Towsley, Harry A.

Pediatrician, professor and philanthropist, 1931 graduate of University of Michigan Medical School. Joined University of Michigan Dept. of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases in 1934, and served with the 298th General Hospital Unit, also acting as unit historian. Chairman of Dept. of Postgraduate Medicine, member of Development Council.

From the description of Harry A. Towsley papers, 1876-1993. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 82447222

Harry Albert Towsley (1905-1993), pediatrician, professor, and philanthropist, was born September 15, 1905, in Midland, Michigan, the son of Dr. Frank A. and Harriet Sias Towsley. After graduating from Midland High School in 1922, he attended Kalamazoo College (1922-1923), Michigan State University (1923-1924), and the University of Michigan (1925-1927). In 1931, he earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan and was a member of Alpha Kappa Kappa, the professional medical fraternity. His training included stints as a rotating intern and assistant resident at the University Hospital, 1931-1933, and resident in the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases 1933-1934. He spent parts of 1933 and 1934 observing and studying pediatric facilities in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, St. Louis, and Great Britain.

In 1934, he was appointed as an instructor in the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases and became assistant professor in 1941. During this time he recognized the potential value of technology in teaching and continuing education and was quick to utilize film as an educational medium, collaborating on the production of several nationally distributed films.

His instructional career was interrupted by military service with the University of Michigan affiliated 298th General Hospital during World War II. The unit was activated on June 27, 1942, and spent thirty-six months overseas operating hospitals in Bristol, England; Cherbourg, France; and Liege, Belgium, before leaving Europe on September 23, 1945. Towsley enlisted as a major in 1942, and was promoted to lt. colonel, serving as chief, Division of Communicable Diseases and Chief, Laboratory Services. He was also the unit historian.

Following his return from military service he assumed direction of the affiliated hospital program of the Department of Postgraduate Medicine, directing the newly developed program of decentralized graduate medical instruction and was coordinator of extramural activities. During this period he carried the dual titles of associate professor of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases and associate professor in the Department of Postgraduate Medicine.

In 1954, he was named associate director of the Department of Postgraduate Medicine and subsequently became chairman in 1967, following the death of John M. Sheldon. Towsley served as chairman of the department until his retirement in 1971.

Dr. Towsley was active in numerous professional organizations and civic groups. He was a fellow and diplomate of the American Academy of Pediatrics and served as chairman of the subcommittee on Postgraduate Education, and was president of the Academy during 1964-65. On the state level he was active in the Michigan State Medical Society as a member of the Iodized Salt Committee and chairman of the Committee on Postgraduate Medical Education. He was also a member of the Washtenaw County Medical Society, serving as president in 1948. In 1970, he was elected into the Michigan Health Council Hall of Fame.

He also served on several boards, including the Michigan Foundation for Medical and Health Education, Michigan United Fund, and American Social Health Association. On the community front he was active as a member of the Michigan Children's Aid Society, Ann Arbor Board of Health, Ann Arbor Community Chest, and Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

At the University of Michigan he was involved in numerous committees and organizations, including the Alumni Association, Development Council (he chaired the Foundation Relations Committee from 1973 to 1980), and the University Committee on Broadcasting, 1954-1971. Within the Medical Center he was on the Student Aid Committee, and was a member and chairman of the Audiovisual Committee, 1946-1971. He was also editor of the Medical Center Journal from 1964 to 1972.

On August 14, 1932, he married Margaret Dow (1906-1994), daughter of the founder of the Dow Chemical Company. Mrs. Towsley received her bachelor degree from the University of Michigan in 1928 and a master's from Columbia University in 1930. She was a community leader whose accomplishments included election to the Ann Arbor City Council, and the founding of the Children's Play School in 1935. In 1960, the couple established the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation, a private charitable foundation designed to assist religious, educational, charitable and scientific organizations with their programs. The foundation also worked for the prevention of cruelty to children. The majority of the funds have been distributed in the state of Michigan, primarily in the Ann Arbor area. Among the foundation's significant donations to the University of Michigan were the Towsley Center for Continuing Medical Education, and major gifts to the Wiley T. Buchanon Research Fund and the Kellogg Eye Center. The Towsleys had five daughters: Margaret Ann (Reicker), Janice Elizabeth (Poteat), Judith Dow (Alexander), Harriet Susan (Inglish), and Grace Lynn (Hamblin).

Dr. Harry A. Towsley died at his home on March 31, 1993. Margaret Dow Towsley died of a stroke May 2, 1994.

From the guide to the Harry A. Towsley papers, 1876-1990, (Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan)