Samuel J. Fomon, M.D., 84, Professor Emeritus of the University of Iowa Department of Pediatrics, died Tuesday, December 18, 2007, at the home of his daughter in Little Elm, Texas after a vigorous battle with cancer.
A Family Service was held at his home in Frisco, Texas. A memorial gathering for family and friends will be held in Iowa City in late January 2008. In lieu of flowers, the Samuel J. Fomon Memorial Fund has been established at West Bank in Iowa City, for the benefit of the Fomon Infant Nutrition Unit at the University of Iowa and charitable organizations. Arrangements are with Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service.
Sam was born March 9, 1923 in Chicago, IL, the son of Drs. Samuel and Isabel (Sherman) Fomon. After the death of his mother, he and his brothers moved to Appleton, WI where they were raised by their aunt, Mimi Sherman. Sam attended school in Appleton until the eighth grade. He then went to Campion, a Jesuit boarding school, in Prairie du Chien, WI. He completed his college preparatory years at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. Sam graduated with honors in 1945 from Harvard College, and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1947.
Dr. Fomon was a resident in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and was a research fellow at the Children’s Hospital Research Foundation in Cincinnati. He served as a Captain with the U.S. Army Medical Services at the U.S. Army Hospital, Ft. Dix, NJ.
On July 19, 1948 he married Betty L. Freeman, and they divorced in 1978. He later married Louise Thomson on June 27, 1986, in Houston, TX.
Dr. Fomon and his family moved to Iowa City in 1954 where he advanced from assistant professor in pediatrics at the University of Iowa, College of Medicine to associate professor, and then to professor. He divided his time between patient care, teaching and research. Dr. Fomon was in the forefront of pediatric nutrition research, especially factors influencing food intake and growth. He was the Director of the internationally recognized Infant Metabolic Unit, which later evolved into the Division of Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics. Following his retirement, this nutrition unit was renamed the Samuel J. Fomon Division of Pediatric Nutrition. In addition to his duties in pediatrics, he became the director of the University of Iowa Graduate Program in Nutrition. In 1993, he became professor emeritus.
Dr. Fomon wrote numerous papers and chapters for professional journals, but is best known for his book, “Infant Nutrition,” the definitive book on infant nutrition. Throughout the years Dr. Fomon received numerous awards, including the Borden Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1966 and the McCollom Award in 1979. In 1992, he received the Bristol-Myers Squibb/ Mead Johnson Award for distinguished achievement in nutrition research. In 1986, the Midwest Society of Pediatric Research created its Founders Award, which honors a senior investigator of the organization who has made significant contributions to medical literature and fostered pediatric medical research in the Midwest. The award has since been renamed the Fomon-Peterson Founder’s Award.
Following his retirement, he and his wife Louise moved to Texas where he continued to write and participate in research with his colleagues at Iowa.
He enjoyed the solitude of gardening and landscaping. Throughout the years he had become quite a wine connoisseur and Scrabble player. Sam encouraged and supported his grandchildren’s academic, athletic and community activities. He became an avid fan of his grandchildren’s and a great-grandchild’s sports and music endeavors. He looked forward to reports after their events and was in the stands whenever possible.
Survivors include his five children, Betsy (Dick) Seiberling of Arlington, TX, Kathy Anderson of Playa Del Ray, CA, David (Kari) Fomon of Coralville, Christopher (Kay) Fomon of Iowa City, and Mary Fomon and Bobby Joe Hollingsworth of Little Elm, TX; ten grandchildren, Jennifer (Matt) Roberts, Michael (Victoria) Anderson, Rachel and Sam Seiberling, Josh and Kristin Fomon, Eric Fomon and Fiancée Alyssa Doolin, Heather Fomon, Siiri (Michael) Hill and Dayna (Mike) Walden; four great-grandchildren, Ryan Roberts, Chloe and Alden Hill, and Ashlyn Walden; his sister, Lenore Marie Fomon of Bronx, NY; his former spouse, Betty L. Fomon of Iowa City; sisters-in-law, Frances Smith of Houston, TX, Terry Fomon of Miami, FL and Marilyn Fomon of Los Angeles, CA; his cousin and best friend, Helen Fieweger of Sherwood, WI; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
Dr. Fomon was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Louise Thomson, his stepmother, Lenore Fomon, his brothers, John and Robert, and son-in-law James Dougherty.