Portraits in the Library

John W. Amesse

John W. Amesse, M.D., 1874-1949

John W. Amesse, M.D., 1874-1949, graduated from the University of Michigan Department of Medicine and Surgery, Ann Arbor, in 1898. Because of John's love of books, this reading room is dedicated to him and to his family. The collection was established with books from John's personal collection. Additional items are purchased from the Amesse Memorial Fund.

John H. Amesse

John H. Amesse, M.D., 1915-1971

John H. Amesse, M.D., 1915-1971,  was a native of Denver. After graduating from the University of Colorado Medical School in 1941, Dr. Amesse quickly distinguished himself in both his profession and his community. He served in World War II and then established a general practice in Denver.

John C. Amesse

John C. Amesse, M.D., 1942-1968

John C. Amesse, M.D., 1942-1968, died in a tragic mountain climbing accident in the Flatirons west of Boulder two days before he was to graduate from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. A merit scholar at East High School in Denver, he received his bachelor's degree from Princeton in 1964.

Charles Denison

Charles Denison, M.D., 1845-1909

Charles Denison, M.D., 1845-1909 was a prominent Denver physician and leader in the study and treatment of tuberculosis. He was an early Colorado physician and Professor of Diseases of the Chest and Climatology at the University of Denver, 1881-1885.

Ella Strong Denison

Ella Strong Denison, 1855-1940

Ella Strong Denison, 1855-1940 started with an endowment made  in honor of her husband, Dr. Charles Denison. Mrs. Denison donated funds in 1924 for "The Charles Denison, M.D., Memorial Library." In 1935, Mrs. Denison donated more than $90,000 to build a new library building and a badly needed auditorium. The library was completed in 1937.

Henry Strong Denison

Henry Strong Denison, M.D., 1883-1912

Henry Strong Denison, M.D., 1883-1912 was the son of Dr. Charles Denison and Ella Strong Denison. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and was a protégé of Florence Sabin.

Frank Bradway Rogers

Frank Bradway Rogers, M.D., 1914-1987

Frank Bradway Rogers, M.D., 1914-1987 was the first director of the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland, then served as director of Denison Memorial Library from 1963 to 1974. Dr. Rogers developed MEDLARS, the first electronic storage and retrieval system in medicine, a milestone in the evolution of modern health sciences libraries.

Florence R. Sabin

Florence R. Sabin, M.D., 1871-1953

Florence R. Sabin, M.D., 1871-1953 was an American medical scientist and a pioneer for women in science. She was the first woman to hold a full professorship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the first woman elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and the first woman to head a department at the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research. In her retirement years, she pursued a second career as a public health activist in Colorado, and in 1951 received a Lasker Award for this work.

James J. Waring

James J. Waring, M.D., 1883-1962

James J. Waring, M.D., 1883-1962 served as Chairman of the Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Medical Center, from 1933 to 1948. Medical books from his personal library were donated to Denison Memorial Library and became the basis of the Waring History of Medicine Collection.

Dr. Waring's life has been chronicled in A Medical Gentleman: James J. Waring, M.D. by Patricia Paton (WZ 100 W276P 1993 Waring Collection stacks).

Click here to learn more about Dr. Waring.