Walt and Dave,

We are very sorry to learn of your father's passing. Thinking of you at this sad time.

With deepest sympathy,

Carl Cambridge and Judy Duwa Cambridge

I came to the UI's Department of Microbiology in 1972, and was soon involved in experiments involving radioisotopes. I knew little about the physics or practical handling of radioisotopes. In asking around for assistance in getting educated, the answer was always Talk to Bill Osborne. So I did and found out the advice was right on the button. I found Bill to be generous with his time and expertise, and was enabled to do the experiments. I would see Bill off and on over the years after that, and every time I recognized that I was in the presence of a man of great character and generosity.

Dear Marilyn and family,

We are so sorry to learn of your loss. We cherish the memories and the support that you and Bill extended to us during our time in Iowa City and your visit to our home here in Melbourne.

Our love and deepest sympathy at this time of great sorrow. May you find support from those who surround you.

I am so sorry for your loss "Ozzies".

My heart and prayers go out to the Osborne Family. Bill was such a great Coralville man. He always had time for us Coralville kids when ever we saw him. Bill had one of the best hook shots in basketball I had ever seen and he would school us kids at the Coralville Rec Center with that hook shot! Heaven gets a great man in Bill. God bless Bill and the Osborne Family.

Mark, Debi & Devin Judge

I first met Bill in 1988 when I came to work at the University of Iowa. He greeted me warmly at that time and remained a good and supportive friend. He often chatted with me and gave me good advice and encouragement. Bill was devoted to his profession and his students, and he made many substantial contributions to Radiation Biology. I will miss him.

Dear Marilyn and family,

We are saddened to learn of Bill's passing. We have such wonderful times together especially playing bridge together once a month for YEARS! We also cherish memories of dinners out with that same bridge group.

Uncle Bill was always the best story teller (non fiction!). When Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Bill would fly into Arizona to stay with his sister Mary, we would accompany them (once their stay with us was finished) down to Tucson for them to visit with long time friends. Those car rides were always fascinating. Uncle Bill could recount so many stories from his youth and of his parents (my grandma and grandpa). He filled in the blanks for so many questions that I had and I'll forever remember those trips. I knew Uncle Bill was a kind and honorable man, but reading all of the nice things his colleagues and students had to say about him made me so happy and proud. A great man has gone home. Aunt Marilyn our hearts are with you in this very sad time. We love you.

To Marilyn and family,

Twenty years ago, a long distant phone call with a gentle, soft and assuring voice surprised me with the news that I was accepted into the Radiation Biology Graduate Program at the University of Iowa. I am forever grateful to Dr. Osborne for opening the first door for my north American adventure.

May you rest in peace.

I first met Dr. Osborne when I started working in the Radiation Research Lab as an undergrad work study student. With his help and encouragement I later joined the department as a grad student and received an M.S. in Radiation Biology. After graduation I went to work for the Radiation Safety Office at the University of Iowa and continued to receive advice mentoring from Bill. He was always very helpful and encouraging when I sought his counsel and served for many years on the University's radiation safety committees. Bill was a mentor to many students, a major contributor and promoter of the Radiation Research Society, and a fine gentleman who will be missed.

Marilyn and Family,

My deepest condolences to you at this time of sadness. Bill was a wonderful person. I have fond memories of both of you at the RRS functions.May God give you strength in the days ahead.

Marilyn and Family :

Tami and I are certainly sad to hear of Bill's passing. I have so many fond memories of him, you, Walt and Dave growing up in Coralville. You were always my "second family" during my years at West High and always enjoyed stopping to see you during those rare trips we made back to Iowa City since graduation. My folks always thought so much of you all and enjoyed the fellowship they shared with you at the church. Bill was a special person and I will always fondly remember him keeping Walt and I "on task" when we were caretakers and "lawn mowers" at the church! He touched many people and Tami and I feel blessed to have known him!

Our Love to Your Family

Don and Tami Rinehart

Phoenix, Arizona

I will always remember Bill as one of my very first faculty contacts at the Radiation Research Laboratory at the University of Iowa more than 25 years ago. I worked side by side with him on many projects, both teaching and research, and some of the best students that I have had the opportunity to mentor were sent in my direction by Bill. I have a lot to thank him for and I will be forever grateful for his kindness and long term support over all these years.

I was fortunate to get to know Dr. Osborne as a medical student at the University of Iowa in 1985. At that time I knew very little about radiation research but he took a chance on me and I joined his lab for a summer research experience. The experience was very enjoyable and educational for me...mostly due to the fact that Dr. Osborne was such an amazing instructor and mentor. The experience was so great that I returned the following summer to finish the work. I was always so impressed by his knowledge and passion for his work, his sense of humor, and his ability to get everyone in the lab to do their best. Even though he could not talk me into pursuing a career in radiation work (I am now a pediatric cardiologist), his impact on my education and career has been significant. May God bless you all at this time of your loss.

Dr. Mark Zittergruen

Sorry to read of Bill's death. He was a gracious man and colleague and I always counted him as a friend.

Robert T. Cook, (rural) Riverside, Iowa

I am saddened to read of the passing of Bill Osborne, and extend my condolences to the family. I was in school with Walter, but got to meet his Dad, Bill, later, which I was doing part-time work during college, at the Radiation Research Lab. Bill was so kind to me at the time, and always had a friendly greeting when I saw him in the lab. But then, for years after that, he never failed to recognize me on the street or in a store on those occasions we'd happen to meet. I think he extended that kind of warmth and friendship to everyone he met. What a rare person! I am sure he will be greatly missed. I hope that memories of happy times together will be a comfort to the family.

I have a lot, both personal and professional, to thank Bill for. There are, in fact, so many that it is impossible to mention them all, but here are a few tidbits: First, Bill provided the incentive for me to come to the US in 1984. He provided an opportunity to come to the University of Iowa as a postdoc in1985, and later that year, he introduced me to the lady who became my wife, Dr. Cynthia Ross. Cynthia and I are still happily married and we have a lovely daughter, Miriam. Bill also helped me find my long-time collaborator and laboratory manager, Dr. Junru Wang, an individual who has been very important for my professional career. In fact, the Division of Radiation Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences would not have existed without Bill's help. I have kept up with Bill ever since I first met him in Amsterdam in 1983, visited him on several occasions, and am very sad to see him go. However, his memory lives on in Bill's beloved Radiation Research Society. The James W. Osborne Endowment will, in perpetuity, be used to fund a speaker in Bill's own field of research, normal tissue radiation responses.

We in the Free Radical and Radiation Biology PhD program at the University of Iowa will always be greatly indebted to the major impact Bill's work had on creating our legacy. His meticulous work promoting the efforts of the Radiation Research Society will also be greatly missed. Some of my fondest memories were of the Iowa Alumni Dinners that Bill would host at the RRS meetings where we all would gather and discuss the exciting science of the day. The first day we met at Grinnell College in 1978 where Bill came to recruit students to the program in Iowa City convinced me to join the PhD program and changed my life forever. We are proud to continue that legacy in his honor at the University of Iowa.