♦ Dr. William Foege, a leader of one of humanity's greatest public health victories — the global eradication of smallpox — has died at the age of 89. He was director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and later held other key leadership roles in campaigns against international health problems. 

♦ Foege was born March 12, 1936. He was director of the Atlanta-based CDC from 1977 to 1983, then held other international public health leadership roles, including stints as executive director at The Carter Center and senior fellow at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

♦ In 2012, President Barack Obama presented Foege with the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. In 2016, while awarding Foege an honorary degree, Duke University President President Richard Brodhead called him "the Father of Global Health."