Obituary of William R Darrow

Dr. William R. Darrow of Basking Ridge, NJ passed away on Thursday, April 14, 2011 from complications related to cancer. He was 71. He is survived by his wife of 46 years Janet Swan Darrow, his brother John H. Darrow of Norwalk, CT, his three children and their spouses James and Sally Darrow of Wallingford, CT, Susan Darrow and Andrew Jaques of Rockville, MD and Margaret Darrow Williams and Benjamin Williams of Thetford Center, VT, four grandchildren upon whom he doted, and numerous nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind his beloved dog Millie. Dr. Darrow was born in 1939 in Ohio, raised in Scarsdale, NY (Scarsdale High School class of 1956), graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1960 where he was an active member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, and received his medical degree from Western Reserve Medical School in Cleveland, OH, in 1964 and was awarded the Roche Award and membership in Pi Delta Epsilon, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Rho Sigma honor societies. He received his Doctorate in Pharmacology in 1969 from Case Western Reserve University and moved to NJ with his family to begin work at Ciba-Geigy Pharmaceuticals, now part of Novartis. He spent most of his remaining career at Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals until his retirement in 1994. From 1991 to 1999, he was a member of the US delegation to the International Conference on Harmonization and from 1990-2008 was a member of and served in various roles, including Chairman, of PhRMA. He was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Clinical Research Center at Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center from 1990-2000. Over the years, he has coached Little League, was active in Boy Scout Troop 54 in Liberty Corner, chaired the Bernard's Twp Board of Health, was Chair of the NJ Arthritis Foundation and recently enjoyed being a Docent at the Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Museum in Hammondsport, NY on Keuka Lake where Bill and his family spent many happy summers. Dr. Darrow was a resident of Basking Ridge for over 40 years. He and his wife were very active in the community and many charities. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a member of the American Medical Association. In 1994, Dr. Darrow received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Arthritis Foundation for his contributions to the Foundation, and recently received the Distinguished Achievement Citation for "his professional accomplishments and outstanding service to humankind" from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2010. Visitation hours for relatives and friends will be from 5:00-8:00 PM on Monday April 18 at the Galloway & Crane Funeral Home, 101 South Finley Ave. Basking Ridge, NJ. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday April 19 at 2:00 PM at the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church, 1 East Oak St., Basking Ridge, NJ. For further information, please contact Gallaway & Crane at (908) 766-0250. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Bill's name be made to the NJ Arthritis Foundation, the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, or a charity of their choice.