Feb. 20, 1998

Front Page

By Lynda Seaver McKeon
Newsline staff writer

CAMS' colorful director dies

Caroline Holloway, the director of the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, died Monday following complications from a heart attack she suffered three weeks ago at the Lab. She was 60 years old.

Holloway, a biochemist, will be remembered by her colleagues as warm and personable, with boundless enthusiasm for her work.

“She embraced all of science,” said Jay Davis, associate director for Earth and Environmental Sciences. It was Davis who helped recruit Holloway to come to the Lab less than one year ago.

“She was as enthusiastic about geosciences as she was archaeology, biochemistry as she was biophysics,” Davis said. “She brought to us an insight to the different kinds of research that can be done with CAMS and the different research communities.

“She was taking CAMS much further beyond what it had been,” he added, “and she was exciting all of us who had started this project.”

During her time at the Lab, Holloway also served on two committees — the Energy associate director screening committee, as well as the Council for Biosciences and Biotechnology.

“I will never forget my first meeting with Caroline; I strongly suspect that the same is true for everyone who met her,” said Wadsworth, deputy director for Science and Technology. “In my case, Jay had asked me to talk to her as she interviewed for the position as director of CAMS. The moment she walked in, her energy and vitality filled the room. Caroline's scientific and personal accomplishments and credentials were outstanding, and I remember wondering not whether we should employ her, but only how soon could she start.”

Holloway joined the Lab on April 14, 1997. Back then she likened her role as director of CAMS to that of “driving a Ferrari in the fast lane with all systems in high gear.” She was particularly looking forward to CAMS applications in biomedical research, such as identifying gene products for the Human Genome Project.

“When Caroline joined us, she was immediately a constant source of new and different thinking,” Wadsworth recalled. “She expressed very strong opinions, which derived from her world-class expertise, and her tenacity and beliefs in pursuit of her scientific goals.

“We sought her out for institutional committees because we knew she would hold nothing back in expressing her unique views and that those views would enrich our discussions. I might add that she had a terrific sense of humor.

“We have lost a very special person.”

Prior to her arrival at the Lab, Holloway was director at the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., where she had worked since 1984. During that time, Holloway also served as director of the NCRR Office of Science Policy, acting chief of the NCRR Office of Review, acting director of Biomedical Research Technology, head of the Biological Structure Section and grants associate.

Holloway also served as a research assistant professor of biochemistry at the University of Virginia School of Medicine from 1976-83.

Holloway suffered a heart attack on Jan. 28 while working in her office. Her secretary, Nanette Sorensen, heard her collapse and immediately called for emergency help. She was taken to Valley Care Medical Center, where she showed the barest signs of life. Holloway had been placed on life support since her arrival at the hospital. She was taken off her respirator on Sunday.

“Her death is a tragedy not only for the Lab, but for science,” Davis said.

Yet Davis also emphasized that many people at the Lab also lost a friend.

“She was a pistol,” summed up Sorensen. When asked to elaborate further on her character, Sorensen simply replied “she was one.

“She was very people-oriented, and yet she didn't mind telling you exactly what she thought of you, whether you wanted to hear it. But she was always able to do it in a way where you did not feel put upon,” Sorensen said. “With her, you would just laugh all the time she was around. She was very fair and very protective.”

Holloway was a member for the American Society of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Biology, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Etruscan Foundation. She was the recipient of NIH's Merit Award, Special Act Award and Special Service Award. She has written dozens of scientific papers and abstracts on biochemistry, and she has made presentations at conferences and workshops across the nation.

Holloway was born in 1937 in New York. She earned her bachelor's degree at City College of New York, where she was Phi Beta Kappa, and she received her doctorate in biochemistry at Duke University.

Her interests included poetry (English and Italian), classical music, art, writing poetry and short stories, birdwatching, hiking, wildflowers and gardening.

Holloway is survived by her husband, Thomas Lynn, a son and a daughter. Services for Holloway are pending; Holloway will be buried near her mother and father in Virginia. A memorial service for Lab employees to attend is also being planned.

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