John W. Larsen Jr. ’64
John W. Larsen Jr. ’64, M.D., of Sims, North Carolina, died on January 6 at the Duke University Hospital after suffering a stroke. John was professor emeritus at the George Washington University, where for more than 40 years he was a practicing physician and chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology. John came to Dartmouth from the New Jersey suburb of Haworth. He ran track and cross country, joined Phi Tau, and participated four years in Army ROTC. John graduated with honors in psychology, earned his M.D. at Cornell, completed his internship at Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital and residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He served two years of active duty at Madigan Army Medical Center. In 1975 a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine brought him to the George Washington University Medical Center, where he rose to professor specializing in reproductive genetics, maternal-fetal medicine, and infectious disease. He published extensively and was a leader in many national professional societies, particularly the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and received numerous awards. In retirement at their Stork’s Rest Farm in Sims, John and his wife, Joan, were members of Bailey United Methodist Church, Wilson Arts Council, Barton College, and the Wilson Chamber of Commerce. John had an extended family of admiring patients, colleagues, friends, and students that spanned the globe. He is survived by Joan, three siblings, three children, and three grandchildren.
