Ranice W. Crosby

Formal Obituary

Ranice W. Crosby, Professor and Director Emerita of the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine, and venerated teacher, artist, and educator, died on February 18, 2007 at the age of 91. 

Ranice, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Connecticut College for Women, arrived at Hopkins in 1937 to begin her studies in medical illustration under Max Brödel.  In 1943, she became the first woman to direct a department at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, serving as the Director of the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine for 40 years until she stepped down in 1983.  As Director Emerita, she continued to teach in the department for another 22 years.

A founding member of the Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI), she not only contributed to the development of the profession but also led it to the successful establishment and recognition of the accredited graduate programs.  Under her leadership, the instructional program in Medical and Biological Illustration was elevated to a graduate level degree in 1961.  She was honored by the AMI in 1987 as a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award and by the American Urological Association’s William P. Didusch Award for outstanding contributions to urological illustration in 1984.  In recognition of her dedication to teaching and significant contributions to the field of medical illustration both at Johns Hopkins and nationally, the University conferred the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters upon her in May 2002.

In a tribute by the alumni on the 50th anniversary of her teaching at Hopkins, Dr. John Cody, one of her students, wrote the following, “Known for her teaching, she had the qualities for good administration growing out of perfectionism, persistence, pride, caring, a pre-feminist insistence upon equal ability, an inherent sense of discretion, and an ability to inspire teamwork, respect for coworkers, and loyalty.” 

Elizabeth Ramsey, MD, a researcher who worked closely with Ranice, commented, “Mrs. Crosby’s historian colleagues have admired and emulated her not alone for her writings in the field but more importantly and creatively for her remarkable work as historical detective, restorer, conservator and as administrator of the Brödel Archives.”

Her skills as an illustrator have been admired by her colleagues, and she has inspired and encouraged her students to become the finest members of the profession.  There is no other individual who has provided more to the enhancement of medical art and its relevance to medical science than Ranice.

She is survived by her loving daughter, Ranice H. Crosby, and her daughter's partner, Alice Aldrich.  The family is grateful to the many colleagues and former students who so greatly enriched her life.  A memorial service will be held on May 18, 2007 at 4:00 in the Mountcastle Auditorium on the JHMI campus.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Ranice W. Crosby Fund, 100 N. Charles St., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21201.