Joseph T. Quinlan, 71, whose legal crusade to allow his...

Joseph T. Quinlan, 71, whose legal crusade to allow his daughter Karen Ann to "die with dignity" thrust him into the national spotlight, died of cancer Saturday in Wantage, N.J.

His care had been supervised by the Karen Ann Quinlan Center of Hope, the Newton, N.J., hospice he and his wife, Julia, helped start with proceeds from a book and television movie about their daughter's case.

Karen Ann Quinlan was 21 when she slipped into a coma at a party on April 15, 1975. Convinced that her condition would not improve, her parents requested that her respirator be turned off. Doctors refused. The New Jersey Supreme Court sided with the Quinlans in March 1976.

Karen Ann Quinlan lived for more than nine more years after she was removed from the respirator. Joseph Quinlan visited her daily and became an activist for right-to-die laws and hospice care.

Jules Davids, 75, a longtime professor at Georgetown University's foreign service school, died Friday in Washington. He had suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Davids taught at Georgetown for 40 years before retiring in 1986 as emeritus professor of American diplomatic history. Among his students were President Clinton and Jacqueline Kennedy.

Pub Date: 12/12/96