John Fielding Crigler, Jr. MD, September 11, 1919 – May 13, 2018
Dr. John Fielding Crigler, Jr., who was among the founders of the field of pediatric endocrinology died on May 13 at his home in Needham, Mass. He was 98.
Dr. Crigler, a longtime resident of Wellesley, Mass., was a pediatrician, pediatric endocrinologist and clinical investigator, serving most of his career at the Boston Children’s Hospital and on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School. At Children’s, he was hired to start the Pediatric Endocrine Division in 1955 and served as its chief for more than 30 years. Recognizing that researchers and physicians could learn from each other, he founded its Clinical Research Center in 1965 and was its director and principal investigator. He established one of the first training programs in pediatric endocrinology through which he mentored hundreds of endocrinologists, many of whom went on to become national and international leaders.
In 1998, Dr. Crigler’s 1952 study on salt-losing congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), developed while working as a fellow at Johns Hopkins, was chosen by the medical journal Pediatrics as the most important endocrinology paper published in its first 50 years. He authored over 70 clinical research papers and made important contributions to the pathophysiology and treatment of CAH, glycogen storage diseases, precocious puberty and other endocrine disorders throughout his career. In 2011 Dr. Crigler was awarded the Judson J. Van Wyk Prize, given by the Pediatric Endocrine Society in recognition of outstanding career achievement in the field that he had helped establish. This award stands in tribute to an exceptional leader whose career is marked by scientific excellence, leadership, and dedication to the health of children.
As a medical student, intern and resident at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Crigler’s meticulous attention to patient histories led to his identification of Crigler - Najjar Syndrome – a rare gene mutation appearing often in Mennonite and Amish communities, it impairs a child’s metabolism leading to liver and brain damage. Often fatal at the time, he developed an early treatment regimen. Gene therapy research is still ongoing to find a cure. Throughout his career, he was well known for comprehensive longitudinal studies, exemplars of clinical investigation that united his scientific curiosity with attentive empathy towards patients, many of whom remained in touch throughout his retirement.
He retired in 2007 as Chief Emeritus of the Division of Endocrinology at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor emeritus of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1919, John Fielding Crigler, Jr. graduated from Duke University in 1939 and entered the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine that same year. He met his future wife, Mary Adele, during his first days of medical school, a coincidence that he described throughout his life as “stumbling on happiness.”
During World War II, he served as medical officer and First Lieutenant in the Navy in both the European and Pacific theaters. Afterward, Dr. Crigler trained as a fellow at Johns Hopkins in pediatrics and studied biophysical chemistry and molecular biology at MIT before joining Children’s Hospital.
No summary of the life of John Fielding Crigler, Jr. would be complete without recognition of his devotion to his wife of 63 years, Mary Adele Sippel Crigler, who died in 2007. As a testament not only to the work of a lifetime, but also to the loving partnership that enlivened and inspired it, when the Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston honored him with a named professorship, they included her: The John Fielding Crigler, Jr. and Mary Adele Sippel Crigler Chair in Pediatric Endocrinology at Children’s Hospital Boston.
In addition to his professional achievements, Dr. Crigler gave his time to local organizations: his neighborhood’s philosophy group, a term as president of the PTA at Hunnewell School, and being a Deacon and member of the Covenant Group in the Village Church, where he was a member for over 60 years.
He is survived by four children, Catherine Drury Crigler Greenwood of Brookline, MA; John Fielding Crigler III, of Irvine, CA; Ann Norris Crigler of South Pasadena, CA; and Virginia Ijams Crigler Guenette of Lenox, MA; as well as four grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Contributions may be made in his memory to the charity of one’s choice.
Burial will take place at Hebron Lutheran Church, 899 Blankenbaker Road, Madison on Friday, May 18, at 11am.
Note:
Catherine “Dru” Greenwood, husband Ted Greenwood, son Daniel, his wife Jessica and children Joshua and Rebecca, and son Benjamin, wife Emily Rose; John Fielding Crigler III, wife Jean Marie Arrigo; Ann Norris Crigler, husband Stephen Caine; Virginia “Ginny” Guenette, daughter Isabel, her husband J. Michael Thornton, and son William Guenette.
Also survived by sisters-in-law Emilie Crigler of Charlotte and her son Norris and family of Asheville; Trudie Crigler of Charlotte, and her sons Benner, David, Robert and John and their families; niece Edy Brockmeyer and family, nephews Gary and Karl and their families.
Dr. John Fielding Crigler, Jr., who was among the founders of the field of pediatric endocrinology died on May 13 at his home in Needham, Mass. He was 98.
Dr. Crigler, a longtime resident of Wellesley, Mass., was a pediatrician, pediatric endocrinologist and clinical investigator, serving most of his career at the Boston Children’s Hospital and on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School. At Children’s, he was hired to start the Pediatric Endocrine Division in 1955 and served as its chief for more than 30 years. Recognizing that researchers and physicians could learn from each other, he founded its Clinical Research Center in 1965 and was its director and principal investigator. He established one of the first training programs in pediatric endocrinology through which he mentored hundreds of endocrinologists, many of whom went on to become national and international leaders.
In 1998, Dr. Crigler’s 1952 study on salt-losing congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), developed while working as a fellow at Johns Hopkins, was chosen by the medical journal Pediatrics as the most important endocrinology paper published in its first 50 years. He authored over 70 clinical research papers and made important contributions to the pathophysiology and treatment of CAH, glycogen storage diseases, precocious puberty and other endocrine disorders throughout his career. In 2011 Dr. Crigler was awarded the Judson J. Van Wyk Prize, given by the Pediatric Endocrine Society in recognition of outstanding career achievement in the field that he had helped establish. This award stands in tribute to an exceptional leader whose career is marked by scientific excellence, leadership, and dedication to the health of children.
As a medical student, intern and resident at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Crigler’s meticulous attention to patient histories led to his identification of Crigler - Najjar Syndrome – a rare gene mutation appearing often in Mennonite and Amish communities, it impairs a child’s metabolism leading to liver and brain damage. Often fatal at the time, he developed an early treatment regimen. Gene therapy research is still ongoing to find a cure. Throughout his career, he was well known for comprehensive longitudinal studies, exemplars of clinical investigation that united his scientific curiosity with attentive empathy towards patients, many of whom remained in touch throughout his retirement.
He retired in 2007 as Chief Emeritus of the Division of Endocrinology at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor emeritus of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1919, John Fielding Crigler, Jr. graduated from Duke University in 1939 and entered the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine that same year. He met his future wife, Mary Adele, during his first days of medical school, a coincidence that he described throughout his life as “stumbling on happiness.”
During World War II, he served as medical officer and First Lieutenant in the Navy in both the European and Pacific theaters. Afterward, Dr. Crigler trained as a fellow at Johns Hopkins in pediatrics and studied biophysical chemistry and molecular biology at MIT before joining Children’s Hospital.
No summary of the life of John Fielding Crigler, Jr. would be complete without recognition of his devotion to his wife of 63 years, Mary Adele Sippel Crigler, who died in 2007. As a testament not only to the work of a lifetime, but also to the loving partnership that enlivened and inspired it, when the Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston honored him with a named professorship, they included her: The John Fielding Crigler, Jr. and Mary Adele Sippel Crigler Chair in Pediatric Endocrinology at Children’s Hospital Boston.
In addition to his professional achievements, Dr. Crigler gave his time to local organizations: his neighborhood’s philosophy group, a term as president of the PTA at Hunnewell School, and being a Deacon and member of the Covenant Group in the Village Church, where he was a member for over 60 years.
He is survived by four children, Catherine Drury Crigler Greenwood of Brookline, MA; John Fielding Crigler III, of Irvine, CA; Ann Norris Crigler of South Pasadena, CA; and Virginia Ijams Crigler Guenette of Lenox, MA; as well as four grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Contributions may be made in his memory to the charity of one’s choice.
Burial will take place at Hebron Lutheran Church, 899 Blankenbaker Road, Madison on Friday, May 18, at 11am.
Note:
Catherine “Dru” Greenwood, husband Ted Greenwood, son Daniel, his wife Jessica and children Joshua and Rebecca, and son Benjamin, wife Emily Rose; John Fielding Crigler III, wife Jean Marie Arrigo; Ann Norris Crigler, husband Stephen Caine; Virginia “Ginny” Guenette, daughter Isabel, her husband J. Michael Thornton, and son William Guenette.
Also survived by sisters-in-law Emilie Crigler of Charlotte and her son Norris and family of Asheville; Trudie Crigler of Charlotte, and her sons Benner, David, Robert and John and their families; niece Edy Brockmeyer and family, nephews Gary and Karl and their families.
John Fielding Crigler, Jr. MD, September 11, 1919 – May 13, 2018
Dr. John Fielding Crigler, Jr., who was among the founders of the field of pediatric endocrinology died on May 13 at his home in Needham, Mass. He was 98.
Dr. Crigler, a longtime resident of Wellesley, Mass., was a pediatrician, pediatric endocrinologist and clinical investigator, serving most of his career at the Boston Children’s Hospital and on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School. At Children’s, he was hired to start the Pediatric Endocrine Division in 1955 and served as its chief for more than 30 years. Recognizing that researchers and physicians could learn from each other, he founded its Clinical Research Center in 1965 and was its director and principal investigator. He established one of the first training programs in pediatric endocrinology through which he mentored hundreds of endocrinologists, many of whom went on to become national and international leaders.
In 1998, Dr. Crigler’s 1952 study on salt-losing congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), developed while working as a fellow at Johns Hopkins, was chosen by the medical journal Pediatrics as the most important endocrinology paper published in its first 50 years. He authored over 70 clinical research papers and made important contributions to the pathophysiology and treatment of CAH, glycogen storage diseases, precocious puberty and other endocrine disorders throughout his career. In 2011 Dr. Crigler was awarded the Judson J. Van Wyk Prize, given by the Pediatric Endocrine Society in recognition of outstanding career achievement in the field that he had helped establish. This award stands in tribute to an exceptional leader whose career is marked by scientific excellence, leadership, and dedication to the health of children.
As a medical student, intern and resident at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Crigler’s meticulous attention to patient histories led to his identification of Crigler - Najjar Syndrome – a rare gene mutation appearing often in Mennonite and Amish communities, it impairs a child’s metabolism leading to liver and brain damage. Often fatal at the time, he developed an early treatment regimen. Gene therapy research is still ongoing to find a cure. Throughout his career, he was well known for comprehensive longitudinal studies, exemplars of clinical investigation that united his scientific curiosity with attentive empathy towards patients, many of whom remained in touch throughout his retirement.
He retired in 2007 as Chief Emeritus of the Division of Endocrinology at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor emeritus of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1919, John Fielding Crigler, Jr. graduated from Duke University in 1939 and entered the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine that same year. He met his future wife, Mary Adele, during his first days of medical school, a coincidence that he described throughout his life as “stumbling on happiness.”
During World War II, he served as medical officer and First Lieutenant in the Navy in both the European and Pacific theaters. Afterward, Dr. Crigler trained as a fellow at Johns Hopkins in pediatrics and studied biophysical chemistry and molecular biology at MIT before joining Children’s Hospital.
No summary of the life of John Fielding Crigler, Jr. would be complete without recognition of his devotion to his wife of 63 years, Mary Adele Sippel Crigler, who died in 2007. As a testament not only to the work of a lifetime, but also to the loving partnership that enlivened and inspired it, when the Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston honored him with a named professorship, they included her: The John Fielding Crigler, Jr. and Mary Adele Sippel Crigler Chair in Pediatric Endocrinology at Children’s Hospital Boston.
In addition to his professional achievements, Dr. Crigler gave his time to local organizations: his neighborhood’s philosophy group, a term as president of the PTA at Hunnewell School, and being a Deacon and member of the Covenant Group in the Village Church, where he was a member for over 60 years.
He is survived by four children, Catherine Drury Crigler Greenwood of Brookline, MA; John Fielding Crigler III, of Irvine, CA; Ann Norris Crigler of South Pasadena, CA; and Virginia Ijams Crigler Guenette of Lenox, MA; as well as four grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Contributions may be made in his memory to the charity of one’s choice.
Burial will take place at Hebron Lutheran Church, 899 Blankenbaker Road, Madison on Friday, May 18, at 11am.
Note:
Catherine “Dru” Greenwood, husband Ted Greenwood, son Daniel, his wife Jessica and children Joshua and Rebecca, and son Benjamin, wife Emily Rose; John Fielding Crigler III, wife Jean Marie Arrigo; Ann Norris Crigler, husband Stephen Caine; Virginia “Ginny” Guenette, daughter Isabel, her husband J. Michael Thornton, and son William Guenette.
Also survived by sisters-in-law Emilie Crigler of Charlotte and her son Norris and family of Asheville; Trudie Crigler of Charlotte, and her sons Benner, David, Robert and John and their families; niece Edy Brockmeyer and family, nephews Gary and Karl and their families.
Dr. John Fielding Crigler, Jr., who was among the founders of the field of pediatric endocrinology died on May 13 at his home in Needham, Mass. He was 98.
Dr. Crigler, a longtime resident of Wellesley, Mass., was a pediatrician, pediatric endocrinologist and clinical investigator, serving most of his career at the Boston Children’s Hospital and on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School. At Children’s, he was hired to start the Pediatric Endocrine Division in 1955 and served as its chief for more than 30 years. Recognizing that researchers and physicians could learn from each other, he founded its Clinical Research Center in 1965 and was its director and principal investigator. He established one of the first training programs in pediatric endocrinology through which he mentored hundreds of endocrinologists, many of whom went on to become national and international leaders.
In 1998, Dr. Crigler’s 1952 study on salt-losing congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), developed while working as a fellow at Johns Hopkins, was chosen by the medical journal Pediatrics as the most important endocrinology paper published in its first 50 years. He authored over 70 clinical research papers and made important contributions to the pathophysiology and treatment of CAH, glycogen storage diseases, precocious puberty and other endocrine disorders throughout his career. In 2011 Dr. Crigler was awarded the Judson J. Van Wyk Prize, given by the Pediatric Endocrine Society in recognition of outstanding career achievement in the field that he had helped establish. This award stands in tribute to an exceptional leader whose career is marked by scientific excellence, leadership, and dedication to the health of children.
As a medical student, intern and resident at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Crigler’s meticulous attention to patient histories led to his identification of Crigler - Najjar Syndrome – a rare gene mutation appearing often in Mennonite and Amish communities, it impairs a child’s metabolism leading to liver and brain damage. Often fatal at the time, he developed an early treatment regimen. Gene therapy research is still ongoing to find a cure. Throughout his career, he was well known for comprehensive longitudinal studies, exemplars of clinical investigation that united his scientific curiosity with attentive empathy towards patients, many of whom remained in touch throughout his retirement.
He retired in 2007 as Chief Emeritus of the Division of Endocrinology at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor emeritus of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1919, John Fielding Crigler, Jr. graduated from Duke University in 1939 and entered the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine that same year. He met his future wife, Mary Adele, during his first days of medical school, a coincidence that he described throughout his life as “stumbling on happiness.”
During World War II, he served as medical officer and First Lieutenant in the Navy in both the European and Pacific theaters. Afterward, Dr. Crigler trained as a fellow at Johns Hopkins in pediatrics and studied biophysical chemistry and molecular biology at MIT before joining Children’s Hospital.
No summary of the life of John Fielding Crigler, Jr. would be complete without recognition of his devotion to his wife of 63 years, Mary Adele Sippel Crigler, who died in 2007. As a testament not only to the work of a lifetime, but also to the loving partnership that enlivened and inspired it, when the Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston honored him with a named professorship, they included her: The John Fielding Crigler, Jr. and Mary Adele Sippel Crigler Chair in Pediatric Endocrinology at Children’s Hospital Boston.
In addition to his professional achievements, Dr. Crigler gave his time to local organizations: his neighborhood’s philosophy group, a term as president of the PTA at Hunnewell School, and being a Deacon and member of the Covenant Group in the Village Church, where he was a member for over 60 years.
He is survived by four children, Catherine Drury Crigler Greenwood of Brookline, MA; John Fielding Crigler III, of Irvine, CA; Ann Norris Crigler of South Pasadena, CA; and Virginia Ijams Crigler Guenette of Lenox, MA; as well as four grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Contributions may be made in his memory to the charity of one’s choice.
Burial will take place at Hebron Lutheran Church, 899 Blankenbaker Road, Madison on Friday, May 18, at 11am.
Note:
Catherine “Dru” Greenwood, husband Ted Greenwood, son Daniel, his wife Jessica and children Joshua and Rebecca, and son Benjamin, wife Emily Rose; John Fielding Crigler III, wife Jean Marie Arrigo; Ann Norris Crigler, husband Stephen Caine; Virginia “Ginny” Guenette, daughter Isabel, her husband J. Michael Thornton, and son William Guenette.
Also survived by sisters-in-law Emilie Crigler of Charlotte and her son Norris and family of Asheville; Trudie Crigler of Charlotte, and her sons Benner, David, Robert and John and their families; niece Edy Brockmeyer and family, nephews Gary and Karl and their families.
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