Harry P. Ward ’55

Born in Pueblo, Colo., Harry was a member of Elm Club, majored in biology at Princeton, and graduated magna cum laude . He attended the University of Colorado Medical School and trained in internal medicine and hematology at Bellevue Hospital and the Mayo Clinic before becoming chief of medicine at Denver’s VA Hospital and then dean of Colorado University College of Medicine.

In 1979, Harry became chancellor of the University of Arkansas Medical Center. Under his 20-year stewardship, with the support of then-Gov. Bill Clinton, the medical center grew from a small institution to a sprawling campus that now includes a major cancer-research center.

Harry’s successor described him as “a giant in the history of health care and higher education in our state.”

In 1997, the University of Arkansas Medical School dedicated its new university hospital clinical tower to Harry, and later endowed the chancellor’s chair that carries his name. Of the many honors he received, none pleased him more than receiving the Class of 1955 Distinguished Service Award in 1993.

To Betty Jo, Harry’s wife of 52 years; children Stewart, Leslie, Elizabeth, Maryalice ’85, and Amy; and their grandchildren, friends, and colleagues, the class extends deepest sympathy.