS Mississippi and later achieved the rank of commander in the Naval Reserve Civil Engineering Corp (Seabees).

He was a distinguished civil engineer specializing in water resources for more than 40 years, retiring as chief design engineer at the consulting firm Bookman Edmonston.

Jim was an enthusiastic sailor and after retiring pursued world travel and volunteer work.

He will be sadly missed by all, but his spirit and his commitment to his family will be long remembered. Jim was an exemplary husband, father, grandfather and friend.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, April 28, at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2100 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Deacon’s Fund at the Grace Presbyterian Church, the Military Association of America Scholarship Fund or charity of your choice.

Ronald K. Ross, 57, Chair of Preventive Medicine at USC

Ronald K. Ross, a respected pioneer in research on the relationship between hormones and cancer and chair of the renowned Department of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, died of brain cancer Friday, April 21. He was 57.

Ross’s groundbreaking work included providing evidence of a strong association between menopausal estrogen use and breast cancer risk. His research led to critical scientific progress in understanding the role of cellular proliferation in cancer and understanding the effects of aspirin and other analgesics on both cancer development and on cancer prevention. He was among the first to demonstrate the health risks and benefits of alcohol consumption and explain how medical history and lifestyle impact the risks of bladder and kidney cancer.

“Ron was enormously creative,” noted Brian Henderson, Dean of the Keck School of Medicine and for many years Ross’s colleague in the Department of Preventive Medicine. “He was tirelessly dedicated to his research, but more so to the people he worked with, whether it was faculty or staff. He had a very special talent for bringing people from diverse disciplines together - to creating interdisciplinary teams of scientists.”

As chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine and deputy director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ross led USC to the top in the country in terms of funding for preventive medicine research – although he was known for writing his grant applications in long hand on a yellow pad.

“He was a brilliant scientist who had a burning passion for epidemiologic research,” said Peter Jones, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. “He had an instinct for science and people, and his advice was always right on target. This is an enormous loss.”

Ross was highly regarded not only as a scientist but also as an administrator, leader and role model.

“He was the best at everything he did,” noted Leslie Bernstein, professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School. “He pushed us all to achieve excellence, and he always knew the right direction to take whenever we weren’t certain. His feedback was never negative – it was ‘Let’s take it a step further’ and he always made you feel like it was innovative.”

A native of Muscatine, Iowa, Ross received both his masters and his medical degree in 1975 from the University of Iowa after completing his undergraduate work at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He was recently awarded the University of Iowa Alumni Association’s highest honor —the Distinguished Alumni Award—for his research accomplishments in cancer epidemiology, in which he focused on interactions between the environment and genetics in the etiology of cancer.

Ross spent his entire career at USC, joining the faculty as an instructor in what was then known as the Department of Community and Family Medicine in 1976. In 1987 he became director of the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program, one of the leading groups in developing new ways to do population-based studies of disease and evaluating demographic patterns of cancer risk.

“Los Angeles is the perfect place to do this sort of work,” he once noted. “We have a lot of population resources around here that we exploit. It’s one of the draws for coming to USC, and it is one reason why people stay.”

With more than 250 publications to his name, Ross was recognized as one of the leading experts in hormone-related cancers. He held the Catherine and Joseph Aresty Chair in Urologic Cancer, Flora L. Thornton Chair in Preventive Medicine and was among the top-funded faculty members at the Keck School of Medicine, in some years generating more than $6 million in grants.

When he was appointed chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine in 1999, Ross said the department “is one of the best models for interdisciplinary research, which is the future of all scientific research. I don’t think there are any scientists in this department who are not actively engaged in research with other scientists in other departments.”

Ross, who loved travel and deep sea fishing, had a tradition of taking his three children and meeting with a group of friends and their children every Father’s Day in La Paz, Mexico. “He was important to so many people,” said Bernstein. “His contributions to science will have a lasting impact. His friendship will be missed by many.”

Ross is survived by his wife Karen and their three children, Jason, Jonathan and Kally. Services will be held Saturday, April 29, 2006 at St. Bede Catholic Church in La Canada at 10 a.m. The family requests that all donations in his name go to the Dr. Ronald Ross Cancer Fund at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1441 Eastlake Ave., Room 8302, Los Angeles, CA, 90033.