Michael Clinton Perry, M.D., 66, of Columbia passed away Oct. 23, 2011, in Columbia after a long and courageous battle with polycystic kidney disease and cancer.
Michael was born Jan. 27, 1945, in Wyandotte, Mich., the son of Clarence Clinton and Hilda Grace Perry. As a teenager, he broke his arm, and after discussing career options with the attending physician, decided to change his career goal from that of pharmacist to physician.
He earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Wayne State University in Detroit, where in a French class he met the woman who would later become his wife, Nancy Ann Kaluzny. He went on to attend medical school at Wayne State, earning a medical doctor degree in 1970. He also earned a master of science in medicine from the University of Minnesota in 1975.
He married Nancy on June 22, 1968, and they moved to Minnesota so he could complete his internship and residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. He completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Mayo and served as an instructor of medicine there before moving to Columbia in 1975 to become an assistant professor of hematology and medical oncology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he would spend his professional career.
He became the director of the division of hematology and medical oncology at the University Hospital in 1982. He served as chairman of the department of medicine from 1983 to 1991, becoming full professor in 1985 and serving as senior associate dean of the department of medicine from 1991 to 1994. At Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, he became medical director and associate cancer center director for clinical and translational research. He served as medical director of clinical trials for the Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences at the University Hospitals and Clinics since 2008. He became a professor emeritus in 2010.
Among his many awards and honors included the University of Missouri Faculty Alumni Award, the Nellie B. Smith Chair of Oncology, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Wayne State University Medical School, the Distinguished Southern Oncologist from the Southern Association for Oncology, the Physician of the Year from Boone County Medical Society, Master of the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Clinical Oncology Statesman Award, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee Service Award. He was frequently named one of the Best Doctors in America and included in America's Top Doctors.
In addition to his many accolades, he was a member of professional societies including the American Medical Association and the Missouri State Medical Society. He served in leadership positions in many of these societies, including as president of the Boone County Medical Society, president of the Southern Association for Oncology and on the board of directors for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He also was chair of the State of Missouri Organ Donor Advisory Committee. At the national level, he was a member of the Federal Drug Administration Oncology Drug Advisory Committee. He was dedicated to the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), a national NCI-designated clinical research group, and served as chair of the membership committee for more than 30 years.
During his career he published more than 150 research papers, nearly 50 book chapters and presented more than 100 abstracts at conferences. He was the editor of the books Toxicity of Chemotherapy and The Chemotherapy Source Book, both of which are widely-used and respected manuals in the field. He also held editorial positions at many distinguished journals, from the Journal of Clinical Oncology to Contemporary Oncology.
More than his many awards and accolades, he was much respected and beloved by his oncology patients and gave them the best care possible. He was a dedicated clinician and physician, and took great pride in his research, profession and in the training of future physicians. He also was a supporter of organ donation, and celebrated the 20th anniversary of his kidney transplant in July 2011.
Michael had a great passion for collecting baseball cards, a hobby he began in his youth, and enjoyed teaching a course on the history of baseball for the Honors College at MU. His favorite team was his hometown Detroit Tigers. He had a great love of reading, including to his granddaughters, and consumed books on a variety of topics. He also loved his golden retrievers, from Candy to Ginger, and his classic Thunderbird convertible, which was driven in parades and for weddings. He was a longtime member of Missouri United Methodist Church in Columbia.
Most of all, he will be lovingly remembered by his family, wife, Nancy; daughter, Rebecca Perry Magniant, husband Stanislas "Stan" and daughters Lucie and Charlotte, all of Paris, France; and daughter, Katherine "Katie" Perry Harris, husband Jeff and daughter Grace, all of Columbia. He also is survived by a brother, Paul Perry of Taylor, Mich., and numerous nieces and nephews.