Dr. Bruce Murray Anderson, 88, of Blacksburg, died Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017 at Lewis Gale Hospital – Montgomery. He was born in Detroit, Michigan on July 14, 1929 to the late Harold Bruce Anderson and Elizabeth Mae Anderson Williams (Llewellyn Williams).
He is survived by his beloved family: daughter and son-in-law, Marcia Anne and James F. Diebold, Columbus, OH; daughter, Nancy Louise Anderson, Leesburg, VA; a son and daughter-in-law, David Bruce and Robin K. Anderson; two grandchildren, Robert Bruce Anderson and Elisabeth Anderson La Cross (Jeff La Cross and two great-grandchildren), all from Birmingham, AL; sisters-in-law, Alice Anderson and Patricia Anderson Livezey, as well as countless nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
Bruce Anderson’s career began at Ursinus College, graduating in 1953 with a B.S. in Chemistry. He continued his education with a M.S. in Biochemistry at Purdue University in 1954 and a Ph.D in Biochemistry at The Johns Hopkins University in 1958, followed by a Post-doctoral Fellow at Brandeis University. His academic positions included Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Louisville School of Medicine (1960 – 1963); Associate and Full Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1963 – 1970); Professor and Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1970 – 1982); Professor, Department of Biochemistry at Virginia Tech (1982 – 1999); and Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry at Virginia Tech (1999 – 2017). In the course of his career, Bruce published over 150 research articles in major international Biochemistry Journals—60+ co-authored with his wife.
Bruce served in the U.S. Air Force as a radio operator stationed in Greenland during the final years of World War II. In his later years, he enjoyed playing golf and traveling with family and friends. Throughout his life, he loved music and played the guitar. He and his late wife were avid supporters of the Virginia Tech football team.
The family received friends on Nov. 3, 2017, at McCoy Funeral Home, 150 Country Club Drive SW, Blacksburg, VA.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Bruce and Connie Anderson Graduate Award in the Department of Biochemistry. Checks should be written to the “Virginia Tech Foundation” with the memo “Bruce Anderson Graduate Award 882894.” Please mail to Melanie Huffman, Virginia Tech Biochemistry Dept., 340 West Campus Drive, 111B Engel Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061.
