Dr. Joseph Hanaway
Joseph Hanaway was born on March 4,1933 in NYC, the day FDR closed the banks to avoid a run. Parents William Lippincott Hanaway and Nellie Prince Hanaway raised Joe and his brother Bill in Short Hills, NJ. He attended the Pingry School from 1945-1951 where he played football and wrestled. He grew up sailing around Long Island and competed throughout high school and college. He was part of a team that won the East Coast Star Championship in Narragansett Bay in 1955 and placed 3rd in the Mallory Cup North American Sailing Championship in 1953. In 1953, he went on to McGill University in Montreal, Canada for his Bachelor of Arts in English and MDCM in medicine in 1960. There he joined the Redmen Football Team as a kicker and earned the moniker ‘Joe the Toe’. He switched to the rugby team that became the 1955 Dominion National Rugby Champions of Canada. Eventually, Joe did a neurology residency at the Montreal General Hospital and Montreal Neurological Institute, where he met his wife of 63 years, Nancy Smithers Hanaway, RN, while they were both working at the MGH. Their son Christopher was born during their time in Montreal. After moving to Charlottesville, VA, Joe taught neuroanatomy at the University of Virginia School of Medicine from 1964-1970 where he wrote the original ‘Atlas of the Human Brain in Section’ textbook, which he continued to revise and update until the last publication in 2017. Daughter Elizabeth (Hanaway) Geiger was born in Charlottesville. His first brain atlas convinced the Massachusetts General Hospital to create an extra spot for him to become a resident in the Neurology department in 1970. Working with the elite neurologists and neuroanatomists at that time shaped him and his career. Daughter Katherine Hanaway was born while they were living in Boston. In 1973, Joe took a position at Washington University School of Medicine and remained in St. Louis for the rest of his life. An Associate Professor at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, Joe eventually established a private neurology practice which he had for years and formally retired in 2008. Also the longstanding team physician for St. Louis Country Day School Varsity football team, Joe helped develop a concussion protocol for the Missouri State Athletic Association. Among numerous hobbies, Joe became an avid birder and photographer of birds, especially on his many trips to Sanibel and Captiva Islands with Nancy and the family. Coordinating the restoration of McGill’s iconic Roddick Gates clocks and bell tower in 2010, Joe co-authored a series of books on the history of McGill University and The Montreal General Hospital. He published at least 70 articles in his lifetime. His numerous editions of The Brain Atlas have been published around the world in many languages and is in many medical schools and neurology offices today. He was honored by McGill University with the endowed: Dr. Joseph Hanaway McGill Rugby Gentleman’s Award. This award was created in Joe’s name in 2020 and is handed out in December every year. The award is given out to a male McGill rugby player who demonstrates gentlemanliness, integrity and respectfulness in his conduct both on and off the field over the course of a minimum of 2 playing seasons. The Hanaway Award became endowed in 2024 and, starting from December 2025, the annual award winner will receive a cash prize. Joe Hanaway lived an extraordinary life and had the stories to prove it. He travelled the world and made many friends along the way.
Joseph Hanaway is survived by his wife, Nancy; children Christopher (Catherine Hanaway), Elizabeth (Phillip Geiger) and Katherine (Glen Arentowicz). His beloved grandchildren: Martin and Helen Geiger, Lucy and John Hanaway, and Jack and Eli Arentowicz. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Dr. Joseph Hanaway McGill Rugby Gentleman’s Award. Donations to the Hanaway Award Fund can be made online at Make a gift to McGill.
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