M.D., William E. Connor, 88 09/14/1921 10/25/2009 Bill Connor, 88, passed away peace- fully at his home Oct. 25, 2009. Born Sept. 14, 1921, in Pittsburgh, Bill was the oldest child of Frank and Edna Connor. He grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, and attended the University of Iowa where he re-ceived a Bachelor of Arts and then a Doctor of Medicine, after serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in Hawaii during World War II. There he joined the Honolulu Friends Meeting and became a lifelong Quaker. He was a faculty member in the department of internal medicine, University of Iowa, College of Medicine from 1961 to 1975 and director of the clinical research center from 1968 to 1975. He moved to Portland in 1975. Bill was a faculty member in the department of medicine at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) from 1975 to 2009. Bill, a physician scientist with a boundless curiosity, was a pioneer in diet and heart disease that took him (and many who were caught up in his wake) on a remarkable tour of the breadth and depth of research about dietary cholesterol, omega-3 fats, changing eating habits (The Family Heart Study) and diseases of sterol metabolism. His fascination with other cultures led to studies with the Tarahumara Indians in the Copper Canyon area of Mexico. He was devoted to his wonderful patients at OHSU, as well as those he administered to once a month first at the Neighborhood Health Clinic and more recently at the Wallace Medical Clinic along with his son Rodney, also a physician. Bill worked tirelessly and persistently on social justice issues through his church (Iowa City Friends Meeting, Multnomah Friends Meeting and the First United Methodist Church, his church home for the last 30 years) and other groups. During the '60s he worked on racial equality including opening his home to two black high school students who could not attend their school in Virginia. He worked with Iowans Against the Death Penalty from 1962 until the death penalty was repealed in 1965. Bill was a passionate peace advocate and worked on this effort with many groups (Physicians for Social Responsibility, American Friends Service Committee, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Friends Committee on National Legislation). He had been involved in efforts to repeal the death penalty in Oregon since 1991, was a chief petitioner of the Life for a Life ballot initiative effort and was recently named chair emeritus of the Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. He served on a number of City Club research groups, two of which were the study of the minimum wage ballot measure and early childhood development. Bill was in constant contact with his legislators, both state and national, to promote passage of policies to help the disadvantaged. Bill was involved with the Friends of Marquam Nature Park from its beginning in 1978; he promoted the development of new trails, the latest of which is the Connor trail from OHSU to the shelter. He was a big supporter of the Nature Conservancy. Bill was physically active and had climbed Mount Hood, Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens; he was well known for riding his bike around Fairmont Boulevard every day. His day started with 40 minutes of yoga. Bill was a devoted family man who instilled in his children and grandchildren a love of books, hiking, biking, camping and gardening - and, of course, a passion for helping others. He is survived by his wife, Sonja; children, Rodney (Cathy), Susan (Steve Taksa), James (Laurie Bailey), Chris (Regina) and Peter (Peiling); grandchildren, Natalie Mulford, Amanda (Jon) Sanford and Elliott, Zach, Patrick, Gabriel, Jessica and Benjamin Connor; sister, Kathleen White; brother, James Connor (Zoe); sister-in-law, Sandra Whitley (Joe); 15 nieces and nephews; extended families (Does and Barabanovs); and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife, Selma; and brother, John Connor. A celebration of his life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, in First United Methodist Church, 1838 S.W. Jefferson S t., Portland. Remembrances may be made to the OHSU Foundation (Drew Scholarship for African American and Eastman Scholarship for Native American students), 1121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 100, Portland, OR 97205; Friends of Marquam Nature Park, P.O. Box 125, 6327-C Capitol Hwy., Portland, OR 97239-1937; Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, P.O. Box 361, Portland, OR 97207-0361; or First United Methodist Church, 1838 S.W. Jefferson St., Portland, OR 97201 Published in The Oregonian on November 8, 2009