By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

The University of New England lost a “man of great vision and generosity” when Dr. Peter Morgane died Sept. 27, said university President Danielle Ripich. 

Morgane, an accomplished researcher and professor of pharmacology at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, died following a short illness. He was 83.

Morgane, of Kennebunkport, joined the university in 1985 and “dedicated his entire career to advancing the body of biomedical research knowledge and sharing his passion with others,” Ripich said in a prepared statement. Morgane was known for his research on the limbic system, sleep physiology and neural regulation of energy balance. He published hundreds of peer-reviewed articles. 

“We mourn the loss of our dear friend, but know that Peter’s legacy of scientific discovery will live on at the University of New England,” Ripich said. 

Ripich called Morgane “one of the university’s greatest supporters.” The newest academic building on the Biddeford campus, Peter and Cecile Morgane Hall, is named in his honor. He also established the Cecile Morgane Research Laboratories at the Pickus Center for Biomedical Research. 

Morgane and his late wife are the largest individual donors in UNE history. In 2007, he gave $1 million in his wife’s memory to establish the research laboratory. He then issued the $300,000 “Morgane Challenge” to spur more donations. More than 165 donors met the challenge. 

Morgane earned a degree in zoology from Tulane University and degrees in physiology from Northwestern University. He worked at many institutions, including the Brain Institute, Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology and UNE.

Morgane met his wife in Miami and married her in New York in 1964. They spent 25 years living in Shrewsbury, Mass., where Cecile owned and operated a travel agency. Morgane began as a part-time independent contractor at UNE in 1985. They moved to Kennebunkport full-time in 1994 after summering in Maine for years. 

Marc Hahn, dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, said Morgane’s arrival at the university “heralded in a new era of research productivity and advancement in neurosciences.”

“Over the years, Dr. Morgane’s international reputation has resulted in the recruitment of new and outstanding researchers, advanced the understanding of brain function and raised the visibility of UNE and the medical school,” he said in a prepared statement. 

Dr. Timothy Ford, vice president of research and dean of graduate studies and a Kennebunk resident, said in a prepared statement he will miss Morgane’s constant presence at the Cecile Morgane Research Laboratories. 

“Sometimes we get too involved in the ‘fine print’ of life in research, but what Peter always made me realize was that it means nothing if we fail to disseminate new knowledge – ‘Publish or Perish,’ the old adage Peter so accurately and appropriately represented,” he said. “He will always be an integral part of UNE’s vision – that through research we can improve the lives of people with neurological disease.” 

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.