Marvin A. Norcross Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS0380

Staff Only

Content Description

The Marvin A. Norcross Papers relate to food safety and food residues, including integrating the concept of risk assessment into food production and processing. There are manuscripts for presentations (including slides), publications, and awards. There is also research data associated with Norcross's Ph.D. thesis, titled "An Immunological Study of the Localization of Certain Chemical Carcinogens in Rat Tissue," along with black and white photographs of dissections, camera slides, and microscope slides.

Dates

Creation: 1966-2007
Creation: Majority of material found within 1966-1996

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Biographical Sketch

Born in Tansboro, New Jersey, Marvin A. Norcross (1931-2007) attended Rutgers University, and received his degree in veterinary medicine (1959) and his Ph.D. in pathology (1966) from the University of Pennsylvania. He joined Merck, Sharpe and Dome, initially as a veterinary pathologist. He later became responsible for all developmental studies leading to new animal health products and related claims in the United States. Norcross moved to Rockville, Maryland, in 1975 and became director of the Division of Veterinary Medical Research with the Center for Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration (FDA). After serving in several positions at the FDA, Norcross joined the Science and Technology Program, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1982. He was responsible for the overall planning, coordination, direction, and evaluation of the field laboratories and scientific development programs, and provided advice and recommendations regarding the development of overall missions, goals, and policies regarding scientific and technical initiatives in the FSIS. From 1994 to 1996, Norcross served as the first full-time United States Coordinator for Codex Alimentarius, an inter-governmental body jointly established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, to coordinate international food safety and quality standards. He retired in 1996.