Pancreatic Cancer

The children of a 62-year-old Indiana woman are trying to pressure a Maryland biotech company into treating their mother's pancreatic cancer with an experimental drug not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The three daughters of Connie Loughman held a news conference at their parents' Indianapolis home yesterday, pleading for access to the drug. They have launched a video on YouTube devoted to their mother's plight and set up a Web site asking people to e-mail executives at Gaithersburg's GenVec Inc., which is testing the promising cancer treatment.

GEORGE D. WARRINGTON, 55 Amtrak president George D. Warrington, a former Amtrak president who presided over the introduction of the national passenger railroad's high-speed service in the Northeast, died of pancreatic cancer Monday, said an NJ Transit spokeswoman. Mr. Warrington later went on to lead New Jersey Transit.

Dr. M. Larrie Blue, a retired Baltimore pediatrician whose career spanned more than 40 years, died Monday of pancreatic cancer at Sinai Hospital. He was 77 and had lived in Stevenson. "It was fitting that he died at Sinai Hospital, where he spent most of his professional career," said his wife of eight years, the former Sima Rosenthal. Dr. Blue was born in Baltimore and raised in the city's Pimlico neighborhood. He was a 1948 graduate of City College and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 1952.

Luciano Pavarotti, who possessed one of the most radiant tenor voices to be heard in the past hundred years and who enjoyed a level of popularity unequaled since the legendary Enrico Caruso, died early today in his hometown of Modena, Italy. He was 71. Mr. Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and underwent surgery in July 2006. Last month, he was admitted to a Modena hospital, reportedly with a fever. After about three weeks of tests and treatment, the singer returned to his home, where he was cared for by local doctors, according to Italian news reports.

Jacqueline Ann Byrne, an administrative assistant at Anne Arundel Community College, died May 5 of pancreatic cancer at her Severna Park home. She was 66. Born Jacqueline Ann Sommer in Cincinnati, she graduated in 1958 from Mother of Mercy High School there. In 1960, she married Thomas E. Byrne, who survives her. The family moved frequently throughout the 1960s because of Mr. Byrne's service with the Marine Corps. In 1969, the Byrnes moved to Severna Park, where Mrs. Byrne worked as a secretary for several doctors' offices and the YMCA, her husband said.

After serving as the basis for the movie Invincible, Vince Papale inspired again last night. Papale, a former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver and special teams player, was honored at the 29th annual Ed Block Courage Awards at Martin's West. Accepting a special Courage Award, Papale encouraged men over the age of 45 to get tested for cancer. "It's not that bad, guys," he said, adding that he is a survivor of colorectal cancer. "I was almost invisible, not invincible." Portrayed in the film by Mark Wahlberg, Papale tried out for the Eagles at the age of 30 in 1976 and made the team's active roster, becoming the oldest rookie in NFL history.

Sandra Newbill, a retired special-education teacher and former assistant school principal in Baltimore, died of pancreatic cancer Friday at Sinai Hospital. The Northwood resident was 54. Born Sandra Denise Jackson in Baltimore and raised on East Eager Street, she was a 1970 graduate of Dunbar High School, where she was a member of the tennis, gymnastics and badminton teams. While at Dunbar, she met her future husband, Stuart Russell Newbill Sr. They married in 1976. Mrs. Newbill earned a bachelor's degree in education from what is now Coppin State University and a master's from Loyola College.

Kathleen Marie Dziwulski, a homemaker who raised nine children, died of pancreatic cancer Saturday at her Gardenville home. She was 77. Born Kathleen Marie Althoff in Baltimore and raised on Barclay Street, she was a 1947 graduate of Seton High School. She entered the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia in 1948, but never professed her vows and left the order. After raising her seven sons and two daughters, Mrs. Dziwulski, who was known as Kitty, became a clerical assistant to Dr. Ann Christopher, a Highlandtown dentist.

Dr. John Cameron, graying and slightly stooped, walks daily past a portrait of himself as a dark-haired young physician. The 1970 picture hangs in a Johns Hopkins Hospital corridor near his office. It is one among scores going back to 1890 that line these walls. Photo after photo shows the young doctors, nearly all men, as they completed training for careers in which surgical feats were expected. Cameron, 69, is the product of the age in which surgeons dominated their hospitals. They revolutionized care, producing a cult of personality in which medical residents modeled themselves after those who had boldly made their marks.