For Release: 01-21-2008

Funeral Arrangements Set for James LeVoy Sorenson, Medical Device Inventor and Philanthropist

SALT LAKE CITY (January 21, 2008) — Funeral services were announced today for James LeVoy Sorenson, a biotechnology pioneer and entrepreneur whose medical inventions are used in nearly every hospital operating room and intensive care unit in the world. Sorenson passed away on Sunday, January 20, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was 86.

A viewing will be held Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008 from 5-8 p.m. at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary (3401 Highland Dr. in Salt Lake City). A second viewing will be held Friday, Jan. 25 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Salt Lake Cottonwood Stake Center (1830 E. 6400 South, Salt Lake City). Funeral services will follow at 12 noon at the Salt Lake Cottonwood Stake Center. Interment will be at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park.

Sorenson was a gifted medical device inventor, and many of his innovations are standard equipment in healthcare today. He is known foremost for developing the first computerized heart monitoring system. He also invented the first disposable paper surgical mask, the first modern venous catheters and the first blood infusion and recycling systems for trauma and surgical procedures. He held more than 40 patents on his inventions.

Sorenson also devised cost-effective ways to manufacture his medical inventions, and his healthcare products helped spawn the modern biotechnology industry. He created dozens of innovative companies, and was instrumental in the creation of Abbott Critical Care Systems, now a part of the major global healthcare company Hospira, and of a major division of Becton Dickinson. The organizations he founded and developed have created employment for tens of thousands.

As a philanthropist, Sorenson gave generously to community organizations, including the Sorenson Multi-Cultural Center on Salt Lake City’s west side, Intermountain Healthcare hospitals and a variety of local and national education endeavors. A major Sorenson legacy is the non-profit Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, which built the world's largest genetic genealogy database.

Sorenson is survived by his wife of 61 years, Beverley Taylor Sorenson, and their 8 children, 47 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.