Walter F. Loeb vmd, ms, phd

Walter F. Loeb, VMD, MS, PhD (1932-2020)
Dr Walter F Loeb, who died aged 88, was a dedicated veterinary pathologist who specialized in laboratory animal research.

His work included founding a pioneering reference laboratory and co-editing a comprehensive textbook used by scientists engaged in animal model research that directly and indirectly contributed to the development of new drugs to treat diseases. His student and subsequently colleague and friend, Dr Jonathan Wosu, said of him, "His professional qualifications as teacher, researcher, author and diagnostician were underscored by a basic attitude of constant learning and unlimited growth. Dr Loeb, a pioneer in toxicologic pathology helped to validate the attitude of peer review and good laboratory practice in toxicology research and always reflected these chosen core values through his publications, lectures, consultancy and management. I respected and adored Dr Loeb because of his professional accomplishments as well as his personal attributes."

Born on February 11, 1932 in Darmstadt, Germany, he was the only child of Lucian and Liesel Loeb who fled Germany with him to the US in 1936, and settled in Philadelphia where they already knew other emigre Jewish families in the city. Lucian, who in Germany had been a lawyer, became a professional photographer in the US, while Liesel worked as a department store sales assistant.

Young Walter had a fascination with animals - although as a child he was not allowed by his parents to have a pet dog, he kept animals including, at various times, birds, snakes and particularly tropical fish. This interest, and an aptitude for science, contributed to his decision to take a job with a local veterinarian and then apply to veterinary school. He graduated with a VMD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955, and went on to earn an MS at The Ohio State University in 1956, and his PhD at Michigan State University in 1965. In 1955 he married Lore Glaser - the daughter of another immigrant Jewish couple from Germany. They had four children: Robert (born 1956), Leonard (born 1958), Steven (born 1959) and Desiree (born 1960).

Dr Loeb's career in the veterinary profession spanned five decades. The family moved many times as he furthered his career in academia and then in commercial labs - living in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, California and Maryland.

He worked his way to Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine where he also served for a period as director of the Clinical Pathology Laboratory. He is remembered by former students as a passionate educator. A younger colleague said of him, "He taught effortlessly; it flowed seamlessly through his knowledge, experience, confidence and conviction. At first, I never even recognized that I was being schooled."

Starting in 1970, Dr Loeb worked at Litton Bionetics in Kensington, Maryland, where he oversaw the clinical laboratory and did anatomic pathology. His duties supported research efforts at the nearby National Institutes of Health (NIH) and toxicology studies in support of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) applications.

in 1988, he innovated and co-founded the Ani Lytics reference laboratory in Gaithersburg Maryland, developing and providing clinical pathology and toxicology tests for research in the government and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Dr Loeb authored or co-authored nearly 50 journal publications and 16 book chapters. He also co-edited the first and second editions of The Clinical Chemistry of Laboratory Animals, which is a classic textbook for scientists engaged in animal model research. It was hailed as a "Herculean task… bringing much of the widely scattered literature on laboratory animal clinical pathology into one relatively manageable volume".

He was a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) for over 65 years and held significant leadership positions in other professional organizations. He was elected as Councilor for the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP), President of the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) and Chairman of the Division of Animal Clinical Chemistry in the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC).

He was awarded several accolades - the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Animal Clinical Chemistry by the AACC, as well as the Barbara Jean Thompson Award for Outstanding Service to the Charles Louis Davis Foundation for the Advancement of Veterinary and Comparative Pathology. In 2005, the ACVP also recognized Dr Loeb as a Distinguished Member.

Outside of his career, Dr Loeb had a lifelong passion for bicycling, photography and naturism, and was politically active as a liberal Democrat. In younger years, he and his children rode the annual Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV) 2-day bicycle event numerous times. He enjoyed camping, and in later years he and Lore travelled in their Winnebago and spent winters in Florida. After his retirement, Dr Loeb trained in massage therapy and began to work independently as a licensed massage therapist. He held massage workshops and donated his time to provide massages to those in hospice "…to help attenuate the suffering of the needy and frail…".

Dr and Mrs Loeb were also founding members of Avalon, a 'clothing optional' resort in rural West Virginia, where they lived for 20 years, before moving to a senior living center in Maryland in 2018.

Dr Loeb died peacefully in his sleep on December 24, 2020, his health having deteriorated during the final two years of his life. He was predeceased by Lore, who died November 2019 and by one of his grandchildren, Lizette Loeb-Guth. He is survived by his four children, six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He donated his body to science. Donations in his memory can be made to National Public Radio, Canavan Foundation, or any organization promoting science or educational endeavors. www.levinefuneral.com