Obituary of Boyd Woodruff

H. Boyd Woodruff, Research Microbiologist Dr. H. Boyd Woodruff died peacefully at his home in Watchung, NJ on January 19 at age 99. He was born on July 22, 1917 in Bridgeton, NJ where he attended local schools and then graduated with a degree in soil chemistry from Rutgers University. He received the Ph.D. degree in soil microbiology, studying under Nobel Prize winner Selman Waksman. As a graduate student, he discovered actinomycin, the first antibiotic found at Rutgers University. Actinomycin has been used in treatment of Wilms Disease, a childhood cancer. Dr. Woodruff joined the research laboratories of Merck & Co., Inc. in 1942 as a research microbiologist. He was promoted to Director of the Microbiological Research Department and later served as Executive Director of Biological Sciences. He guided fermentation programs for the commercial production of penicillin and streptomycin, the first drug used widely to cure tuberculosis, and of vitamin B12, which overcomes pernicious anemia. During his laboratory leadership, Merck & Co. became a leader in new antibiotic discovery. His final ten years of employment were spent in Tokyo, serving as Executive Administrator of the Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories, Japan, where he obtained for marketing in America Japanese discoveries for treatment of urinary tract infections, ulcers, parasitic diseases and a vaccine against chicken pox. After retirement in 1982, he and his wife, Jeanette, founded Soil Microbiology Associates. They traveled widely, searching for soil microorganisms capable of producing new drugs. Dr. Woodruff was a member of national and international scientific organizations. He served as President of the Society for Industrial Microbiology and the Theobald Smith Society and was Treasurer of the American Society for Microbiology. He was founding editor of the scientific journal Applied Microbiology. He served on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Microbiology, Biological Abstracts, and the American Type Culture Collection and was a scientific advisor for the Kettering Foundation and the Waksman Institute. Culminating his scientific career, in 1998 he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Other honors included honorary memberships in the American Society for Microbiology, the Society for Actinomycetes, Japan and the Kitasato Institute in Tokyo, Japan. He also was Fellow of the Society for Industrial Microbiology. In 2004, Dr. Woodruff was inducted into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni. Locally, he was a member of the Watchung Borough School Board and was active in Wilson Memorial Union Church of Watchung, where he served as congregation president. He and Jeanette faithfully delivered groceries for the Starfish Food Pantry in Plainfield for many years. He was a man of many talents and an inspiration to all who met him. Boyd was predeceased by his wife of 72 years, Jeanette, who died in 2015, and by his parents, Harold and Velma Woodruff, and his sister Sara Baitinger. He is survived by sons Brian (and his wife Sandra) and Hugh (and his wife Sandria), grandchildren Lauren, Andy, and Ashley, nephews Glenn and Doug and their families, and niece Carol and her family. The family will receive visitors at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Boulevard, Watchung, NJ on Friday, January 27 from 5 to 8 PM. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 28 at 11 AM at Wilson Memorial Union Church at the corner of Valley Road and Hillcrest Road in Watchung, followed by a light reception. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Boyd’s memory are encouraged to Wilson Memorial Union Church, Rutgers University, or a charity of your choice.