IN MEMORIAM
Note: This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues or clients, contact us at www.rsna.org/rsnarights.
COMMUNICATIONS n
In Memoriam
Warren Keith Sinclair, PhD 1924–2014
Dr Warren Keith Sinclair, prominent in the field of radiation protection, science, and physics, passed away on May 14, 2014. He was 90 years old. Dr Sinclair was born on March 9, 1924, in Dunedin, New Zealand. After earning his BSc degree in 1944, he worked for the New Zealand Government. In 1945 he earned his MS degree in physics. He was appointed the first
628
hospital physicist in New Zealand in his hometown of Dunedin. In 1950, he obtained his PhD degree in physics at the University of London (England). In 1954, Dr Sinclair became head of the Physics Department at M.D. Anderson Hospital (Houston, Tex). From 1960 to 1983, he was senior biophysicist at the Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne, Ill), engaged in research involving radiation effects in cultured cells. He served as director of the Division of Biological and Medical Research from 1970 to 1974 and as associate laboratory director until 1981. He was professor of radiation biology at the University of Chicago (Chicago, Ill) and subsequently emeritus professor. In 1977, Dr Sinclair was elected the second president of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) and served until 1991. Under his leadership, the NCRP expanded its activities in “all things radiation.” The NCRP Annual Meeting became a major event in radiation science, and the proceedings are now found in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. The Warren K. Sinclair Keynote Address became a significant part of NCRP’s Annual Meeting in 2004 and remains a lasting recognition of his legacy.
Dr Sinclair served on countless advisory bodies, such as those affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He was a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) and served on the National Academy of Sciences as chairman of its Board of Radiation Effects Research. Dr Sinclair was a past president of the Radiation Research Society and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, which he helped found. He was an emeritus member of Commission on Radiological Protection, member of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Radiation, and the Board of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Japan. He was a long-time delegate to United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, representing the United States. In 2010, his extensive collection of reports, publications, and historical documents related to radiation protection and measurements were donated to Colorado State University. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth (Joy); son, Bruce; daughter Roslyn; two grandchildren, Kyle and Erin; and four great-grandchildren. —Otha W. Linton, MSJ
radiology.rsna.org n Radiology: Volume 274: Number 2—February 2015
Note: This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues or clients, contact us at www.rsna.org/rsnarights.
COMMUNICATIONS n
In Memoriam
Warren Keith Sinclair, PhD 1924–2014
Dr Warren Keith Sinclair, prominent in the field of radiation protection, science, and physics, passed away on May 14, 2014. He was 90 years old. Dr Sinclair was born on March 9, 1924, in Dunedin, New Zealand. After earning his BSc degree in 1944, he worked for the New Zealand Government. In 1945 he earned his MS degree in physics. He was appointed the first
628
hospital physicist in New Zealand in his hometown of Dunedin. In 1950, he obtained his PhD degree in physics at the University of London (England). In 1954, Dr Sinclair became head of the Physics Department at M.D. Anderson Hospital (Houston, Tex). From 1960 to 1983, he was senior biophysicist at the Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne, Ill), engaged in research involving radiation effects in cultured cells. He served as director of the Division of Biological and Medical Research from 1970 to 1974 and as associate laboratory director until 1981. He was professor of radiation biology at the University of Chicago (Chicago, Ill) and subsequently emeritus professor. In 1977, Dr Sinclair was elected the second president of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) and served until 1991. Under his leadership, the NCRP expanded its activities in “all things radiation.” The NCRP Annual Meeting became a major event in radiation science, and the proceedings are now found in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. The Warren K. Sinclair Keynote Address became a significant part of NCRP’s Annual Meeting in 2004 and remains a lasting recognition of his legacy.
Dr Sinclair served on countless advisory bodies, such as those affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He was a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) and served on the National Academy of Sciences as chairman of its Board of Radiation Effects Research. Dr Sinclair was a past president of the Radiation Research Society and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, which he helped found. He was an emeritus member of Commission on Radiological Protection, member of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Radiation, and the Board of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Japan. He was a long-time delegate to United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, representing the United States. In 2010, his extensive collection of reports, publications, and historical documents related to radiation protection and measurements were donated to Colorado State University. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth (Joy); son, Bruce; daughter Roslyn; two grandchildren, Kyle and Erin; and four great-grandchildren. —Otha W. Linton, MSJ
radiology.rsna.org n Radiology: Volume 274: Number 2—February 2015
