In The Frontline Of The Battle Against Influenza
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday February 10, 2005
David Ogilvie White
Medical virologist 1931-2004David Ogilvie White, who has died at 73, was one of Australia's most distinguished medical virologists, making major contributions to elucidating the molecular biology and immunology of the influenza virus. He was professor of microbiology at the University of Melbourne from 1967 until his retirement for medical reasons in 1994 and was head of the department of microbiology for 14 of those years. He also filled other high-level appointments in the university, including assistant dean of medicine (preclinical) from 1971 to 1982, dean of research and graduate studies, chairman of the academic board and pro vice-chancellor.White was born in Canberra, the son of Harold White and Elizabeth Wilson, and was educated at Canberra High School. During his early years there were signs of the eclectic brilliance that characterised his life. As a teenager he was Canberra open chess champion and co-wrote a significant work on the birds of the Canberra area, presaging his lifelong interest in ornithology.He graduated in medicine from the University of Sydney in 1954 and completed a PhD in virology at the Australian National University. For his doctorate, he devised new ways to work with the influenza virus in the laboratory, and that virus became the central focus of his research.White was an outstanding teacher of undergraduates and this was recognised by the University of Melbourne and the Australian Society for Microbiology, each of which named an annual award for excellence in teaching in his honour. He was also exemplary as a mentor for research students and staff. He supervised 37 BSc honours and 20 PhD students and attracted a series of outstanding postdoctoral fellows and visitors to his laboratory, and with them published more than 100 original research papers. White wrote six books on virology, including Medical Virology (with Frank Fenner) through four editions, each of which was widely used in medical schools around the world and was translated into Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese and Russian. With Fenner and veterinary colleagues he wrote two editions of Veterinary Virology, which in an international review was recommended as "the text of choice for the teaching of veterinary virology". He was an editor of Archives of Virology and served on the editorial boards of several other international journals.White received many accolades and honours, including being made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1992, and several honorary life memberships of national research groups. He held executive positions on many national and international professional societies, and led international symposiums on virology.Throughout his life White retained an active interest in ornithology, exploration and wilderness and was a life member of the Bird Observers Club of Australia. He enjoyed sport and was a keen tennis player. He was a grand master in the Australian Bridge Federation, several times Victorian bridge champion and an Australian pairs champion.He retired in 1994 and died peacefully after an 11-year battle with a rare liver disease. He was an extraordinarily humble and self-effacing person. Throughout his professional life, he voluntarily took on an enormous workload, not for self-aggrandisement or personal gain but in the firm belief that he could make a difference. In this, as in most things, he was almost always right. Most of all, those who were privileged to know him will remember his warm, constant and lively friendship.He is survived by his wife, Marjorie, three daughters and their families and by siblings Judith, Katharine and John.
© 2005 Sydney Morning Herald