Rozeboom, Dr. Lloyd E. 1908-1999

ROZEBOOM, VANDERGIJP, THOMPSON

Posted By: Paul Van Dyke--Volunteer
Date: 5/13/2017 at 00:31:44

Source: Sioux County Capital (12-2-1999)

Birth: October 17, 1908
Death: October 31, 1999

Dr. Lloyd E. Rozeboom, 91, of Columbia, Maryland, an internationally acclaimed expert in tropical medicine, died recently of Parkinson's disease at Vantage House in Columbia. A memorial service was held on November 13 at Vantage House.

Lloyd was born in Orange City, the youngest of 10 children of William and Antoinette (Vander Gijp) Rozeboom. His father was one of Orange City's pioneer merchants, having a hardware store until it was destroyed by a fire, where upon he became one of the city's first casualty insurance agents.

Lloyd graduated from Northwestern Academy and attended Morningside College. He transferred to Iowa State University and earned his bachelor's degree in zoology-entomology in 1931. He came to Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health in 1931 where he specialized in the study of mosquitoes and earned a doctorate in medical entomology in 1934.

From 1934-37, Dr. Rozeboom was medical entomologist at the Gorgas Memorial Laboratory in Panama and then taught for two years at Oklahoma A&M College before returning to Hopkins in 1939.

He married Mae Thompson in 1939. She died this year.

Commissioned a Lieutenant in the Navy, he served in the Pacific during WWII where he clarified the taxonomix status of many mosquitoes there.

In 1941 Dr. Rozeboom was presented the prestigious Bailey F. Ashford Award in Tropical Medicine for his work identifying a previously unknown breed of mosquito in Trinidad that carried malaria. That particular mosquito bred in a certain kind of tall tree. Cutting those trees was necessary to rid the Island of that type of mosquito.

His discovery rid that island of malaria and enabled the U.S. to build bases there during WWII. He remained in the Naval Reserve and was discharged a captain in 1968.

He taught medical entomology at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health for 40 years. After retiring he was asked by Hopkins to return and he established a tropical medical center at the School of Public Health. He retired a second time in 1977.

Dr. Rozeboom was a member of Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years. He enjoyed gardening, music, traveling and golfing.

Survivors include a daughter and a son, four granddaughters, a great-granddaughter; two nieces and a nephew in Orange City, Margaret Hubers, Eleanor Schula and Jack Brolsma and a nephew, Norman G. Bastemeyer of West Des Moines.

All of Dr. Rozeboom's siblings preceded him in death.