In Memoriam

Remembering those who have passed

Michael Blood, M.D., ‘81, died July 16, 2013. He was 57. Dr. Blood is survived by his wife, June; and children, Megan, Kristen, Daniel and Jason.

John Brothers, M.D., ‘65, HS ‘70, died Nov. 9, 2013. He was 74. He is survived by his wife, Anne; children, John, Carter and Robert; and five grandchildren.

John Chapman, M.D., HS ‘73, died Dec. 30, 2012. He was 68. Dr. Chapman is survived by his wife, Molly; children, Emily and Erin; and two grandchildren.

Dr. Collins is survived by his wife Elizabeth Cate Collins; his children: Robert Deaver Collins, Jr. (Rebecca); Richard Roos-Collins (Margit); Elizabeth Landress Collins (Steven); and William Drew Collins, (Janet); five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Donations may be sent to the Vanderbilt Medical School Endowed Scholarship Program, Alive Hospice, American Rivers and West End United Methodist Church.
 

Frederic Cowden, M.D., ‘42, BA ‘39, HS ‘47, FAC ‘86, died Sept. 28, 2013. He was 97. He was predeceased by his wife, Miriam, and son Fred. He is survived by children, Louise and Mary; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

William Cromartie, M.D., HS ‘39, died Jan. 28, 2013. He was 99. He was predeceased by his wife, Josephine. He is survived by children, William, Robert, Mary, John and Martha; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Achilles Demetriou, M.D., HS ‘82, died June 20, 2013. He was 67. Dr. Demetriou is survived by his wife, Kristen; children, Nedia and Nicholas; and two grandchildren.

Harry Ezell, M.D., ‘44, HS ‘45, died Oct. 9, 2013. He was 93. Dr. Ezell was predeceased by his first wife, Miriam, and is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; children, Harry III, Mark, Doug, Will and Nancy; stepchildren, John, Beth and Scott; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Jackson Harris, M.D., FAC ‘01, died Sept. 5, 2013. He was 87. Dr. Harris was predeceased by his wife, Martha; He is survived by
his children, Jackson, Ginger, Julie and Jeanne, and eight grandchildren.

Jessie Howard, M.D., HS ‘63, died Sept. 29, 2013. He was 86. Dr. Howard was predeceased by his wife, Thelma, and is survived by children, David, Carol and Diane; and four grandchildren.

Henry Kirkman Jr., M.D., HS ‘57, died May 29, 2013. He was 86. Dr. Kirkman was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret, and is survived by children, Alice, David, Marian and Celia; and three grandchildren.

Don Krohn, M.D., FAC ‘92, died Aug. 2, 2013. He was 84. Dr. Krohn is survived by his wife, Betty Jo; children, Bill, Vicki, David and Katherine; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

William Lane III, M.D., HS ‘63, died July 2, 2013. He was 77. Dr. Lane is survived by his wife, Gail; children Cheryl, Cristy and Mark; and seven grandchildren.

James Lanier III, M.D., ‘42, BA ‘39, HS ‘49, FE ‘48, died Sept. 27, 2013. He was 95. He is survived by his wife, Mary; and children, Suzanne, Linda and James; and four grandchildren.

Marion Russell Lawler Jr., M.D., HS ‘69, died June 18, 2013. He was 75. Dr. Lawler is survived by his companion, Susan; children, Marion and Karen; and four grandchildren.

George Mann, M.D., FAC ‘88, died July 17, 2013. He was 95. Dr. Mann is survived by his children Ted, Marian, Daniel, Nathaniel and Paul; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Jack Martin, M.D., ‘53, died Sept. 7, 2013. He was 86. Dr. Martin is survived by his wife, Ann; children, Sarah, Richard, Charles and Robert; and nine grandchildren.

James O’Brien, M.D., HS ‘75, died July 29, 2013. He was 64. Dr. O’Brien is survived by his parents, Donald and Evelyn; siblings, Joe, Mary Beth and Walter; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mark Parsons, M.D., ‘81, FE ‘89, died Sept. 15, 2013. He was 57. Dr. Parsons is survived by his wife, the Rev. Lou Tucker Parsons, and children, Lisa and William.

Evangelos Polakis, M.D., HS ‘57, died Oct. 7, 2013. He was 87. He is survived by his wife, Youla; children, Jerry, Maria, Vicky, Anastasia and Ersi; and three grandchildren.

Leonard Rabold, M.D., ‘41, died Sept. 1, 2013. He was 98. Dr. Rabold was predeceased by his wife, Emily. He is survived by his children, Jeanne, Barbara, Rod and Susan; and eight grandchildren.

James Shaw, Jr., M.D., HS ‘74, died Sept. 5, 2013. He was 75. Dr. Shaw is survived by his wife, Pat; children John, Stephen, Merri, Mark and Susan; and five grandchildren.

Marion Smith, M.D., ‘49, HS ‘56, died Aug. 19, 2013. He was 78.

Patrick Tekeli, M.D., ‘84, died June 27, 2013. He was 55. Dr. Tekeli is survived by his mother, Stella; siblings Michael, and Wendy; step brothers Michael, Steve and Douglas; companion, Pam; and nephew Nicholas.

Mary Lou Watkins, M.D.,Ph.D., ‘67, HS ‘82, died Aug. 24, 2013. She was 78. Dr. Watkins is survived by her son, Stephen, and six grandchildren.

Gerald Winokur, M.D., ‘43, BA ‘40, HS ‘48, died July 6, 2013. He was 94. Dr. Winokur is survived by his wife, Marian; children, Nancy and Susan; and two grandchildren.

Otis Wooley Jr., M.D., ‘55, died June 10, 2013. He was 84. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; children Otis, John, Laura and Dudley; and six grandchildren.

Robert D. Collins, M.D., professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Emeritus, died Nov. 28, 2013. He was 85.
Dr. Collins received his B.A. in 1948 and his M.D. in 1951, from Vanderbilt. He began his prestigious career at Vanderbilt as an instructor of Pathology in 1957. He attained the rank of professor in 1968 and established the Division of Hematopathology in the early 1970s.
From 1996 through 2009, he held the John L. Shapiro Chair in Pathology. Dr. Collins was designated the Harvie Branscomb Distinguished Professor in recognition of his “distinguished accomplishment in furthering the aims of Vanderbilt University.” He received the Grant Liddle Award for Excellence in Research. Dr. Collins received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Association.
He influenced generations of medical students as an iconic teacher and mentor. Many credit him with being among their earliest and most influential role models regarding professionalism and what it means to be a Vanderbilt doctor. Dr. Collins has been honored with numerous teaching awards such as, the Shovel Award (four times) and the Jack Davies Award for Best Preclinical Teacher (seven times). The Medical School faculty award, for Excellence in Teaching Medical or Graduate Students or Practicing Physician in the Lecture Setting, is named the Robert D. Collins Award in his honor.