William Anthony Grana's Obituary
William A. Grana, M.D., M.P.H., 70 of Tucson, Arizona passed away on February 1st, 2013 after a short battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Susan; his son William (Tracy) of Nashville, TN; his daughter Beth Wing (John) of Dallas; three grandchildren, Will, Witt and Gabi, and his extended family and friends. He was born and grew up in St. Louis, MO. He met his wife, Susan, at Southwest High School, and they married in 1965. He attended Harvard College where he was a member of the All Ivy Football Team from 1961 to1963. He also attended Harvard Medical School. After graduating from medical school, he returned to St. Louis for 2 years of residency at Washington University. Thereafter, he joined the Air Force with his first duty station at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ. During his second year in the Air Force, he served as advisor to the U.S. State Department as part of a program designed to help the Vietnamese run their provincial hospital system during the Vietnam War. He returned to finish his orthopaedic residency at Washington University in St. Louis and then completed a sports medicine fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center. He remained in Oklahoma at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center where he was on the orthopaedic department staff and did extensive research on artificial knee ligaments. In 1983, he founded the state's first multidisciplinary sports medicine facility, Oklahoma Center for Athletes. In May 2000, he and Susan moved back to Tucson, Arizona, where he became the University of Arizona College of Medicine's first Head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. In July 2011, he retired from the University of Arizona and became a Professor Emeritus. He continued on the faculty with a primary focus on teaching residents and students. His contributions to and accolades within the field of orthopaedics and sports medicine are extensive. He directed an Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship for over thirty years in Oklahoma City and later Tucson, and he was past President of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. He was an active member of the Arthroscopy Association of North America, the Herodicus Society, the Thomas B. Quigley Sports Medicine Society, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He was editor-in-chief of Orthopaedic Knowledge Online with active involvement until his passing. Bill participated in the United States Olympic Medical Program. He served as Team Physician at the U.S. Olympic Festival in Houston, TX; Team Physician for the U.S. Team at the Winter World University Games in Cortina, Italy; Head Physician for the U.S. Team at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis, IN, and Team Physician for the U.S. Team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Bill served as Team Physician to a number of Oklahoma high school programs including the Del City Eagles, the Edmond Bulldogs, and the Edmond North Huskies. In addition, he worked with many university programs including Washington University in St. Louis, MO, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Arizona. He consulted for professional sports programs including the Oklahoma City Calvary, Oklahoma City Blazers, Oklahoma Redhawks, and the Chicago White Sox. A lifelong athlete, Bill enjoyed many sports as a participant and as a spectator. He especially loved watching his kids and grandkids play sports. Since moving to Tucson, he and Susan's sports focus was working on their golf games. His greatest joys were spending time with family in Tucson and in Crested Butte, CO and being Will, Witt and Gabi's "B.B". A celebration of Bill's life will be held on Saturday, March 2, at 3 PM at Lutheran Church of the Foothills, 5102 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson, AZ. Following the service, there will be a reception for all friends and family at The Westin LaPaloma, 3800 E. Sunrise Drive. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a gift to either of the following organizations: UAF/ Grana Endowment, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Arizona College of Medicine, P.O. Box 245018, Tucson, AZ 85724, or AOSSM Sports Medicine Leadership Fund, Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, 6300 N. River Road, Suite 700, Rosemont, IL 60018.
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