George W. Beeler Jr. ’60

Woody died May 7, 2017, after a long battle with lymphoma.

Woody came to Princeton from St. Louis Country Day School and majored in electrical engineering and physics. He went on to Cal Tech, where he earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in biosystems research, as his interest moved into the application of computer science to biomedical research.

After marrying Selby in 1965, he served two years as a captain in the Army Medical Service Corps. He then joined the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he spent his career and pursued his calling, ultimately serving as chair of Mayo’s Division of Information Architecture and Technology and becoming a health-industry leader in health-data sharing.

In retirement Woody became active in several international health-care-standards organizations, including Health Level 7, where he lectured and led tutorials in many countries and was named “Volunteer of the Year” in 2000.

Woody was an early tech adopter, from the first Apple computer to the Apple Watch. He was always the recognized neighborhood computer guru. He was an enthusiastic outdoor sportsman, enjoying bicycling, canoeing, fishing, and golf along with poker playing and bartending at his summer cottage.

He is survived by Selby, their two children, and five grandchildren. The class expresses our sympathy to them all.