Max William Biggs

Dr. Max William Biggs, a medical director of the Laboratory from 1955-1980, died Jan. 14. He was 89.

Born Aug. 4, 1920, in Cleveland, Ohio, he grew up near Akron, Ohio and graduated from Stowe High School.

He graduated from Depauw University, where he majored in chemistry and exhibited his superb athletic skills, playing collegiate football, basketball and baseball. In his junior year, he was named All-State-Indiana in basketball.

He attended Harvard Medical School,. earning his M.D. in 1945. He served in the U.S. Navy at the time, and during his internship at the University of Chicago, he met his future wife, Joanne. After his naval service, he and Joanne moved to San Francisco where he was a resident at Stanford University. He furthered his education, acquiring a Ph.D. in medical physics from UC Berkeley in 1954. He then served as the LLNL medical director for 25 years.

Biggs’ passion was medical research. He continued his research on melanoma at UCSF long after his retirement.

A Pleasanton resident for 54 years and member of the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council (PCAC), he strongly supported music in the schools.

Biggs was an accomplished sailor and crewed on numerous trans-Pacific and Mexican yacht races. He sailed his own boat, the Hibiscus, a Lapworth 36, from San Francisco to Tahiti via the Marquesas Islands and back through the Hawaiian islands.

He is survived by his wife, of 62 years, Joanne; children, Paula, Blake and Will; four grandchildren, Alison and Barry Biggs and Carmen and Robert Tebbe.

Donations may be made in Biggs’ memory to PCAC , P.O. Box 1298, Pleasanton, CA 94566.