Thomas Arthur "Tom" McKean

Thomas McKean of Redmond, Oregon, passed away at his home on October 17, 2023. He was 82 years old. He was born January 27, 1941, to Dr. Robert S. and Gwendolyn Lyons McKean of Boise, Idaho. Tom attended Boise public schools through the 11th grade where he was active in sports, scouting and music. During his senior year the family moved to Seattle where he graduated from Roosevelt High School.
Tom received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Whitman College. He earned his Ph.D. in physiology from Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland and completed postdoctoral work at University of Minnesota Medical School Laboratory of Neurophysiology in Minneapolis.
After a brief stint in the pharmaceutical industry in Cincinnati, McKean joined the faculty at University of Wyoming as an assistant professor. Four years later he accepted an offer of associate professor from the University of Idaho where he spent the remainder of his career teaching anatomy and physiology in the University of Washington joint medical program (WWAMI) and conducting research in comparative oxygen transport to tissues – research which produced numerous research publications over many years. McKean held an affiliate professorship at University of Washington School of Medicine; was an invited speaker at several international conferences; and served as an editor of the journal Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology.
In addition to being a professor and scientist, Tom was a lifelong musician (primarily bass and fingerstyle acoustic guitar); an avid golfer (with four career holes-in-one); sports fan; and animal advocate (founding president of the Humane Society of the Palouse). He loved to cook, read, fish, visit the Oregon coast and go whale watching. Tom had a deep curiosity in and appreciation for diving mammals – both through his research and his spirit. Tom was a clear analytical thinker with strong opinions, an off-beat sense of humor and a big heart who will be missed dearly by his friends and family – and the lizards.
Tom is survived by Corinne McKean, his wife of nearly 44 years, his two children, Jeffrey McKean of Honolulu and Leslie Haddad of Felton, California, as well as four grandchildren and an exceptional orange tabby cat. He was predeceased by his sister Anne in1986 and brother Scott in 2020.
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