The National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR), and the biomedical research community, lost a great friend and leader last week when Dr. Henry “Hank” Foster lost his battle with cancer.

The likes of Dr. Foster occur once in a lifetime. He was that rare combination of astute businessman, visionary and generous benefactor. He gave selflessly of his time and his resources. He saw the need for an organization comprised of both academia and industry to work together to educate Congress and the public about the role of humane animal research to advance medical progress long before ‘animal rights’ had entered the lexicon. And with this vision, the National Association for Biomedical Research was born.

Many of those within the lab animal community have had the good fortune to have met Dr. Foster and have benefited from his commitment to the education, training and practice of the highest standards of veterinary care through the Charles River prize and many of the education programs and scholarships Charles River has provided over the years.

Dr. Foster and his beloved wife of 60 years, Lois, have given generously to education, medical research and the arts. If not for the Fosters, Tufts veterinary school would likely not exist. The Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals, the Foster chair in comparative medicine and the Foster Scholarship Fund are but several examples of the commitment they have made to insure that New England residents and others have an opportunity to pursue a veterinary education.

As busy a man as Hank was running a global business, he was also very active on various boards, including NABR and the Foundation for Biomedical Research, Brandeis University, Tufts University, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The Fosters have been contemporary art patrons of renown and the contemporary art wing of the MFA bears their name.

Dr. Foster was instrumental in the success of the careers of many young people by quietly and selflessly giving of his time, his ideas, his guidance and his support. Three decades ago, he took a chance on a twenty-something young woman to launch a fledgling idea. That was a time when most business leaders did not look to women to serve in executive positions. Hank was not influenced by those standards of the day, but rather with energy, talent and commitment. And the faith he placed in me made me work that much harder to insure that NABR got off the ground and became the organization it is today. And like all successful leaders, he shared his vision and then allowed me to build and run NABR. He provided counsel when asked, but let operations unfold under management he empowered. He was a cheerleader and a guiding light and he took great pleasure from my success and that of others.

Dr. Foster embodied a kindness of spirit, a gentle purposefulness, a clarity of vision, and a classiness that has become largely a lost art. For all of us in the research and lab animal communities who were lucky enough to have known and worked with Hank Foster, we have suffered a great loss, but we are better for having known him and we extend our deepest sympathies to the Foster family.


Frankie L. Trull
President