James Ransom

James (Jim) Fitzhugh Ransom March 4, 1922 - May 28, 2011 James Fitzhugh Ransom died on May 28th of natural causes. He is survived by his children, Jenifer, James (Sonia), John (Jane), Janet (Rick) and Joel (Elise) and his grandchildren, Shannon, Christopher, Mark, Brendan, and Benjamin. His wife, Julie, preceded him in death in 1996. Originally from Cleveland Ohio, Jim lived most of his life in Palo Alto, California. Jim served with distinction in the United States Navy as a First Pharmacist Mate during the Second World War. One of his duties was as member of a crew assigned to ferry wounded soldiers from the Pacific back to San Francisco. Later in life, he commented that one of his proudest accomplishments was helping make sure that not one of the wounded in his care died during the long voyage back to San Francisco. Following his discharge from the Navy in 1948, Jim attended Stanford University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1951. He pursued graduate studies while working and starting a family, and ultimately earned a Ph.D. in English Philology from Stanford. Meanwhile, Jim built a distinguished career as an editor at Lange Medical Publication in Los Altos. Jim was instrumental in creating one of the most widely used publications in medicine, Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment, which recently published its 50th edition. Jim was honored that the 50th edition was dedicated to him in acknowledgement of his many years of contribution. Jim was known not only for his formidable intelligence but for his quick wit; during the 1960's, he wrote a number of highly regarded satirical pieces for Esquire and Playboy, among other magazines. He was a voracious reader of fiction and non-fiction alike, and could never resist buying yet another specialized reference work-though one of his favorite maxims was that, after all, "There's not much you can't find in a desk Webster's." His family would like to thank his long time friends, Steffi and Alan Abel, for their endless friendship and the staff at The Terraces in Los Altos who made his final time on this earth comfortable. A graveside service will be held at Alta Mesa Cemetery in Palo Alto on July 1st at 2:30 pm. Condolences can be sent care of Janet Fimmel, 145 Eleanor Drive, Woodside, CA 94062, jfimmel@sbcglobal.net.