Warren Grover, M.D.

DATAW ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA - Warren D. Grover, M.D., prominent child neurologist, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA., died on January 28, 2013 at the Preston Health Center in the loving Dogwood Wing on Hilton Head Island, S.C. where he temporarily resided for five months.  He was a resident of Dataw Island, S.C. for 12 ½ years. Dr. Grover was born on November 2, 1928 in Mt. Holly, N. J. to Elmer and Gertrude Grover and was the grandson of Herman and Gertrude Deacon of Mt. Holly, N.J. He leaves behind his beloved wife of  60 years, Constance (Connie) Kraemer Grover; retired educator;  four children: Christopher K., a company vice-president (Barbara) of Salt Lake City, Utah; Joel D., a psychologist for the deaf, of Wexford, PA.; Dr. Alison W., a geriatrician, of W. Hartford, CT. and Dr. Timothy W., a geology professor (Georgine) of Chittenden, VT. He is also survived by a sister, Doris Kolbeck of Moorestown N.J. and six grandchildren; Andrew, Jacob, Madeline, Hannah, Max and Joshua and one great grandson Lochlan, along with many nieces and nephews. Dr. Grover and his wife were residents of Moorestown, N.J. for 41 years and members of the First Presbyterian Church.  They retired to Dataw Island in January, 2000 where he was an enthusiastic member of the Dataw Island Golf Association,  the Relay for Life and a faithful member of the Sea Island Presbyterian Church.  Shortly after moving to S.C., he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Warren Grover graduated from Mt. Holly High School in 1947.  He was voted into the Mt. Holly High School Regional Football Hall of Fame.  He received his B.S. degree from Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA. in 1951 where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He went on to Temple University Medical School, Philadelphia, PA, graduating in 1955.  He did his internship year at the old Philadelphia General Hospital and from there he and his family moved to Camp LeJeune, NC where he completed his two years as a Lieutenant in the Navy.  The family lived at the Rifle Range and he delivered babies at the base hospital.  They returned to the Philadelphia area for the next three years where he did a Pediatric Residency under Dr. Waldo Nelson's tutelage with an extra year in Dermatology before moving to Moorestown N. J. There he went into private practice for two years in Cherry Hill, N. J.  For many years he was also the Medical Director at the Bancroft School in Haddonfield, N. J.  He then returned to Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania for a three years residency in Child Neurology.  He returned to St. Christopher's Hospital as the Director of the Child Neurology Department and ended his career there at the age of 70. Dr. Grover was the first recipient of the Victor C. Vaughn Award for Teaching Excellence at the St. Christopher's Hospital, an accomplishment of which he was very proud.  He was esteemed throughout the tri-state Philadelphia area for his clinical care, receiving numerous awards and recognition...the most recent being the Child Neurology Society  Lifetime Achievement Award.  Due to the demand for his services, he saw outpatients every day in between his infamous inpatient rounds.


Although Dr. Grover was a master of every subspecialty in child neurology, his work in metabolic diseases and neurocritical care led him to describe new treatments and indentify new clinical syndromes. It is a little known fact that his astute clinical observations led to the very first description of infant botulism, along with a St. Christopher's  colleague, in a letter to the Lancet  "Pseudo-myasthenia gravis of infancy", followed by a more complete description in "Recovery following cranial nerve dysfunction and muscle weakness in infancy".  Neurocritical care research done by his fellows resulted in many other research publications,  which was his passion.  He was also one of the first to research the encephalopathy of chronic renal failure. Dr. Grover was fascinated by all neurometabolic disorders and made seminal contributions in two of these.....the copper and mitochondrial disorders.  He studied all aspects of trichopolio dystrophy (Menkes Disease).  Children with Menkes Disease came to St. Christopher's Hospital from all over the U.S. for his care.  A family grateful for his care to their two children established the Barnett Center for Investigation of Mitochondrial Disorders with Dr. Grover serving as the Director.  His legacy continues. Dr. Grover's use of language was erudite and precise reflecting his approach to the description of the neurologic examination and his work ethic.  He greatly enjoyed linguistics and semantics and encouraged his residents,  fellows and family to learn a new word each day.  He had high standards and set high standards for others. HIS CHILDREN SPEAK:


From the collective perspective of his children...."What defined our father above all else was his devotion and relentless commitment to his craft as a teaching and research physician. While he always found time for us, the energy, focus and intensity he invested in being the best doctor that he could be, with the hope of possibly making a difference, defined for us what it meant to be 'fully engaged'.


Over the years, with Dad as an example, all of us learned that there is great value, joy and reward in finding something that means something to you or that you love, bringing your true best to whatever it is.  We understood, because of Dad, that the journey and how you approached it, was much more important than any given result.  Perhaps, even more importantly, we learned that something valuable and meaningful to you might easily be unimportant to someone else and that was fine.  Now that we are all in our fifties, it is clear to each of us, his children, that this is the legacy for which we are most thankful to Dad.


That said, we also want to go on record with thanks for 'shining a light' on the following......the joys of exercise (he was a runner), that dogs are indeed very noble creatures, that the study of vocabulary is fascinating,  that when driving, there is certainly no one else on the road that has an equal need to get where they are going as fast as you do and, of course, all of us enjoyed to the last day of his life,  his quick, dry and insightful wit and humor and his love of music." Magnificent indeed!  Finally home!


Dr. Grover donated his brain to science research.


In lieu of flowers, donations may be considered for:      National Alzheimer's Association (Research)


P.O. Box 96011


Washington, D.C.  20090-6011


www.alz.org to leave a memorial tribute      Child Neurology


St. Christopher's Hospital for Children


Mitochondrial Program


3601  A  Street


Philadelphia, PA.   19134-1095     Sea Island Presbyterian Church


(Music Ministry)


81 Lady's Island Drive


Beaufort, S. C.    29907      First Presbyterian Church


101 Bridgeboro Road.


Moorestown, New Jersey     08057 A Celebration of Life Service will be held at the Sea Island Presbyterian Church at 3:30 p.m. on February 16, 2013. Interment will be at a later date.