H. Earl Ginn was born in Tylertown, MS in 1931. He was educated at Tulane University and Baylor University, receiving the BA in 1953. He graduated MD from Emory University in 1957. He then completed internship and residency training at Oklahoma Medical Center and Fellowship in nephrology at Cornell Medical Center, the New York Hospital in 1961. From 1961-1965 he held a number of positions at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, becoming Chief of Kidney Section in 1963. Dr. Ginn came to Nashville in 1965 to head the new renal department at Vanderbilt, a position he filled until 1980, teaching in the medical school, doing clinical research and also caring for kidney patients. He published over 200 research papers during his years at Vanderbilt and established the Middle Tennessee Kidney Foundation. In 1980, he left Vanderbilt for Saudi Arabia, where he became the personal nephrologist for the king's wife. He became the Chair of the Medical Department at King Faisal Research Hospital, remaining in Saudia Arabia until 1989. While there, he started an organ transplant program and was instrumental in establishing a much needed national law requiring the addition of Vitamin D to milk. After returning to Nashville, he became chief medical officer of REN Corporation, medical director of the transplant program at Centennial Medical Center, and was a consultant in nephrology with Nashville Nephrology Associates. Dr. Ginn died in Nashville on May 17, 2004.