Abstract
Dr Robert Alfred Squire, 80, died May 27, 2011, at his home. He was born in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and moved to Vero Beach in 2003, coming from Towson, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1952 and received a DVM and PhD from Cornell University in 1956 and 1964, respectively. He was a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists since 1965. Dr Squire had a long and distinguished career in the field of comparative pathology, with many contributions within the institution as well as in the national and international spheres. He was professor of comparative medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 1984 to the present. He helped to set up the diagnostic programs of the division; these programs were important in the maintenance of healthy and appropriate animals for research. His research interests had long centered on the field of animal oncology, and early efforts were directed toward the investigation and treatment of spontaneous leukemias and lymphomas of animals. During the 1970s, Dr Squire joined the National Cancer Institute in a full-time capacity. In the course of 4 years, he rose within the system from the position of head of the Tumor Pathology Section to branch chief and director of the Carcinogenesis Bioassay Program (now National Toxicology Program). In this role, he administered a large national program with a multimillion-dollar budget and oversaw several laboratories in this country and Europe. At the National Institutes of Health, he was in an important policy-making position. He established the criteria and protocols for the identification of chemical carcinogens using test animals. These criteria and protocols remain in effect at this time. He returned to Johns Hopkins, where he had maintained a part-time appointment and resumed a full range of academic activities. He had teaching responsibilities in both the Division of Comparative Medicine and the Department of Pathology. At that time, he was the instructor responsible for the course Principles of Animal Pathology, offered jointly by the division and the department. He also played an important role in the informal teaching of postdoctoral residents and medical and graduate students in elective courses offered in comparative pathology and laboratory animal medicine. Much of this was accomplished through case work-offs, seminars, and conferences. Dr Squire was an international spokesman for the role of pathology in policy and risk assessment for environmental carcinogens. In 1983, he delivered the keynote address on carcinogenic potency and risk assessment at the International Conference on Food Safety in Fougeres, France. He also presented a keynote address on the subject of formaldehyde carcinogenicity and human risk at the 1984 meeting of the International Academy of Pathology in San Francisco. In the broader sphere, he chaired 2 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) committees: Committee on Laboratory Animal Disease (1968–1972) and the Committee of the Histologic Classification of Laboratory Animal Tumors (1976–1982). He was also a director at large of UAREP (Universities Affiliated for Research in Experimental Pathology). Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Florence T. Squire of Vero Beach; sons, Jeffrey R. Squire of Phoenix, MD, and Thomas A. Squire of Baltimore, MD; daughter, Jill S. Maynard of Cockeysville, MD; and 2 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brother, Richard Squire.
