Dr. Robert E. Stowell, a world-renowned pathologist who was an early leader of the UC Davis School of Medicine, died Nov. 20 at his El Macero home, the school said in a news statement. He was 96.
Dr. Stowell joined UC Davis in 1967 as founding chairman of the pathology department and was vice chairman of the medical school's first admissions committee. He helped create the first curricula and recruited faculty.
In 1969, he was appointed director of the UC Davis Primate Center. He returned to the pathology department after two years and retired in 1982, but continued teaching as a volunteer until 2001.
Dr. Stowell was an influential leader of national and international pathology groups. He was president of the American Association of Pathologists and Bacteriologists in 1971 and a founding member of the International Academy of Pathology.
In 1990, he received the Gold-Headed Cane Award, the top honor bestowed by the American Society for Investigative Pathology.
Born in 1914 in Cashmere, Wash., Dr. Stowell earned a medical degree from Stanford University and a doctorate in pathology from Washington University. He previously was chairman of pathology and oncology at University of Kansas and was scientific director of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology from 1959 to 1967.
He was married for 60 years to Eva Mae, who died in 2005. He is survived by a daughter, Susan of Davis; son, Rob of Tahoe City; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
No service is planned. Donations may be made to the Stowell Medical Students Assistance Fund. Checks should be made payable to "UC Davis Foundation," with an indication that the donation is for the Stowell fund, and mailed to Health Sciences Advancement, 4900 Broadway, Suite 1150, Sacramento, CA 95820.
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