Elizabeth “Libby” Anne Meehan Short died at home in Pasadena, California on March 3, 2025 at 82 years of age. Libby was extroverted, brilliant and acerbic. She was often the smartest person in the room and frequently believed herself to be. On occasion she could be solidly stubborn and fiercely principled, traits that would serve her well in her trailblazing career, but she was always bright, witty, and full of life.
Libby graduated magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College in 1963 in Philosophy (Phi Beta Kappa) and then spent a year studying textile art and weaving in Vienna, Austria. Her scientific and clinical interests led her to Yale Medical School where she graduated magna cum laude in 1968. She obtained postdoctoral training in human genetics and in renal metabolism at Yale and University of California San Fransico respectively.
She went on to serve in highly influential clinical and administrative roles at Stanford University, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Department of Veterans Affairs where her impact on graduate medical education was significant.
Among her notable achievements, she served on the White House Task Force on Health Care Reform under first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. After her retirement she devoted herself to charitable organizations, serving on the boards of the Pacific Asia Museum, the Autry Museum of the American West, the California Philharmonic, and the Hillsides Center for Children.
She maintained her passion for all types of textile art and was adept and ingenious in her creations. She was active in her religious community, as a member of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center and serving as the president of her synagogue in Bethesda, Maryland.
She leaves behind her husband of 51 years, Michael Allen Friedman; four daughters, Dana Reece, Lia Friedman, Hannah Friedman, and Eleanor Friedman; Eleanor’s husband, Colin; and two grandsons, Spencer Baylard and Addison Baylard.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Larry Meehan; her father, James Meehan; her mother, Arlene Meehan and the numerous felines she rescued and loved over the course of her lifetime.
The family requests that donations be sent to the Yiddish Book Center; the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy or the Autry Museum of the American West, three charitable causes she championed and held dear.
Plans for a memorial service are forthcoming.