William K. Riker, M.D., of Lake Oswego, Oregon, died on October 23, 2004 at the age of 79. The cause was lung cancer.

Dr. William Riker was born August 31, 1925 in the Bronx, New York, the son of Walter F. and Eleanor Louise Riker. He attended New York City public elementary and high schools graduating in June 1942. He then entered Columbia College of the Columbia University in September 1942, and was drafted into the U.S Navy Reserve in 1943, serving during World War II until his discharge in June 1946. He returned to Columbia College from which he graduated in June 1949. While at Columbia he was involved in the University Broadcasting Station and did live play-by-play of Columbia’s home basketball games. WOR, a local New York station offered him a job as a sportscaster. He declined, however, because he was accepted for admission in September 1949 at Cornell University Medical College in New York City. He obtained his M.D. degree there in 1953, and went on to an Internship on the Second (Cornell) Medical Division at Bellevue Hospital. After his Internship he decided on a career in academic medicine and joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Thus began a distinguished medical teaching and research career spanning more than 40 years. In that time he was appointed to medical faculties at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, Womens Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he became Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology. In 1969 he was recruited to the Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland as Professor and Chairman of the Pharmacology Department. He held that position until his retirement in 1990. He remained active in teaching and research until 1997 when he became Emeritus Professor at OHSU.

During his long career he also served on many committees at the University and at the National Institutes of Health. He was a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Pharmaceutical Manufactureres Association Foundation. In 1975 he was selected as a Unesco Scholar serving as a scientific adviser of a new medical research institute in Szeged, Hungary. He was actively involved in regional and national scientific societies and was elected President of the Western Pharmacology Society and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

His scientific research focused on drug effects on the nervous system, particularly on synaptic transmission. His clinical interests were in the treatment of epilepsy and stroke. He was an important contributor to the founding of the Oregon Epilepsy Center and, together with his wife Dr. Leena Mela-Riker, of the OHSU Stroke Research Center.

In 1982 he was elected to the Cosmos Club of Washington, D.C. Dr. Riker was an active genealogist, and was a life member of the Genealogical Forum of Oregon and the Holland Society of New York. He was an avid fly-fisherman, and during his summers in Jackson Hole was often seen casting on the Snake, the Flat Creek and the Fishcreek. In 1995 he and his wife moved a historic Jackson Hole log cabin to their property in Wilson, Wyoming.

In 1947 he married Carmela Louise DePamphilis. She died in 1981. She was the mother of Dr. Riker’s three surviving daughters Eleanor Wellstead of Portland, Gainor Riker of Warren and Victoria Smith of West Linn. In 1983 he married Dr. Leena Mela, who survives him. Other survivors include two stepdaughters, Marja Viluksela and Malla Mela of Finland, four grandchildren, Alex, Eve, Henrik and Nina, and a sister Virginia Huebner of Wells, Maine. His older brother, Walter F. Riker Jr., M.D., former chairman of the Pharmacology Department at the Cornell University Medical College in New York City, died earlier this year.

Contributions in Dr. Riker’s memory can be made to The Riker Memorial Lecture Fund at OHSU Foundation, 1121 SW Salmon Street, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97205-2021.

Cinda Helke, Professor of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, and Associate Dean for Graduate Education at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, died on 13 June 2004. Cinda was a native of Iowa, and retained a midwestern sense of practicality and grounding throughout her life. After graduating from St. Joseph’s Academy in Des Moines, she entered Creighton University in Omaha, graduating summa cum laude from the School of Pharmacy in 1974. While at Creighton, she met and married her husband, Joel Helke.

Cinda obtained a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Georgetown University in Washington DC in 1978, receiving an award for her outstanding dissertation research on central serotonergic neurons and autonomic function. Her research at Georgetown laid the foundation for her lifelong interest in understanding the structure and function of the autonomic nervous system and its regulation by the central nervous system. She was offered a prestigious PRAT Fellowship for post-doctoral training at the National Institute of Mental Health, where she spent 2 years in the laboratory of Dr. David Jacobowitz.

Lew Aronow recruited Cinda from NIMH to the Department of Pharmacology in the recently established Uniformed Services University (USU) in 1979, where she rose through the ranks to Professor, playing a major role in developing the teaching programs at USU. Her lectures to medical students were regularly recognized with awards for excellence in teaching. She also quickly established a highly productive research laboratory with continuous funding from NIH over a 22-year period. During this period, she and her coworkers worked extensively on the co-localization of neuropeptides and classical neurotransmitters in autonomic neurons, emphasizing specifically the nodose and petrosal ganglia. Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from many countries were expertly trained by Cinda; each emerged from the Helke laboratory with a very strong grounding in neuroscience and pharmacology.

Cinda played an important role in the development of graduate education at Uniformed Services University. In 1993 she took over the directorship of the graduate program in Neuroscience, transforming the program into a model for all interdisciplinary graduate programs in medical schools of this size. She was very successful in expanding the recruitment of students to the program, and in increasing institutional financial support. Her success with the neuroscience program lead to her appointment as Associate Dean for Graduate Education in 2001. The graduate programs flourished under her highly professional leadership, and she pushed vigorously for enhanced support for minorities and women. Her distinguished career in graduate education led to her being awarded the Carol Johns Award, the highest award based on teaching excellence at Uniformed Services University.

Cinda was an active and involved member of the Society for Neuroscience and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET), serving as the Secretary/Treasurer of ASPET at the time of her death. Both the Uniformed Services University and the larger communities of pharmacology and neuroscience have sustained a significant loss with her untimely death. All will miss her sage advice and counsel.

Dr. Niels Haugaard, Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, died on January 15, 2004 from complications associated with lung surgery.

Dr. Haugaard was born in 1920 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and immigrated to the United States in 1940. He received his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College in 1942 and earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1949.

Along with Dr. William Stadie, Dr Haugaard was one of the first to conduct a series of studies on oxygen toxicity, which marked the beginning of investigations in this field of research. His subsequent investigative work was concerned with studies of cellular energetics and metabolism and mechanisms of hormone action. In all, Dr. Haugaard published over 100 articles in his more than 50-year career.

Dr. Haugaard’s first wife, Ella Schwartzman, also a Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania, participated with her husband in many joint research investigations and co-authored numerous publications. After her death in 1980, he continued working in the laboratory with other collaborators to study the actions of hormones in experimental endocrinopathies. After his official retirement from the Pharmacology Department, Dr. Haugaard joined the laboratory of Dr. Robert Levin, where he investigated the effect of lipoic acid on insulin production and acetyl-choline synthesis. Prestigious honors awarded to Dr. Haugaard include a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1952 and, more recently, a University Research Foundation Award in 2001.

Dr. Haugaard was well known for his ability to tell jokes and often repeated them many times to friends, always with additional embellishment at each re-telling. His interest in politics was avidly maintained and expressed regardless of which political party was in office. He thoroughly enjoyed modern art and worldwide travel in his daily life.

Dr. Haugaard will be remembered as a fine scientist and a kind and gracious gentleman. He is survived by his second wife, Dorothy Hauducoeur Tosi; two children, David and Lisa; three stepchildren, Gregory and Pamela Tosi and Kimberly Patriarca; and two brothers, Erikhis and Dan.

Gilbert Mannering, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Minnesota from 1962 to 1987, died of natural causes, March 20, 2004. A man of seemingly endless energy (he toured the Amazon basin at the age of 83!) and an unbridled zest for life, he was one of the fortunate few who enjoyed an extraordinarily hardy constitution and was rarely, if ever, ill until late in life when he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and very late in life when he endured vascular dementia. Professor Mannering was a regular/emeritus member of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics from 1956 on. A memorial service celebrating his life was held on April 3, 2004 at the University Club (his favorite local haunt), St. Paul, Minnesota.

Born March 9, 1917 in Racine, Wisconsin, Gilbert J. Mannering was a graduate of Horlick (of malted milk fame) High School, Racine where he was an active participant in chorus and track. He went on to earn B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, all in biochemistry and all from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1940, 1943 and 1944, respectively. His M.S. and Ph.D. advisor was Professor Conrad A. Elvehjem, discoverer of niacin, and later, Lasker Awardee (1952) and president of the University (1958-1962).

Upon receiving his doctorate degree, the newly minted Dr. Mannering joined Parke-Davis and Company’s Vitamin Research Laboratory in Detroit, Michigan where he was employed as a Senior Research Biochemist from mid-1944 to early 1950. He then spent four years as a civilian scientist (consultant to the Chemistry Department, Civilian 406th Medical General Laboratory) for the United States Army in Tokyo, Japan from 1950 to early 1954.

Rejecting an offer to head the Department of Nutrition at the American University in Lebanon, Dr. Mannering then returned to his alma mater, serving briefly (only until mid-1954) as a Research Associate, then as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology until mid-1958, and finally as an Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology until September, 1962. During this time, too, Professor Mannering served the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory as a consultant with special expertise in toxicology.

In September, 1962, Dr. Frederick Shideman, then chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Wisconsin Medical School, accepted a similar position at the University of Minnesota and took almost all of the department’s faculty, including promoted-to-full Professor Mannering, and graduate and post-doctoral students with him. Upon retirement in 1987, Professor Mannering assumed the title of Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology, a position that he held almost to the end of his life.

First at Wisconsin and then at Minnesota, Professor Mannering went on to become one of the pioneers in fields of drug metabolism and biochemical toxicology. Despite becoming an academician only when he was already 37 years old, at which time he had co-authored a mere ten primary research papers, he ended up authoring or co-authoring a total of over 125 primary research papers and over 25 reviews. He gave invited lectures at more than 40 American universities and in at least 20 countries. In collaboration with his colleagues, his observations led to he discovery of numerous ‘firsts’ in these fields. For example, his laboratory was one of the first, if not the first, to recognize and demonstrate the importance of measuring initial rates when quantifying in vitro rates of drug metabolism and kinetic constants thereof [J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 123:171-179, 1958; J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 127:187-190, 1959; Biochem. Pharmacol. 13:1007-1016, 1964], and his laboratory provided the first physical evidence for the existence of more than one drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 [Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 24:668-674, 1966].

In recognition of his many accomplishments, Professor Mannering was the recipient of many awards. Perhaps most notable, he was one of the early (4th) recipients of the Bernard B. Brodie Award in Drug Metabolism presented biennially by the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics to "recognize outstanding original research contributions in drug metabolism and disposition, particularly those having a major impact on future research in the field."

Professor Mannering was most proud of his work with, and the subsequent accomplishments of, his 22 graduate students (18 Ph.D. & 4 M.S.) and 19 postdoctoral fellows, many of whom followed in his academic footsteps and distinguished themselves as scholars in their own right. Included are one who received the Bernard B. Brodie Award in Drug Metabolism (Anders, 1999); two who received the John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology presented annually by the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics "for original, outstanding research in he field of pharmacology and/or experimental therapeutics" by an individual who has not passed their thirty-ninth birthday on April 30th of the year of the Award (Schanker, 1966; Tephly, 1971); one who served as President of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (Takemori, 1992); and at least seven who went on to become heads/chairs of academic departments in this (Schanker, Tephly, Anders, Shoeman) and other (Cohen, Sitar, Renton) countries.

Professor Mannering had hundreds of ideas, sometimes all in one day! He would arrive at the laboratory in the morning brimming with ideas and begin to rattle off experiments to be done. Some were technically impossible. Others had already been pursued. The trick for a graduate student, postdoctoral fellow or technician was to correctly identify the one or two out of the hundred that were most worthwhile pursuing, not an easy task, especially for newcomers to his lab!

Perhaps fittingly in view of his well-known fondness for malt beverages, the last of Professor Mannering’s primary research papers (Xenobiotica 26:487-493, 1996) dealt with murine cytochrome P4503A activity induced by a metabolite of colupulone, a constituent of hops. Providing a hugely enlightening summation of Professor Mannering’s professional life is an abbreviated autobiography published in Drug Metabolism Reviews 33:81-116, 2001 and entitled "A life in science: biochemist-nutritionist-forensic toxicologist-pharmacologist."

Professor Mannering was very widely traveled, a talented photographer, an avid gardener, an opera buff and an ardent fan of the Gopher (University of Minnesota) basketball (men’s) and football teams as well as of the Minnesota Vikings (professional football). Further, he was extremely competitive whether the "competition" was in ping-pong, fishing or golf, a sport that he dearly loved even though he was not particularly good at it – once or twice a round, however, he would get off a magnificent shot, usually a drive, and that was enough to keep the ‘dream’ alive. He liked to begin golfing just after daybreak, largely because he hated waiting around while a group in front of him dawdled over a shot – to say that he was hugely impatient would be to understate the case! Another reason why he began golfing just after daybreak was that by doing so he could complete a full round of 18 holes and still be in his office by 8:00 a.m. His golf clubs almost always accompanied him on his many trips to other states and countries, and even though he usually was heavily committed to the business at hand time-wise, he would somehow manage to squeeze in a round or two of golf with like-minded colleagues. At home, "The Chief" often golfed alone (it’s difficult to find others that enjoy teeing off at daybreak!), almost always on the University of Minnesota Golf Course, a mature facility that favors precision more than length.

An accomplished raconteur with a robust sense of humor, Professor Mannering very much liked to play practical jokes and to tell stories, albeit often the same story more than once to a given audience! Telling him a story was another matter because he was never listening – he was always too engrossed in formulating the next story that he wanted to tell!

"Life is best played without a script" [Anonymous] was the mantra that Professor Mannering enthusiastically embraced throughout his long life. It served him well.

Professor Mannering is survived by son Michael; daughters Gail (Mrs. Doug) Beckman and Barb (Mrs. Greg) Hedlund; three grandchildren; four step-children; five step-grandchildren; and sister Carol (Mrs. Paul) Nielsen. He was preceded in death by his father John, born in England; mother Louise, of Danish descent; first wife Virginia in 1967; second wife Blanche in 1999; and brother John.

Walter F. Riker, Jr., M.D.
1917 – 2004

Dr. Walter F. Riker, Jr., The Revlon Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology at Weill-Cornell Medical College, and a distinguished educator, research scientist, and physician died Friday, February 20, 2004, at New York Hospital. He was 87, having spent his entire 53-year scientific career at the eastside Cornell medical complex.  He won its Alumnus of Distinction award in 1981.

Born in the Bronx, Dr. Riker was appointed chairman of the College’s pharmacology department in 1956, which he subsequently led for 27 years. In recognition of his teaching skills, his medical students awarded him Excellence in Teaching Awards in each of three decades. While educating thousands of physicians he also conducted breakthrough research on how nerves control muscle function.  Beginning in the early 1950’s his creative vision was to anticipate the future use of drugs as tools to understanding nerve cell physiology. His findings led to the greater understanding and diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases, such as myasthenia gravis, and the use of modern muscle relaxants for surgical procedures.

Dr. Riker’s influence on American pharmacology was significant producing thirteen heads of university pharmacology departments, an FDA Commissioner, countless physician researchers and medical practitioners who took with them his principled approach to the use of drugs to better treat their patients. In 1968 he helped create and implement the first minority education program at Cornell Medical College. Dr. Riker was widely recognized as one of the world’s experts on the neuromuscular junction, and as a dean of American twentieth century pharmacology. His philosophies, teachings and lifelong research helped integrate pharmacology into medical schools’ clinical curricula.

Although much of his life’s work focused on academia, Dr. Riker was sought after by industry, for example as a board member of Richardson-Vicks, Inc. and as an advisor to The Pharmaceutical Manufacturer’s Association and the Sterling-Winthrop Research Institute.

In 1973 NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle appointed Dr. Riker its drug advisor to pro football, the first such post in NFL history. His eleven years of service to the League was prescient in recognizing the importance of institutionalized tracking of prescription drugs by professional sports teams. His admonitions at that time concerning the medical consequences of steroid use by athletes, drug accountability and control are now commonly accepted.

Walter Franklyn Riker, Jr. was born in New York City on March 8, 1916. He graduated from De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx to which he later became a distinguished alumnus. In 1939 he earned his BA at Columbia University and an MD at Cornell Medical College in 1943. After service in the US Army Chemical Warfare Service, and medical training in New York, he ascended to professorships at Cornell and visiting positions in Japan, The University of Kansas, The Roche Institute for Molecular Biology, and Morehouse College. In 1960 his peers elected him to Alpha Omega Alpha, the honor medical society. Dr. Riker was made the first American member of the Japanese Society of Pharmacology in 1972 along with Nobel Laureate Julius Axelrod. His awards include The Torald Sollmann Award, the Oscar B. Hunter and John J. Abel Awards in pharmacology, and the Maurice Greenberg Distinguished Service Award to Cornell. The Medical College of Ohio awarded him its honorary Doctor of Science degree in 1980. Dr. Riker was a charter member of the Irma T. Hirschl Trust dedicated to the support of outstanding medical scientists in New York City medical schools. He was active in the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics serving in various editorial positions including Chairman and Trustee of Publications.

Dr. Riker is survived by his wife of 62 years Virginia; three sons, Dr. Donald Kay Riker, a pharmacologist, Walter F. Riker III, and Wayne S. Riker; his brother Dr. William Kay Riker, also an emeritus chairman of pharmacology; and sister Virginia R. Huebner; seven grand children and two great-grand children.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Walter and Virginia Riker Scholarship Fund for Needy Students, The Weill-Cornell College of Medicine, Alumni Relations Office, Box 61, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York, 10021.

Note:  Dr. Riker wrote this obituary himself. It was edited by his family for the dates and events related to his death .

Edward Byrd Truitt, Jr., Ph.D.
1922 - 2004

Dr. Edward Truitt, Jr., a charter faculty member at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and its first chairman of Pharmacology, died on January 6, 2004, from stroke complications at Akron City Hospital, Ohio. He was a World War II Navy veteran, having started his service as 5^th officer on LSM36 and finishing as commander of a Landing Ship Medium.

He was born in Norfolk, VA on August 23, 1922. He earned his B.S in Pharmacy from Medical College of Virginia in 1943 and his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from University of Maryland in 1950. He held professorships in Pharmacology at Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University, University of Maryland School of Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and George Washington University School of Medicine. At Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Dr. Truitt recruited Pharmacology faculty and staff, supervised development of the course in Medical Pharmacology and participated in the successful accreditation process. He also organized and headed Institutional Review Boards and subcommittees at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. At the national level, he served on the NIH Review Panel, on the editorial boards of various scientific journals and as a consultant for a number of major pharmaceutical firms.  He authored and co-authored numerous original research papers and review and book chapters. He was a member of several professional societies and was actively involved at the local and national level on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Task Forces/ Councils.   

Ed’s long research career in the field of alcoholism began at the University of Maryland soon after his postdoctoral tenure at A.H. Robins Co. At A.H. Robins Co, Ed directed the developmental pharmacology of the skeletal muscle relaxant, methocarbamol, and other drugs while a faculty member at Bowman Gray School of Medicine. His initial work at the University of Maryland involved a shared initial pharmacological discovery of the convulsant antidepressant, flurothyl, and several inhalant anesthetic agents as well as extensive studies on the metabolism and action of salicylate drugs. His first important research contribution to the field of alcoholism was the early identification of the actions of acetaldehyde, an ethanol metabolite, on cell mitochondria and biogenic amine neurotransmitter functions. This was followed by his pioneering studies, conducted at Battelle-Columbus Laboratories, looking at chronic changes in alcohol and biogenic amine metabolism and their interaction in animals and alcoholics. These studies were the first to recognize the role of increased levels of acetaldehyde in the alcoholic patient and to examine the effect of this increase in altering catecholamine metabolism by competition at the aldehyde degradation step. This provocative work led to the proposition that aberrant alkaloidal biogenic amines may be produced in the brain such as the tetrahydroisoquinolines and tetrahydrobetacarbolines. His most recent research focused on lithium chloride as a potential alcoholism therapy as well as on the role of abnormalities in alcohol metabolism, particularly the role of acetaldehyde in establishing a hereditary link for alcoholism. In this context, he recently developed an improved clinical test for acetaldehyde in blood, which is bound to hemoglobin as an acetaldehyde-hemoglobin adduct and was awarded a technology patent on the process of the isolation of the acetaldehyde-hemoglobin adduct.

In addition to his alcohol research, Ed also conducted research on several other psychoactive drugs. At Battelle-Columbus Laboratories, he initiated and directed a large multidisciplinary project on smoke analysis and metabolism of the psychoactive components of marijuana. This work led to the discovery of the psychoactive metabolite, 11-hydroxy-delta-9, tetrahydrocannabinol. His research evaluated the behavioral effects of components of marijuana smoke and the effects of marijuana on brain biogenic amine functions. At the University of Maryland, his early work on psychoactive agents was directed at understanding the ethno-pharmacology of myristicin from nutmeg and in case of amphetamine -- its stereotypical behavioral actions.  

Dr. Truitt was also an excellent teacher as he challenged his students intellectually. He was a father figure for both graduate and medical students and was praise worthy of their accomplishments. He mentored several graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and was generous and kind to his students, colleagues and friends alike. In addition to his academic career, Ed was actively involved with his church community to improve the living conditions of the world. He will be immensely missed by his colleagues, friends and family. He is survived by his wife, Jessie, his two children, Elizabeth Pottorff and Edward, two stepchildren, Kari Govan and Bill Dueser and seven grand children.

Prepared by Pushpa V. Thadani 

With deep sadness we report that our dear colleague and friend, Dr. David Wayne Robertson, died August 16, 2003 at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dave was born July 30, 1955 in Dumas, Texas, and is survived by two children, Cassandra and Andrew, of San Diego; his parents, R.L. and Nixie Robertson of Dumas; three sisters, Linda Hamlin of Mount Pulaski, IL, Glenna Rummel of Fritch, TX, Suzanne Roberts of Sumter, S.C., and a brother, Timothy Robertson of Dumas. His funeral service was held at his hometown, Dumas, Texas, on August 22, 2003. At the time of death he was Executive Director of Central Nervous System and Cardiovascular Chemistry for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Robertson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Biology with highest honors from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1977, and his Master’s (1978) and Doctoral (1981) degrees in Bio-Organic Chemistry under the tutelage of Professor J.A. Katzenellenbogen at the University of Illinois (Research Thesis: 1. The Synthesis and Metabolism of Non-Steroidal Antiestrogens and Estrogens; and 2. Receptor Mediated Cytotoxicity: The Design and Synthesis of Cytotoxic Hormone Analogs).

Dr. Robertson joined Eli Lilly and Company as Senior Medicinal Chemist in 1981. He quickly engaged in drug discovery research working with cardiovascular pharmacologists including Marlene L. Cohen, J. Scott Hayes, Don R. Holland, Ray F. Kauffman, Mitchell I. Steinberg and others on cardiotonic agents and vasodialators. Simultaneously he collaborated with neuropharmacologists including Ray W. Fuller, Donald R. Gehlert, J. David Leander, David T. Wong and others on anticonvulsants and antidepressants. Dave quickly advanced through the scientific rank to Senior Research Scientist and Research Group Leader in 1989, and in 1991 to administrative rank of Head & Director, Central Nervous System (CNS) and Endocrinology Research as well as Chairman of the CNS Strategy Group in the Lilly Research Laboratories.

Dave was recruited to Ligand Pharmaceuticals in San Diego, CA, where he served as a Vice President of Research from 1991 to 1996. He moved to DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Co. in 1996, and to Pharmacia & Upjohn (Pharmacia Corp.) in 1999, where he was Vice President of Research. In 2002 and until his death, Dave was Executive Director of Chemistry at Pfizer’s Ann Arbor, Michigan site.

Dr. Robertson had an exceptionally productive career. He contributed to the invention and discovery of more than 40 drug candidates that advanced to formation of Project Teams. Within two years of arriving at Lilly, Dave had a cardiovascular agent – Isomazole - in the clinic. Most notably, Dave was an inventor and a discoverer of a selective sertonin uptake inhibitor, dapoxetine, and a dual inhibitor of serotonin and norepinephrine uptake, duloxetine. Phase III clinical studies of duloxetine have been completed, and Lilly has received approvable status of duloxetine for the treatment of depression under the trade name Cymbalta. His scientific accomplishments will benefit millions of patients.

Dave was one of those select medicinal chemists who showed great appreciation and understanding for biology and deep respect for practitioners of biological research. It was an uplifting experience to work with Dave. As a biologist one could expect weekly visits from Dave to discuss progress or recent scientific findings. Often he arrived with a vial of his latest chemical creation that would answer key questions in structure-activity studies. Besides engaging in the synthesis of molecules targeted for various projects, he also provided molecules that enabled colleagues to probe biological mechanisms. For the monoamine uptake inhibitor program, Dave and his able associates, Edward E. Beedle, Joseph Krushinski and Dennis Thompson, were instrumental in the custom synthesis of radioligands including [³H]-fluoxetine, [³H]-nisoxetine and [³H]-atomoxetine and others, too numerous to mention.

In addition to his own personal accomplishments, Dave excelled in building teams by putting together outstanding scientists and fostering their personal and team growth. It was only after his death that many of us realized Dave had unselfishly worked his magic in this respect for many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies by putting the right people in contact with each other. His legacy is undoubtedly alive in the many colleagues and collaborators he has had over the years.

Dr. Robertson authored more than 120 publications, made over 145 presentations at scientific conferences and was an inventor on more than 60 U.S. patents. He was active in the American Chemical Society, a member of their Editorial Board, and Section Editor for Annual Reports in Medicinal Chemistry. In the Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Dave served in the Finance Committee.

At Dave’s memorial service in Dumas his colleagues learned that he was a scholar of the Bible, and was active in the ministry during his undergraduate and graduate student days. He faithfully practiced "Nothing is impossible" and the belief of a positive attitude in all pursuits. Dave was described as a "people person", "mentor", "friend" and a "great father". He touched the lives of his colleagues and friends, who will remember him for many years to come.

The family suggests memorials be made in Dave’s name to the American Heart Association, 6605 W. Interstate 40, Building A6, Amarillo, TX 79106; the American Stroke Association at the above address; or the David Robertson Chemistry Scholarship Fund in care of Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association, P.O. Box 6096, Nacogdoches, TX.

Dr. Gillis had a lifelong interest in and dedication to getting the research community to realize that pharmacology had its origins in the study of drugs derived from botanicals and that they could have a greater role in the future of disease prevention. He led ASPET’s Herbal Medicine Interest Group and took sole responsibility for the contents of the Interest Group’s Web site (http://www.aspet.org/public/interest_groups/herbal_medicinal_plant/default.html/). As a member of ASPET’s Public Affairs Committee, Dr. Gillis effectively communicated with both the Members of Congress and the leadership at the NIH on the importance of increased support for botanical research. His workshops at ASPET Annual Meetings on botanicals were always filled to standing room crowds. His whole professional life dedicated to promoting sound scientific research on botanicals, Dr. Gillis was pleased to see the beginnings of greater awareness among pharmacologists, the medical community, and Congress for the need to address the major funding deficit in this neglected areas of research.

Dr. Gillis was recognized nationally as a specialist in pulmonary vascular disease and for his pharmacological studies. He published more than 250 scientific articles during his career, chaired major international symposia focusing on medical issues, and served on a number of advisory committees, including the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the World Health Organization's Expert Committee on Primary Pulmonary Hypertension.

Recently Dr. Gillis was appointed to serve on a Committee on Dietary Supplements of the National Academies Institute of Medicine. He was an Associate Editor of the journal Biochemical Pharmacology and served on the editorial boards of several other journals in his field.

Dr. Gillis was a native of Glasgow, Scotland. He is survived by his wife, Bonita, of 41 years, two children, Steven and Sharon, and grandchildren Alexandra and Andrew. Contributions to his name may be made to The Nature Conservancy (Memorial Fund #1601555), 4245 North Fairfax Dr., Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203.

Benjamin Calesnick
1915-2002

When Benjamin Calesnick (Ben to his colleagues) passed on at the age of 87 there ended a career, which was characteristic of the pharmacologists who were born early n the last century.  There were few separate departments of pharmacology and indeed few or no graduate courses in this subject. What was taught was a semblance of pharmacy know as medica which allowed the physician to prescribe a concoction of dubious ingredients.  Hahnemann Medical College, his Alma Mater did have a separate department.  Ben early on as a student latched on to this new basic science discipline fascinated by the potential of the new autonomic system drugs, the sulfonamides and antibiotics.  His main goal was to practice medicine and, after an internship at the Philadelphia General Hospital, he established a medical practice together with his wife Sofia, also an MD.  However, he managed to also be an instructor in the rank of full professorship.   Although he spent most of his time in academic work, he maintained his practice and, thus, was able to correlate pharmacological principles with clinical practice.  This ability contributed to his popularity as a teacher, plus his competence to be chair of an institutional review board and to head a newly constituted Division of Clinical Pharmacology.  It was only natural that Ben was very active in the formation of clinical pharmacology organizations and later in the establishment of Boards in Clinical Pharmacology.

Ben’s research concentrated on cardiovascular drugs but later settled into mainly toxicological studies.  Under a grant from the Army Chemical Center, Ben and his colleague Jens Christensen did a two-year study of the pharmacokinetics of 2Pam Cl orally administered to humans.  The research had to be done under complete secrecy so that the subjects were not informed of the nature of the agent or its purpose.  Imagine trying to do a like study today!  When the work was declassified, he published a paper on the human toxicity of the oximes. 

Ben was great teacher, particularly in laboratory instruction.  He ran several laboratory sessions using the students themselves as subjects.  These were designed to emphasize salient features of clinical pharmacology.  One popular one on sedative agents illustrated the placebo effect of drugs, while another one on diuretics vividly demonstrated the effects of dehydration.  In the new century virtually all laboratory instruction has been eliminated and indeed instructors like Ben are no longer available.  His many students and colleagues who had the privilege to experience his unique personality and dedication to Pharmacology will remember Ben.  His wife and son, who is an ophthalmologist, and two grandchildren survive him.

Prepared by Joseph R. DePalma

Thomas J. Haley

Thomas J. Haley, PhD, passed away on March 19, 2003 at the age of 89. Dr. Haley was a Charter member of the Society of Toxicology and an active member of 24 additional scientific societies including the American Chemical Society (Emeritus Member), the American Pharmaceutical Association (Life Member), and the American College of Clinical Pharmacology and Chemotherapy (Charter member). Dr. Haley authored/coauthored over 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts in the scientific literature and was editor, coeditor and contributor to over 30 books and/or book chapters.

Dr. Haley received a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy and a Master’s Degree in Chemistry from the University of Southern California. He received his PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Florida in 1945. During his long and remarkably productive career he was Chief of the Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Biology, and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the UCLA, Professor of Pharmacology at the School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, and Professor of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Arkansas. His career included the positions of Group Leader, Pharmacology-Toxicology, Research Triangle Institute, and Chief, Acute/Subacute Studies Division and Assistant to the Director, Publications and Foreign Affairs, National Center for Toxicological Research. He received numerous awards recognizing his contributions to science including the FDA Commendable Service Award in 1978 and 1980. In addition, he participated vigorously throughout his career in numerous scientific committees and congresses, and was recognized worldwide for his expertise in toxicology, as evidenced by his frequent lectures in South America, China, Russia and Europe.

Prepared by Patrick Haley

Jerome M. Glassman, PhD, died on April 21, 2003 at the age of 84.

Scientists are trained to be precise, exacting, and objective, yet flexible enough to conform their hypotheses to the observations. Jerry Glassman was all this and in addition, possessed a remarkable human touch that put people at ease, so a frank scientific discussion of varying viewpoints could take place. Benign, unostentatious and forgiving, he always brought out the best in his colleagues. Never harshly critical of their shortcomings, he motivated his group of more than 30 lab scientists by positive reinforcement.

Dr. Glassman received his Bachelor of Arts in Zoology in 1939, and his Master's in Protozoan Parasitology in 1942, from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as a senior scientist in pharmacology for the Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C. from 1943-45, before returning to school and earning his Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Industrial Toxicology in 1950, from Yale University. Dr. Glassman met Justine Rizinsky while studying at Yale and they were married in 1952.

Dr. Glassman's career spanned 38 years and his contributions as a pharmacologist/clinical pharmacologist are highly regarded. He was the head of the Department of Pharmacology at Wyeth Laboratories, Philadelphia, PA, from 1951-1962. In 1962, he moved his young family to Briarcliff Manor, NY, and accepted the position of Director of Biological Research at USV-Revlon, in Yonkers, NY. In 1969, he became the Director of Clinical Research and Pharmacology at Wampole Laboratories, Stamford, CT. From 1975-1988, Dr. Glassman was appointed Director of Clinical Investigation for Carter-Wallace, Cranbury, NJ. Throughout his career in the pharmaceutical industry, he maintained academic affiliations, first as a lecturer at the Women's Medical College (now Drexel University Medical School), and as an Associate Professor at Hahnemann Medical School, and later at the New York Medical College.

Dr. Glassman authored or co-authored numerous scientific publications and abstracts on the pharmacology and toxicology of DDT, penicillin and other antibiotics, local anesthetics, and anti-diabetic agents. He also held two patents for chemotherapeutic agents.

Dr. Glassman received numerous honors and awards throughout his career in recognition of his work. He was the recipient of a Citation from the US Office of Scientific Research and Development. He was a member of numerous scientific and professional associations. He was a charter member of the Society of Toxicology and a member of Sigma Xi. He was listed in numerous professional registers including American Men and Women of Science, and Leaders in American Science. As busy as Dr. Glassman was with his career, he found the time to make important contributions to his community. He was a Boy Scout leader, a little league coach, and an officer on the Executive Committee at Temple Beth Abraham, Tarrytown, NY. Dr. Glassman was a lover and supporter of the environment and contributed to many causes on behalf of the environment and animals. He was an avid amateur photographer. He will be missed by Justine, his loving wife of almost 51 years, his children, Martin, Lorna, and Gary, and his five grandchildren, Deanna, Ross, Evan, Brooke, and Justin. His former associates will always remember him for his genuine personal interest in their welfare.

Prepared by Ram Gollamudi and Lorna Glassman