Jerry has gone

          One of the saddest moments we have ever had in our reports to the ASA/CBMTS family is this note on one of our most distinguished CBMTS family members, Dr Jerome Donlon, Chief Scientist, BARDA, DHHS. We were informed of Jerry's passing by his wife Dr. Mildred Donlon, Millie, also one of our most esteemed family members and a world renown DARPA scientist.

          Jerry was much more than a distinguished member of the CBMTS. He was at the very heart of what we have been doing with the CBMTS since symposia inception and implementation in 1994. And that was to bring this sometimes unruly group of the world's most distinguished professionals together to surface, explore, define and delineate the most difficult problems and put them into workable approaches and pathways to concrete solutions. Jerry, with one of the broadest science and medical backgrounds across our sometimes convoluted arena, was noted for his penetrating questions of each presenter.

          If you were the presenter, and as an attentive CBMTS audience member - Jerry's only requirement were that you knew the subject on which you were presenting and that the science was correct. This was affirmed by his always very thoughtful and very knowledgeable probing of the material presented. With a gentle smile and soft voice his questions were meticulous, pointed and designed to further elaborate the presented material for the benefit of the assembled CBMTS family and the international community of professionals worldwide. He was the master in this arena.

          The official notice in the Washington Post on 10/16 reads as follows:

          Dr. JEROME A. DONLON, Jerome "Jerry" A. Donlon, M.D., Ph.D., of Bethesda, MD, passed away in the comfort of his home on Monday, October 12, 2009. Jerry, born on December 21, 1939, in Jamaica, NY, was the son of the late John and Marie Donlon. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Mildred Donlon, Ph.D.; his daughter, Margaret Donlon, M.D., and her husband, Goncalo Souto; his son, Stephen Donlon; and his brothers Jack, Eugene and James Donlon. Jerry received a BS in Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1961, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1962, a Ph.D. in Biophysics and a Medical Degree with Honors from the University of Rochester in 1968 and 1972, respectively. He was the Chief Science Advisor for the Office of Biomedical Advanced Research and Development in the US Department of Health and Human Services. He spent 30 years in the Public Health Service where he worked at the National Institutes of Health in the Clinical Pathology and Hematology Departments, in the Blood Bank and in the Cancer Institute. He also worked at the Food and Drug Administration. He was ordained to the Washington, D.C., Permanent Deaconate in 1978 and served as a deacon throughout his life. Jerry could not retire from life and served his family, community and country until the end. A memorial service was conducted at 11 a.m., Monday, October 19, 2009, at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church in Bethesda, Maryland. Following the service, a luncheon in his memory, "The Last Weekend," was held in Bethesda.

          God speed Jerry - we will all miss you very much. And for Millie and family, our hearts are with you.

          Richard and Barbara and the CBMTS family, the gang.

Dr. Mildred Donlon and Dr. Jerry Donlon. It was such a short time ago, this past December, when we were all together in China. God bless.

For the Professional in Government and Industry with an interest in Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense, Disarmament and Verification; Emergency and Disaster Medical Planning; Industrial Health and Safety; and Environmental Protection