PHILIP J. SNODGRASS

1927 - 2018

SNODGRASS, Philip J. Age 91, passed away Sunday, December 16, in Brooksby Village, Peabody, MA. He left his wife of 66 years, Marjorie Lagemann Snodgrass, and his beloved daughters: Martha Sue (husband Jeff Checkel) of Bowen Island, BC, Canada; Jennifer (Peter Belknap) of Arlington, MA; Amy Claire (Joseph Runkle) of Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA; and Emily Carol (Anthony Laskaris) of Groton, MA. He also is survived by his sister-in law, Sara Cummings Snodgrass, and his nieces, Elizabeth Atalay, Dr. Sarah Hosford, Julia Hosford and Lisa Jensen. Phil was born in Monroe, WI, November 3, 1927 to Dorothy Bonnett Snodgrass and Philip N. Snodgrass. They are deceased, as are Phil's brother Richard and sister Suzanne. In 1942, the family moved to Madison, WI, where Phil graduated from Madison West High School in 1945. He attended Harvard College, graduating with honors in 1949, followed by Harvard Medical School, from which he graduated in 1953. Dr. Snodgrass interned at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, then served for two years as a doctor at the U.S. Naval Air Base in Kingsville, TX. In 1956, he returned to Boston for Junior and Senior Medical Residencies at the Brigham Hospital. After two years of biochemistry research in the laboratory of Dr. Bert Vallee, Dr. Snodgrass served as Chief Medical Resident of the Brigham Hospital from 1961 to 1963. For the next ten years, he was Chief of Gastroenterology. In 1973, Dr. Snodgrass left Boston to become Chief of Medicine at the Roudebush VA Hospital and Professor of Medicine, at the Indiana University Medical School in Indianapolis. There he continued his research on one of the five enzymes in the urea cycle that are essential to life. He served briefly at Moi Medical School in Eldoret, Kenya, in a program sponsored by Indiana University Medical School, and did further research while on sabbatical at a medical college in Oxford, England. He retired from his academic positions in 1990 and continued seeing patients at the Indiana University Medical Center until 2000. Outside of work, he was a member of the Indianapolis Men's Literary Club and the choir of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, where he served as a Deacon and teacher before joining All Souls Unitarian Church. Phil rowed at Harvard College as a member of the lightweight crew, then at the Indianapolis Rowing Center and later, the Cambridge Boat Club. For many years he competed as a single sculler all over the United States. He last rowed in the Head of the Charles Regatta the year he turned 80, and he continued rowing for enjoyment until age 88. After retiring from medical practice, Dr. Snodgrass published a monograph summarizing his research on the enzyme ornithine transcarbamylase, and a memoir, "A Life in Academic Medicine." Known internationally for his research, he was often invited to speak at medical schools and scientific meetings. He was an active Harvard alumnus, interviewing prospective students both in Indiana and on the North Shore for more than 40 years. Phil will be mourned and greatly missed by both family and friends. He and his wife enjoyed a long, loving relationship, and she fondly remembers happy trips together in their later years. His family will miss his guidance and will remember their happy summers in Maine. The Brooksby Village community will miss his many personal contributions. A celebration of Philip Snodgrass's life is planned for Monday, January 14, at 11 a.m. in the Brooksby Village Chapel. Contributions in his name may be given to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Doctors Without Borders, the Brooksby Village Benevolent Fund, or your charity of choice.

View the online memorial for Philip J. SNODGRASS