Obituary

Dr. Benjamin Franklin Trump

Recently the scientific world and particularly pathology lost one of its great leaders, experimentalists, clinicians and teachers in the passing of Benjamin Franklin Trump on February 25, 2008. Ben was a former editor of Toxicologic Pathology, leading the Journal from 1988 to 1995. He was also elected as an Honorary member of the American College of Veterinary Pathology in 1994. Those who knew Ben knew him as a Renaissance man with multiple diverse interests and talents and a great enthusiasm for life and science. He grew up in Kansas, attended the University of Missouri as an undergraduate, and received his M.D. degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. During his medical school training, he was taken under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Stowell who encouraged Ben to enter academic pathology as his profession. He continued his studies at the University of Washington with Dr. Earl P. Benditt. Following his service to the country in the US Army Medical Corps at the AFIP, he accepted a faculty position as Associate Professor of Pathology at Duke University. He was subsequently recruited in 1970 to the University of Maryland as Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology in the School of Medicine. Ben remained at Maryland for the remainder of his academic career.

As a scientist, Ben had an overwhelming interest to understand the process of pathology. His studies into ischemic cell injury subsequent to shock and anoxia were paramount in our understanding of the timing and mechanisms behind cell death and thus tissue and organ death. Ben was well known for establishing the utilization of electron microscopy and ultrastructural evaluation in pathology. Following in the footsteps of Rudolph Virchow, Ben was interested in the molecular and cellular changes that occurred in the pathology process. In later years, he concentrated on other chronic diseases, in particular, cancer, and forged with Dr. Curt Harris at the National Cancer Institute, a long and very fruitful friendship and collaboration in understanding further the mechanisms by which human cells handled, metabolized and responded to chemical carcinogens. These studies led to numerous peer-reviewed and significant publications that moved forth our understanding of the cancer process at the cellular and molecular level in humans.

Ben was instrumental in establishing one of the first training programs for the Ph.D. in toxicologic pathology and developed this graduate program at the University of Maryland into one of the country’s premiere programs in pathobiology. Many of its graduates have gone on to exemplary careers of their own in pathology, cell biology, and cancer research following in Ben’s footsteps. Ben also served as an exemplary mentor and teacher to many of us. He expected his students to be inquisitive, dedicated, and excellent teachers in their own right, and to succeed him in scientific success and knowledge. Of course, those who knew Ben also knew his other passions—specifically fishing. This love of fishing integrated well with his scientific activities including his study of the anatomy and physiology of the fish kidney. Ben was one of the world’s authorities on the teleost kidney structure and function.

Ben’s leadership and his ability to assemble groups of scientists together to tackle important questions are well known. He took the Department of Pathology at the University of Maryland from a small academic group to one of the largest clinical and research-based pathology departments in the country in a short period of time. Ben was one of the founders of the Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland and worked closely with Dr. R. Adams Cowley to create the Shock Trauma research program. He was a past chairman of the state’s Postmortem Examiners Commission, where he oversaw the office of Maryland’s chief medical examiner. He also was the acting director of the University of Maryland Cancer Center in the early 1980s. Ben also served as President of the International Academy of Pathology as well as on numerous task forces and scientific panels for the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, The National Institutes of Health and the FDA.

Another accomplishment, and a source of great pride, was his establishment with his long time colleague, Curt Harris, of the annual Aspen Cancer Conference. Ben was able to assemble many of the leaders in cancer and toxicology to this annual three-day conference. Of course, the Aspen Cancer Conference also allowed Ben to mix two of his favorite things—science and fishing. Ben also found a partnership for his life and career in his wife, colleague and friend of nearly 32 years, Elizabeth. A perusal of Ben’s bibliography shows the great diversity in his scientific interests over the years as well as the numerous individuals that he has collaborated with and trained. He authored over 400 peer reviewed manuscripts, book chapters and books during his distinctive career. He was a physician, a scientist, a teacher, a fisherman, a photographer, an author, a concert pianist and a friend to many. His energy and enthusiasm for life, science and, of course, fishing and his friendship and mentorship will be missed by many.