Dr. Thorup was at the UA College of Medicine from 1966 to
1974 where he served as a founding faculty member and established the college’s
Department of Internal Medicine. The collection contains correspondence, annual
reviews, reports, plans, and proposals relating to the early years of University of
Arizona College of Medicine. Topics range from facilities planning and construction,
curriculum, faculty promotion and tenure, clinical issues and hospital
administrative matters.
Collection Number:
MS 690
Language:
Materials in English
Repository:
University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections
University of Arizona
PO Box 210055
Tucson, AZ 85721-0055
Phone: 520-621-6423
Fax: 520-621-9733
URL: http://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/
E-Mail: LBRY-askspcoll@email.arizona.edu
Biographical Note
Oscar A. Thorup Jr., MD, was one of the founders of the University of Arizona College
of Medicine. In 1966, Dr. Thorup joined the UA’s future medical school as professor
and chairman of the Department of Medicine. Working with Merlin K. “Monte” DuVal,
MD, and Philip Krutsch, MD, they formed a three-man planning team to develop the UA
College of Medicine. Over the next four years, they worked closely with architects
while concurrently developing the curriculum for the incoming medical students.
Recalling his first meeting with Dr. Thorup, Dr. DuVal notes, “Starting a medical
school from scratch didn’t seem like a big deal when I said I’d do it, but once I
had accepted the invitation - and actually arrived on the scene I knew I was over my
head. That is, until I met Oscar Thorup. It was almost 40 years ago. I was looking
for a really good internist, broadly oriented, and ready to set a tone for the
institution we were developing. My list of candidates was strong but they all paled
once I had met Oscar. My problem was how to persuade him to leave his beloved
Charlottesville. Fortunately, he rose to the challenge and moved to Arizona.”
During his tenure at the UA College of Medicine, Dr. Thorup spent a second
sabbatical in Oxford, England in 1972, with Dr. Alan Sharp, again focusing on the
problems of blood coagulation. Upon his return to Arizona, he resumed his post as
chairman of the Department of Medicine. In 1974, Dr. Thorup was invited to initiate
a new program in continuing education at the University of Virginia. He was made
director of the Program of Human Biology and Society, and together with Dr. James
Childress began a new medical ethics program. Dr. Thorup also headed the Medical
Center Hour, the medical school's weekly public conference on current cultural and
ethical issues related to health care. Many of these programs were subsequently
published as articles in PHAROS. Dr. Thorup retired in 1989, as Professor Emeritus
of Medicine.
During his nine years in Tucson, Dr. Thorup served on many civic committees,
including the Hospital Planning Council for Greater Tucson, the Arizona Heart
Association, the Southern Arizona Heart Association, and the Pima County Medical
Society. He served on the board of directors of the local chapter of the American
Red Cross and as chairman of the Planning and Allocation Committee of the Tucson
Community Council (United Way). Additionally, Dr. Thorup held several leadership
positions on the Tucson Health Planning Council (board member, executive committee,
and president). Dr. Thorup co-authored five editions of Fundamentals of Clinical
Hematology with Dr. Byrd S. Leavell and authored numerous articles published in a
variety of medical and scientific journals. Dr. Thorup was particularly interested
in Thomas Jefferson and spent many years researching and writing about his life and
interest in medicine. Dr. Thorup died after a long illness and courageous battle,
Oct. 21, 2002 at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Va.
Scope and Content Note
Collection contains correspondence, annual reviews, reports, plans, and proposals
relating to the early years of University of Arizona College of Medicine. Topics
range from facilities planning and construction, curriculum, faculty promotion and
tenure, clinical issues and hospital administrative matters. This collection was formerly HT 0017.
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner
of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her
transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify
and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for the University of Arizona, its
officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person
asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.
Thorup, Oscar Andreas, Jr. Oscar Andreas Thorup, Jr. Papers, 1965-1978 (bulk
1966-1976). AHSL MS 690, Special Collections, Arizona Health Sciences Library,
Tucson, AZ.
Acquisition Information:
2010 gift from Barbara Turnball Thorup (Dr. Thorup’s widow) via the University of
Virginia Claude Moore Health Sciences Library. (Accession no: 2010-05).
