5 Nov 2006: Dr. John P. Marbarger, 90, Ft. Myers, FL, died September 11, 2006. Memorial service November 11 at Trinity United Church of Christ, Palmyra, Rev. John C. Binkley officiating. Interment at Gravel Hill Cemetery Mausoleum. Dr. Marbarger was born September 2, 1916, in Palmyra to Clarence and Miriam Porter Marbarger. His father practiced dentistry in Palmyra for over 60 years. As a young man, he often worked at Hershey Park, attended schools in Palmyra and graduated from Palmyra High School in 1934. He later attended Lebanon Valley College and graduated in 1938. He then attended John Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, obtaining a Ph.D. in physiology in 1941. In 1972 he received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from his alma mater, Lebanon Valley College. Dr. Marbarger began his career as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force during World War II and while doing research for the Air Force at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, he met his wife of 63 years. They were married in 1943 in Dayton, OH, after he was stationed at Wright-Patterson Field. While there, he continued to do research for the Air Force. Following the war, he joined the faculty at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT. He later joined the faculty at the University of Illinois Medical Center Campus in Chicago, IL, and remained there until 1980. He was the head of the Research Resources Laboratory and served the university in many other capacities including the design of an undergraduate program in bioengineering for Circle Campus. When he retired, he was an associate dean in the Graduate College. Dr. Marbarger became internationally known and highly respected as a scientist in the aeromedical field. He edited the book Space Medicine in 1951 and for over 25 years, the scientific journal "Aerospace Medicine." He contributed to both the Apollo and Soyus space programs and, as a result, the United States and the Soviet Union launched the first international manned space mission. He still found time for his family and hobbies sailing, golf, clock repair, and world travel. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Clarence Jr., and sister Jean Medinger. He is survived by his wife, Edith of Ft. Myers; daughter Kathleen Hughes of Wheaton, IL; and two sons, Dr. John P. Jr. of St. Louis, MO, and Dr. Peter D. of Anchorage, AK; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and other relatives and friends. [Lebanon Daily News]