Dr. Robert “Rob” S. Northrup Sr., known for his lifelong devotion to improving public health both in the United States and around the world, died peacefully on July 12, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the age of 86. He had suffered a long decline from PCA, Posterior Cortical Atrophy. A man who loved culture and company, he will be dearly missed by his family and the many friends and colleagues he cultivated over the years.
Born in Westfield, N.Y. on November 21, 1938, to Dr. Robert R. Northrup and Anne Elizabeth “Betty” Smither, he married Margaret “Quincy” Northrup in 1962. Together they had 2 children, Anne and Robert. In 2010, Rob and Quincy moved to Ann Arbor to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
Rob was a lifelong learner, the valedictorian of his high school, and a Yale undergrad with a degree in English. He went on to Harvard Medical School where he studied internal medicine and infectious diseases. His career in public health began in earnest when he served in the U.S. Public Health Service in a cholera lab in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in the late 1960s. There he played a pivotal role in the development of Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT). This groundbreaking therapy, later adopted by UNICEF, has saved millions of lives by combating infant mortality caused by diarrheal diseases. His work in this field remains a cornerstone of global health initiatives.
Returning to the United States, he worked at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. from 1969 to 1973 developing a cholera vaccine before turning his efforts towards public health education. In Yogyakarta, Indonesia, he worked with Dr. Jon Rohde, a colleague from his Dhaka days, on a Rockefeller Foundation project to update the medical school curriculum at Gadjah Mada University. This collaboration led to his later work with Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti. He was on the faculty at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and later Brown University’s School of Public Health.
His passion for music was fostered by his family and summers at the nearby Chautauqua Institution where he enjoyed opera and the symphony. He was involved in various choral groups throughout his life. Rob enjoyed arranging for and singing with the Augmented 8, an all-male acapella group in Washington, D.C. He also sang in church choirs, including the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor. He became a Unitarian Universalist later in life because it aligned with his values. After retiring, he returned to school to study music at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV.
Rob loved to both recite and write poetry. He went to movies, plays, and art museums. He and Quincy traveled throughout the world, Rob often photographing their adventures. He would bring the film home and process the photos in his basement darkroom. He enjoyed tennis and squash, running, and he worked out almost every day. And he loved corn on the cob, good cookies, and beer. He was a lifelong Rotarian and in retirement devoted himself to the Ann Arbor Rotary Club’s international health initiatives.
Dr. Northrup is survived by his beloved wife, Quincy, his children Anne Northrup (Daniel Andries) and Robert Northrup Jr., his sister Sherry Tyler (Dave Tyler) and family, six grandchildren, and numerous cousins. His life was marked by a dedication to public health, a love of music, and a commitment to family.
