Dr. Myrene C. McAninch Ph.D.

Dr. Myrene C. McANINCH, PhD Dr. Myrene McAninch, PhD passed away on January 13, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. Myrene was born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1930 and raised by her Mother and Maternal Grandmother. The family relocated to Tacoma, Washington where Myrene attended Jason Lee Middle School and Stadium High School. Myrene went on to the University of Washington and received BA's in English and Early Childhood Development. Myrene found that she had a passion for the vulnerable in our society and her life was dedicated to the developmentally disabled and the ongoing wellness issues of the elderly. Myrene went on to complete her Masters in Learning Disabilities and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the UW in 1968. As part of her pioneering work in developing teaching materials for children with learning disabilities, Myrene found that development of socialization skills was a critical component. Myrene was instrumental in the development of the Pilot School at the UW as a demonstration project for techniques in working with learning disabilities. Over the next 7 years she was Director at Highline-West Seattle Community Mental Health Center. She was also appointed Vice President of the National Community Mental Health Association. Myrene worked on the development of National Standards for patient care, including specific commitment procedures for Washington State. She would move on to the national stage as a director with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations in Chicago. She resigned from JCAHO in 1990 and became a nationally recognized consultant in Healthcare. In 1996, Myrene and her husband Walt entered the Park Shore Retirement Community in Seattle. Myrene was immediately assigned to the Healthcare Committee and the Advisory Board where she would help the facility focus on "Wellness" issues including the hiring of a Fitness Director, improving the healthy content of the food, and lobbying to hire a Wellness Director. In 1999, Myrene was diagnosed with breast cancer and participated as an early volunteer for the new drug, Herceptin. After many years of treatment, Myrene won the battle with cancer but sadly would eventually succumb to Alzheimer's disease. Myrene was preceded in death by her husband Walter H. McAninch in March of 2000. Walter was the founding President of Contract Hardware, Inc. in Seattle. A memorial service will be held in the spring to honor Myrene's life and her many accomplishments. Please contact Dale Garrett, PR, C/O Contract Hardware, Inc. 12100 NE 195th St., Suite 250, Bothell, WA 98011 for memorial service notification requests. Charitable Donations may be made to the UW School of Nursing/Healthy Aging Program, Box 357260, Seattle, WA 98195. Sign Myrene's on-line Guest Book at www.Legacy.com.