Dr. James C. Niederman ’46 P’76 H’81, a long-time member of the Kenyon Board of Trustees, died March 2 at the age of 99. A retired professor of epidemiology and public health at the Yale University School of Medicine, he served as a trustee at Kenyon from 1974 to 1997.
Born in Hamilton, Ohio on Nov. 27, 1924 (Thanksgiving Day), Niederman majored in chemistry at Kenyon, where he graduated in 1946. He went on to receive a medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1949.
Niederman was an Osler Intern at Johns Hopkins, then completed his residency at Grace (now Yale) New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, joining the Yale Medical School faculty in 1955. There his research came to focus on infectious mononucleosis, eventually proving that it was caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. He was the author or co-author of more than 100 scientific publications over the course of his career.
It was the closure of the Kenyon Review in 1969 due to financial difficulties that brought Niederman back to Kenyon. While a student, he had known poet and critic John Crowe Ransom, who had founded the Review in 1939. The two often played bridge together. Working with a small group of other alumni, Niederman was able to put the Review back on a viable financial footing, allowing it to resume publication in 1979, his son Timothy Niederman ’76 said.
“He considered that one of his major accomplishments,” he said. “Dad was not a particularly literary person, but he always respected the value of good writing and absolutely cherished the Review.”
David Lynn ’76, professor emeritus of English and editor emeritus of the Review, knew him well and said he was part of a small group of trustees who worked to maintain the literary journal in 1994, when it was in danger of being shut down.
“He was delightful,” Lynn said. “He believed in the Review. He was incredibly sweet and supportive of me, even into recent years.”
Niederman also served on the College’s Medical Advisory Board, whose aim was to expand health services. For his numerous contributions to the College, he received an honorary degree in 1981.
Niederman’s belief in all things Kenyon was strong, and he particularly appreciated that professors at the College embraced the mission to teach and serve students rather than focus on the promotion of their own careers.
And he was a strong supporter of Kenyon’s local conservation efforts. “He was very glad that Kenyon was protecting itself by buying land around it to preserve its unique atmosphere,” Timothy added.
Niederman also supported the College’s Squash Club and donated one of the squash courts at a previous athletic center; his gift is honored at one of the current squash courts at the Lowry Center.
Gardening was his hobby, and he enjoyed spending time in the greenhouse attached to his home in Bethany, Connecticut. He was known for the vast arrays of daffodils that sprouted in his yard each spring.
He is survived by his children, Timothy (Sue Sweitzer), Derrick (Peggy Malaspina), Eliza Miller (the late Russell Miller), and Caroline; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of more than 72 years, the former Miriam “Mimi” Camp, who died in January. A joint memorial service for James and Mimi Niederman will take place at a later date.