James Arthur Bain

James A. Bain, Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology at Emory University and a former president of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, died of natural causes in Atlanta on June 5. He was 93. Dr. Bain, a much honored figure in the rarified worlds of medical education and scientific research, was prominent nationally as well internationally. He served as senior executive associate dean of Emory Medical School, conducted studies in a variety of fields–including cellular physiology, biochemical pharmacology, carcinogens, tumors and heredity, and authored or co-authored dozens of research papers and reviews. Not content to restrict his achievements to classrooms and laboratories, Dr. Bain was Druid Hills Golf Club's senior men's golf champion in 1986 and 1988.
Dr. Bain was far from a cloistered academic pursuing theoretical minutiae. In nominating him for the Thomas Jefferson Award, among Emory's highest honors for faculty and staff, Richard M. Krause, M.D., then dean of the medical school, wrote that "Dr. Bain possesses a unique expertise and experience which combines an academic focus with an excellent knowledge of administrative and fiscal operations. Over the years he has developed an extraordinary knowledge for facilities planning, development and construction and this has been particularly valuable in the implementation of new laboratories in the Health Sciences Center." The award's donor specified that "the personal and professional qualities of the recipient should resemble those Thomas Jefferson considered essential to the intellectual, social and political advancement of society." Dr. Bain accepted the award during commencement ceremonies in 1988.
He was also honored that year with the Torald Sollman Award, presented by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics "for significant contributions over many years to the advancement and extension of knowledge in the field of pharmacology." Upon receiving the award, Dr. Bain cited with pride the accomplishments of his doctoral students and their students: "They have far surpassed me in their accomplishments, as they should, particularly in the scientific investigation arena and in the service arena as well. . . . All five of my doctoral students have risen to prominence in the profession–four in academia and one in industry. Three of them have served with distinction as chairmen of major departments of pharmacology and one as chief of his section in a large hospital. They have enriched the literature with over 500 peer-reviewed primary publications, to say nothing of reviews, book chapters, monograph contributions, books and abstracts, all testifying to their participation in scientific research and communication." James Arthur Bain was born in Langdon, North Dakota, on May 22, 1918. The son of James and Mable Aldritt Bain, a banker and the church organist and piano teacher, he was valedictorian of his high school class. Advised by his father to study law, he chose a different path, earning a B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin in 1940 followed by a Ph.D. in Physiology from the same institution in 1944. After two years' shipboard service as a Navy radar officer he returned to Wisconsin on a Rockefeller Fellowship for postdoctoral work in physical chemistry. From 1947 to 1952 he served on the research and teaching staff of the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He accepted the position of professor of Pharmacology at Emory in 1954, served as chairman of Pharmacology from 1957 to 1962, and was director of the university's Division of Basic Health Sciences from 1960 until 1976. Among his other honors were the Distinguished Medical Achievement Award, presented by the Medical Alumni Association of Emory, and the Distinguished Emeritus Award, given by Emory's Emeritus College. Dr. Bain married Eleanor Hohaus on December 5, 1947. The union lasted until her death in January of 2010.He is survived by a sister, Margaret Camp of Silver Spring, Maryland; two sons, Andrew (Sarah Roe) and Peter (Dianne Bain); grandsons Matthew (Missy Bain) and Harrison, and three great grandchildren, all of the Atlanta area. Arrangements are private. The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made in Dr. Bain's name to CURE Childhood Cancer, 1117 Perimeter Center West, Suite N-402, Atlanta, GA 30338. 770-986-0035.


Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033