URMC / Libraries / Edward G. Miner Library / Rare Books and Manuscripts / Archives and Manuscripts / Faculty Collections / Donald Grigg Anderson, M.D.

Donald Grigg Anderson, M.D.

Donald Grigg Anderson (1913-1995) Donald Grigg Anderson, M.D. served as Dean of the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry from 1953 until 1966. Dr. Anderson presented his papers to the Edward G. Miner Library upon his retirement in 1978. Apart from miscellaneous files pertaining to his Boston University period (1943-47), the collection is largely devoted to Anderson’s years as dean of the medical school in Rochester, N.Y. The bulk of the collection thus spans the years 1953-1966, though there is material from Anderson’s later career in the Dept. of Psychiatry.

Though a comparatively small collection, the Anderson papers are representative of his years as dean. They are particularly strong in his involvement in the Association of American Medical Colleges (Boxes 2-5); the Bioastronautics Advisory Board (Boxes 5-6); and the National Fund for Medical Education (Box 11). There are also significant collections of general correspondence, 1942-78 (Boxes 7-9); talks & lectures, 1942-76 (Boxes 18-20); correspondence, reports, etc. pertaining to his sabbatical tour of European medical schools, 1964-65 (Boxes 17-18); and a collection of spiral bound notebooks (dated Fall 1965-May 1971) in which Anderson records his activities, memoranda, thoughts, etc. (Boxes 13-16). The papers are arranged alphabetically, as they were in Anderson’s files. Processing of the Anderson papers was completed in May 2009. The Papers of Donald G. Anderson comprise twenty-four boxes occupying thirteen linear feet.

Donald Grigg Anderson was born in Manhattan on August 2, 1913. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy (1926-1930) and received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University (1935). After graduating from the College of Physicians & Surgeons (New York) in 1939, Anderson interned at Boston City Hospital (1939-41) and completed residencies at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York (1941), Presbyterian Hospital in New York (1941-42), and Evans Memorial Hospital in Boston (1942-43). Anderson completed his medical training as a research fellow at Boston University School of Medicine between 1943 and 1945. During this period he also maintained a faculty appointment at his alma mater. In 1945, aged only thirty-two, Anderson was appointed dean of the Boston University School of Medicine. He remained in this position only two years. In 1948 he went to Chicago as executive officer of the American Medical Association’s Council on Medical Education.

In 1953 Anderson was recruited as dean of the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, succeeding its founding (and until then only) dean, the Nobel laureate George Hoyt Whipple (1878-1976). In November 1965, after returning from a sabbatical in Europe, Anderson announced his resignation as dean of the School of Medicine and director of the University Medical Center. Anderson remained on the faculty of the School of Medicine and on the staff of Strong Memorial and other Rochester area hospitals. In 1973 he was appointed Professor of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine, a position that he held until his retirement in 1978.

Anderson served as president of the Association of American Medical Colleges (1961-62). He was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha (president, 1966-69); the Board of Directors of the Educational Council for Foreign Medical Graduates (1959-66); the Board of Directors of the American Medical Education Foundation (1950-60); the New York State Regents Committee to Inspect Medical Schools in Belgium (1959); the President’s Science Advisory Committee on Bioastronautics (1961-66); and the National Fund for Medical Education, serving as its president from 1966 to 1970.

He was the author of thirty-six published articles. Nearly all Anderson’s publications of the 1940s were devoted to the clinical application of sulfa drugs, streptomycin and penicillin in the chemotherapy of infections, reflecting his work with Chester S. Keefer at the Evans Hospital in Boston. Anderson’s publications during the 1950s and early 1960s focused largely on medical education. During the 1970s, Anderson was interested primarily in psychosomatic medicine, working in the Liaison Group coordinated by the departments of Medicine and Psychiatry.

In 1939 Anderson married Erna L. Goettsch, who had also received her medical degree from the College of Physicians & Surgeons that year. They had three children: Patricia, Roberta and James. Donald G. Anderson died in Chapel Hill, N.C. in December 1995. An August 1978 oral history of Donald G. Anderson conducted by Leroy B. Thompson is accessible from the following link:

Oral History of Donald G. Anderson

Container List:

Box One

Folder 1: Aesculapian Society of the University of Ottawa
Folder 2: Alpha Omega Alpha Society (1953-59)
Folder 3: Alpha Omega Alpha Society (1960)
Folder 4: Alpha Omega Alpha Society (1961-64)
Folder 5: Alpha Omega Alpha Society (1965-66)
Folder 6: Alpha Omega Alpha Society (1967)
Folder 7: Alpha Omega Alpha Society (1968)
Folder 8: Alpha Omega Alpha Society (1970-76)
Folder 9: Alpha Omega Alpha Society – publications
Folder 10: American Medical Association (1947-48)
Folder 11: American Medical Association (1950-55)
Folder 12: American Medical Association (1956-57)

Box Two

Folder 1: American Medical Association (1958)

Folder 2: American Medical Association (1959-64)

Folder 3: American Medical Association – Inspection of Irish medical schools (1953)

Folder 4: Anderson, D.G. – curricula vitae

Folder 5: Anderson, D.G. – “Significant educational experiences in college” [handwritten essay] (1939)

Folder 6: Anderson, D.G. – academic & other appointments

Folder 7: Anderson, D.G. – annual reports (1967-76)

Folder 8: Anderson, D.G. – clippings (1939-60)

Folder 9: Anderson, D.G. – clippings (1961-78)

Folder 10: Anderson, D.G. – Anderson Room (1971)

Folder 11: Anderson, D.G. – transfer of papers to Miner Library (1978)

Folder 12: Association of American Medical Colleges (1957-60)

Folder 13: Association of American Medical Colleges (Jan 1961)

Folder 14: Association of American Medical Colleges (Feb-Dec 1961)

Folder 15: Association of American Medical Colleges (Jan 1962)

Box Three

Folder 1: Association of American Medical Colleges (Jan 1962)

Folder 2: Association of American Medical Colleges (Feb-Mar 1962)

Folder 3: Association of American Medical Colleges (Apr-May 1962)

Folder 4: Association of American Medical Colleges (Jun 1962)

Folder 5: Association of American Medical Colleges (Jun 1962)

Folder 6: Association of American Medical Colleges (Jul-Aug 1962)

Folder 7: Association of American Medical Colleges (Sep 1962)

Box Four

Folder 1: Association of American Medical Colleges (Sep 1962)

Folder 2: Association of American Medical Colleges (Oct 1962)

Folder 3: Association of American Medical Colleges (Oct 1962)

Folder 4: Association of American Medical Colleges (Oct 1962)

Folder 5: Association of American Medical Colleges (Nov 1962)

Folder 6: Association of American Medical Colleges (Dec 1962)

Folder 7: Association of American Medical Colleges (Jan-May 1963)

Folder 8: Association of American Medical Colleges (Jun-Sep 1963)

Box Five

Folder 1: Association of American Medical Colleges (Oct 1963)

Folder 2: Association of American Medical Colleges (Oct-Dec 1963)

Folder 3: Association of American Medical Colleges (1964)

Folder 4: Association of American Medical Colleges (1965)

Folder 5: Association of American Medical Colleges (1966)

Folder 6: Association of American Medical Colleges (1976)

Folder 7: Awards & honors

Folder 8: Bioastronautics Advisory Board (Jul-Sep 1961)

Folder 9: Bioastronautics Advisory Board (Oct 1961)

Folder 10: Bioastronautics Advisory Board (Oct 1961)

Folder 11: Bioastronautics Advisory Board (Nov-Dec 1961)

Box Six

Folder 1: Bioastronautics Advisory Board (1962)

Folder 2: Bioastronautics Advisory Board (1963)

Folder 3: Bioastronautics Research & Development Program, 1961-1965

Folder 4: Board of Trustees (UR) – Report (10 Dec 1954)

Folder 5: Boston University – addresses on various occasions

Folder 6: Boston University – annual reports submitted by DGA

Folder 7: Boston University – “Applying for an internship” by DGA

Folder 8: Boston University – 1946 Bulletin

Folder 9: Boston University – 1947 Bulletin

Box Seven

Folder 1: Boston University – Committee of citizens to survey the social and health needs and services of Greater Boston (1946-47)

Folder 2: Boston University – Journal Club (1946)

Folder 3: Boston University – Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals - appointments

Folder 4: Boston University – Lectures to students on penicillin (1943-47)

Folder 5: Boston University – teaching notes

Folder 6: Boston University – miscellaneous programs & publications

Folder 7: Buffalo – School of Medicine – Project in Medical Education (1957)

Folder 8: College of Physicians & Surgeons – Alumni Association (1953-71)

Folder 9: Committee of Six – reports (1961-62)

Folder 10: Committee on Medical Research (CMR) – penicillin (1944)

Folder 11: Commonwealth Fund – letter to Dr. Evans (1956)

Folder 12: Compensation program (1956-74)

Folder 13: Conjugal bereavement study (1972)

Folder 14: Correspondence (undated)

Folder 15: Correspondence (1942-45)

Folder 16: Correspondence (1946)

Box Eight

Folder 1: Correspondence (1947)

Folder 2: Correspondence (Feb-Mar 1953)

Folder 3: Correspondence (Mar 1953)

Folder 4: Correspondence (Apr-May 1953)

Folder 5: Correspondence (Jun-Jul 1953)

Folder 6: Correspondence (Sep 1953-1954)

Folder 7: Correspondence (1955)

Folder 8: Correspondence (1956-58)

Folder 9: Correspondence (1959-62)

Folder 10: Correspondence (1963-67)

Box Nine

Folder 1: Correspondence (1968-70)

Folder 2: Correspondence (1971-78)

Folder 3: Curriculum Committee (1951-55)

Folder 4: Curriculum Committee (1956)

Folder 5: Curriculum Committee (1957-58)

Folder 6: Curriculum Committee – annual progress reports, 1st (1963)-5th (1969)

Folder 7: Ditchley Foundation – Conference on post-graduate medical education (1966)

Folder 8: Ditchley Foundation – Conference on post-graduate medical education (1966)

Box Ten

Folder 1: 50th Anniversary (Jan-Aug 1973)

Folder 2: 50th Anniversary (Sep-Dec 1973)

Folder 3: 50th Anniversary (Jan 1974)

Folder 4: 50th Anniversary (Feb-Jul 1974)

Folder 5: First year student tutorial program (1963)

Folder 6: Five year forecast of capital & operating needs (30 Jun 1957)

Folder 7: Grigg family tree

Folder 8: Harvard College (1931-37)

Folder 9: Harvard medical alumni

Folder 10: Henderson, Donald Ainslie (1975-78)

Folder 11: Ingelfinger, Franz J. (1976-77)

Folder 12: Iowa – State University College of Medicine – recruitment of DGA for dean (1953)

Folder 13: Lagos, Nigeria – University medical school (1962-69)

Box Eleven

Folder 1: Lybrand Brothers report (1954-55)

Folder 2: McCann, William – correspondence (1953-59)

Folder 3: McLean, Basil

Folder 4: Medical Library Fund (1959-62)

Folder 5: Medical Library dedication (1962)

Folder 6: Medicine, Dept. of (1966-74)

Folder 7: Metabolism ward (1954-57)

Folder 8: National Fund for Medical Education (1947-63)

Folder 9: National Fund for Medical Education (1966-68)

Folder 10: National Fund for Medical Education (1969)

Folder 11: National Fund for Medical Education (1970-78)

Folder 12: National Fund for Medical Education – interview study (1971-73)

Folder 13: National Fund for Medical Education – interview study (1973-77)

Box Twelve

Folder 1: New Jersey College of Medicine – consultation (1966)

Folder 2: New York State. Board of Medical Examiners – inspection of Belgian medical schools (Feb-Apr 1959)

Folder 3: New York State. Board of Medical Examiners – inspection of Belgian medical schools (May 1959)

Folder 4: New York State. Board of Medical Examiners – inspection of Belgian medical schools (Jun-Dec 1959)

Folder 5: New York State. Board of Medical Examiners – inspection of Belgian medical schools (1960-63)

Folder 6: New York State Medical School Deans Council (1963-65)

Box Thirteen

Spiral bound notebooks (Fall 1965-May 1967)

Box Fourteen

Spiral bound notebooks (May 1967-Jan 1968)

Box Fifteen

Spiral bound notebooks (Jan 1968-Feb 1969)

Box Sixteen

Spiral bound notebooks (Feb 1969-May 1971)

Box Seventeen

Folder 1: Publications – W.B. Saunders (1945)

Folder 2: Publications – reprints

Folder 3: Publications – manuscripts (alphabetical by title) A-M

Folder 4: Publications – manuscripts (alphabetical by title) P

Folder 5: Publications – manuscripts (alphabetical by title) S-W

Folder 6: Rockefeller Foundation (1960-61)

Folder 7: Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada – Conference on residency training for clinical specialties (1965)

Folder 8: Sabbatical – general (1963)

Folder 9: Sabbatical – general (1964)

Folder 10: Sabbatical – general (1965-66)

Folder 11: Sabbatical – Denmark

Box Eighteen

Folder 1: Sabbatical – Finland

Folder 2: Sabbatical – France

Folder 3: Sabbatical – Greece

Folder 4: Sabbatical – Great Britain

Folder 5: Sabbatical – Great Britain

Folder 6: Sabbatical – Norway

Folder 7: Sabbatical – Sweden

Folder 8: Sabbatical – USSR

Folder 9: Selective Service (1941-53)

Folder 10: Selective Service System – Healing Arts Educational Advisory Committee (1958)

Folder 11: Society membership

Folder 12: Southern Pediatric Seminar (1951)

Folder 13: Stanford University – recruitment of DGA as dean (1953)

Folder 14: Study Group on Clinical Teaching – report (1963)

Folder 15: Talks (undated)

Folder 16: Talks (1942-43)

Folder 17: Talks (1944)

Box Nineteen

Folder 1: Talks (1945)

Folder 2: Talks (1946)

Folder 3: Talks (1947-49)

Folder 4: Talks (1950-53)

Folder 5: Talks (1954-55)

Folder 6: Talks (1956-57)

Folder 7: Talks (1958-59)

Folder 8: Talks (1960-63)

Folder 9: Talks (1964-66)

Box Twenty

Folder 1: Talks (1968-71)

Folder 2: Talks (1972-74)

Folder 3: Talks (1975-76)

Folder 4: U.S. Army – consultant (1956-67)

Folder 5: U.S. Government confidential report (1968)

Folder 6: U.S. Navy – consultant (1958)

Folder 7: Valentine, Alan

Folder 8: Virginia, University of – recruitment of DGA as medical school dean (1952)

Folder 9: Virginia, University of – Visiting professor of medicine (1965)

Folder 10: Weed, Lawrence L. (1972)

Folder 11: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (Mar-Jun 1963)

Folder 12: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (Jul-Aug 1963)

Folder 13: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (Sep-Oct 1963)

Box Twenty-One

Folder 1: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (Nov-Dec 1963)

Folder 2: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (1964-65)

Folder 3: Wilson Day (Feb-Jul 1972)

Folder 4: Wilson Day (Aug-Sep 1972)

Folder 5: Wilson Day (Oct-Dec 1972)

Folder 6: Wilson Day – proceedings, invitations (1972)

Folder 7: Wilson Day Dec 1972-Feb 1973)

Folder 8: Wilson Day (Mar-Apr 1973)

Folder 9: Wilson Day (May-Sep 1973)

Folder 10: Wilson Day (Oct-Nov 1973)

Folder 11: World Conference on Medical Education (1st : 1953 : London)

Folder 12: World Conference on Medical Education (3rd : 1966 : New Delhi)

Box Twenty-Two

Diplomas, certificates and awards

Boxes Twenty-Three & Twenty-Four

Patient records (1969-1976) – Closed Until January 1, 2050