IN MEMORIAM

May Winnifred Annexton

May Winnifred Annexton

NASW member May Winnifred Annexton died Nov. 10 after a brief illness. After being a homemaker and raising two children, Annexton established herself as a medical writer and editor of articles and books, publisher of medical journals, video producer, and science-writing instructor.

Annexton authored two books: Coping With Skin and Your Body, A Reference Book for Women. At the time of her death, she was writing a book on the history of female physicians in Indiana.

As a medical writer, her career was broad and varied. As an associate editor at the Journal of the American Medical Association, Annexton had the opportunity to interview several of the world’s top physicians and scientists, most notably Nobel prize-winner Linus Pauling. Annexton also freelanced as a special writer for the Indianapolis Star newspaper.

For JAMA, she wrote the first article on the use of catheters for clearing blocked arteries in heart disease patients. For this work, Annexton was most proud of her 1979 Blakeslee Award from the American Heart Association for the best scientific article on heart disease.

While living in New York in the 1980s, Annexton was a writer/editor for PW Communications, KPR Infor/Media, World Health Communications, and Springer-Verlag. She served as director of communications and program editor/writer/broadcaster for the American Health Foundation and Physicians Radio Network.

From 1991 to 1997, Annexton worked at Riley Child Development Center at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where she used audio/video presentations to chronicle the family lives of children with disabilities. This work won her a commendation from the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine.

As a freelancer, she also developed numerous audio and video programs for Indianapolis-based organizations. She served St. Vincent’s Hospital (Indianapolis) as its media coordinator, science writer, physician-liaison, and radio/television producer for “Doctor on Call,” (WRTV-Channel 6) and “Medical Minutes,” on WYIC radio.

Annexton also used her talents to teach science writing at Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis School of Journalism and business writing classes at St. Vincent’s Hospital. As a strong proponent for the specialization of science writing as a career within the field of journalism, she lectured at Indiana University-Bloomington, Ball State University, Butler University, St. Vincent’s Hospital, and Hunter College, New York.

A 1945 graduate of the University of Minnesota, Annexton was a lifelong student with post-graduate studies at the University of California, San Francisco, and San Francisco State College. As the president of the Phoenix, Ariz., chapter of Planned Parenthood in the 1950s, Annexton successfully produced and aired the first public service announcements allowed on television on the subject of family planning.
She was a member of NASW (since 1980) and the American Medical Writers Association.

(Source: Martha A. Karatz)

Norma Golumbic

Norma Golumbic, an NASW member since 1960, died in April 2000. She had been retired from her position as senior science editor at the National Cancer Institute.

Raymond Fagan

Raymond Fagan, an NASW member since 1966, died Sept. 3. Fagan was communications manager for Schering Corp. in N.J.

Don Radler

Don Radler, an NASW member since 1995, died in July. He was editor of Uniscence News Net in Cape Coral, Fla. and had been a member since 1995.

#