Warren Sanger, Ph.D., director of the Human Genetics Laboratory and director of clinical genetics at the Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI), died Thursday at the age of 69 following a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, Dixie Sanger; son, Travis Sanger; brother, Alan Sanger; and sister, Deb Anderson.
Dr. Sanger was born and raised in Franklin, Neb., and was a resident of Ashland.
A funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m. today at Rockbrook United Methodist Church, 9855 West Center Road.
Dr. Sanger founded the genetics laboratory and also was a professor in the departments of pediatrics and pathology and microbiology. He was a founding Fellow of the American Board of Medical Genetics and author or co-author of almost 300 peer-reviewed publications.
But colleagues remember him not only as a consummate professional, but a caring friend.
"It's a big loss for this campus," said Mike Leibowitz, Ph.D., director of MMI. "Warren was a wonderful colleague and friend. Through his work at UNMC, he built a nationally recognized laboratory known for the excellence of its services, research expertise and an educational program that continues to develop young leaders in laboratory as well as in clinical genetics."
Wayne Stuberg, Ph.D., associate director of MMI, called Dr. Sanger a remarkable professional and person.
"His presence will be missed by all of us who worked with him," Dr. Stuberg said. "He cared deeply for his colleagues, was beloved and worked with a passion that is seldom seen."
Ittner Professor and Vice Chairman of Pediatrics Peter Coccia, M.D., said Dr. Sanger was an incredible resource, not only at UNMC, but regionally and nationally as well, providing state-of-the-art, cutting-edge cytogenetic and molecular genetic analyses with one of the most recognized laboratory genetics programs in the country.
In addition to being an avid walleye and deep-sea fisherman, Dr. Sanger was an innovator in a technique called fluorescent in situ hybridization — FISH — that is used nationally and internationally to categorize blood cancers and inherited disorders.
"His license plate says a lot about Warren," Dr. Coccia said. "It reads 'O2BFSHN.' "
"Warren also was incredibly dedicated," Dr. Coccia said. "He was at work most Saturdays and Sundays and put in long days Monday through Friday, and he has recently recruited an outstanding staff of junior faculty members and investigators."
Dr. Sanger served in the military at the University of Maryland, Far East Division (Seoul, Korea), as a counter-intelligence agent and an instructor in biology from January 1969 to December 1971. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1974 and joined UNMC in 1975.
"He built genetics, he built trust, he built people and he promoted caring," said Bruce Buehler, M.D., former director of MMI. "He brought genetics to UNMC. He did it all."
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