The officers and members of the Council of UC Emeriti Associations (CUCEA) are saddened by the loss of our colleague and Web Master, Professor Emerita Marjorie Constance Caserio who passed away during a visit to Mexico earlier this month. Marjorie was born in London and had memories of the Second World War and the nightly bombing of her homeland. 

Marjorie was awarded a Sir John Dill Fellowship, which allowed her to study at Bryn Mawr in the United States where she earned her MA in Chemistry. She interviewed with Nobel laureate Derek Barton and was accepted to Birbeck College, but without financial aid, she returned to Bryn Mawr where she earned her PhD in 1956. She obtained a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of John D. Roberts at Cal Tech. During the next nine years Roberts and Caserio co-authored the book Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry, which was first published in 1964. The book emphasized a field of growing importance, spectroscopy, and is widely used today in the clinical laboratories at UCSD, according to Dr. David Bailey, Distinguished Professor of Pathology who directed Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology at UCSD and later was Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences at UC Irvine. 

Marjorie joined the Department of Chemistry at UC Irvine in 1964, becoming one of the founding faculty on a new campus. UCFW Chair Shelley Halpain (UCSD) recalls Marjorie as her undergraduate organic chemistry professor and used 'Roberts and Caserio' as her text. At Irvine, Marjorie was Chair of the Department of Chemistry, the Divisional academic senate and later Chair of the Academic Council. In that capacity she also served as faculty representative to the Board of Regents.

Marjorie was recruited to UCSD to serve as Senior Vice Chancellor in 1990. Professor Robert Horwitz, Chair-Elect of the Academic Council of the UC Senate, remembers working with Marjorie when he served as Chair of the Department of Communications at UC San Diego. After serving as Senior Vice Chancellor for several years she was appointed to serve as Interim Chancellor at UC San Diego. She retired in 1996.

Marjorie Caserio has been a very active and engaged member of CUCEA where she served as Chair in 1999-00, Immediate Past Chair in 2000-01, Information Officer from 2003-04 to 2008-09, and then became Web Master and has kept our members informed about activities at all the UC campuses. Her efforts have been recognized through the Regent Edward Dickson Award from UC San Diego and also by the Revelle medal, the highest recognition from the UCSD Campus. Marjorie's extramural recognition included the Garvan Award from the American Chemical Society in 1975. 

Should anyone wish to make a donation in Marjorie Caserio’s memory, the family suggests:
Duke Cancer Institute at: dukecancerinstitute.org/give. Marjorie’s grandson, Spencer Caserio, was cured of his leukemia. He and his parents lived there for one year while the child (age 3-4) was being treated. He is in college now.
Make a Wish Foundation at: wish.org. Spencer received $3,000 from Make A Wish, bought cameras with the money and has become an “Ace” photographer according to his grandfather. He still loves photography.
Shiley Eye Institute, UCSD at: shileyeye.ucsd.edu

​Notice can be sent to Fred Caserio, 32833 Temet, Pauma Valley, CA 92061.

​Moses A. Greenfield
1915-2012
 
Honorary Member Moses Greenfield died in New York City on July 27, 2012 at the age of 97. Mo, the name by which he was known, was the convener of the organizational meeting of the Council of University of California Emeriti Associations (CUCEA) held on the Berkeley campus on October 29, 1987. He served as Chair in 1990/1991 and Vice Chair the previous year. On October 30, 1997 he initiated the Biobibliographic Survey which reports research, teaching and services by the emeriti on each campus. The main purpose is to inform the chancellors and other administrators that the emeriti are active. Some years earlier, Mo along with Claude Fawcett brought this idea to UCLA from CUCEA which was inspired by Henry Fagin of the University of California, Irvine. On April 24, 1997 Mo was presented an “Honorary Lifetime Membership” for his “Dedicated Early Leadership in the founding of the Emeriti Council (CUCEA).” He gave the Archives all of his CUCEA papers before he and his wife Bella left to live in Baltimore.
 
Mo attended the College of the City of New York where he received a B.S. in physics in 1935. He earned a M.S. in 1937 and a Ph.D. in Physics from New York University in 1941. His obituary in the New York Times (September 4, 2012) states that “he did his Ph.D. research about Red Giants under advisors George Gamow and Edward Teller at George Washington University.” The New York Times further reports: “He worked as a civilian research physicist for the U.S. Navy in Washington during World War II where he helped diagnose and correct defects in early Liberty ship designs.” He participated in the atomic bomb explosion tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946. Later he was a research physicist at North American Aviation where according to UCLA Today (April 23, 2002) “he helped design a nuclear-powered vehicle that could explore space.” It was felt that a radiologist was needed, since it was not known how this would affect human beings.
 
In 1948 Mo joined UCLA’s Department of Radiological Sciences in the newly established  Medical School. He helped set up the Department’s clinics and space. In 1960 he founded the Medical Physics Graduate Program (later renamed the Biomedical Physics Interdepartmental Graduate Program) and was its Director until his retirement in 1982. He was recalled in 1992 to serve as Acting Director until 1996 when Edward J. Hoffman became the Director. The New York Times obituary continues: “In the 1970’s, Greenfield invented the ‘Greenfield method’ for non-invasive early detection of osteoporosis.” Mo was the Chair of the Los Angeles Division of the Academic Senate in 1974/1975.
 
He was a Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. He received its gold medal and in 1991 its William D. Coolidge Award. Memberships in other professional societies include Radiological Society of North America, American College of Radiology (Fellow), Institute of Physical Sciences (Fellow), Society of Nuclear Medicine (President, Los Angeles Chapter, 1958), American Roentgen Ray Society, and the Los Angeles Radiological Society.
 
In retirement, Mo was active in the UCLA Emeriti Association. He was on its Board of Directors from 1984 and was its President in 1985/1986. His “Curriculum Vitae” dated December 9, 1994 states “As President of the Emeriti Association I instituted a study of emeriti housing needs and explored levels of possible cooperation with the administration on UCLA. A final report was submitted to Vice Chancellor Abrams.” Mo along with other UCLA emeriti brought the Panunzio Award to life. He along with Claude Fawcett helped institute “The Emeritus of the Year Award” at UCLA.
 
Mo’s first wife, Sylvia Sorkin Greenfield, died in 1982. He married Bella Kotkin Greenfield in 1984. She died in 2010. He is survived by a son, Richard Greenfield, an orthopedic surgeon in San Diego and a daughter, Carolyn Greenfield Sargent, a New York University administrator.
 
Ralph Johnson, UCLA, November 2012

John Cymerman Craig
Jan. 23, 1920 - Sept. 26, 2012 

John C. Craig, an Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at UCSF, died on Sept. 26th of heart failure. John's career began at the University of London where he received Bachelor of Science degrees in both Physics and Chemistry (with first class Honors) followed by a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Imperial College, London. From 1942 to 45 John was a Gas Identification Officer, for which he was awarded the Defence Medal. He taught at London University's Charing Cross Hospital in Organic Chemistry, was Senior Lecturer in Organic Chemistry at the University of Sydney (St. Paul's College) from 1948 to 1961, and also received the D.Sc. degree from Sydney University in 1962. In 1958 he became Visiting Scientist at NIH and Walter Reed for research in anti-radiation drugs. In 1960 he began his 30-year career at UCSF, where he was Professor of Chemistry from 1963-1971, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Chairman from 1963-71 and Associate Dean of Research from 1971-1992. He was selected by the UCSF Academic Senate as the Annual UCSF Faculty Research Lecturer in 1974, and received the first Academic Senate UCSF Service Award in 1993. For the last 21 years John was a member of the UCSF board of the Faculty Emeriti Association and served as Chairman and Historian of the state-wide CUCEA.

His research produced over 250 publications in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry and focused on chemical structure and biological activity, including work on the synthesis of vitamin A, chemotherapy of tuberculosis and malaria, and development of stable isotope tracer technology for diagnostic tests for genetic diseases in infants and newborns (to replace the use of radioactive tracers). John was awarded the Research Award in Natural Products from the American Pharmaceutical Association Foundation in 1967, and the Research Achievement Award in Pharmaceutical Analysis from the American Pharmaceutical Scientists in 1988. 
John was active in amateur radio and a member of the SF Radio Club and the Cathay Radio Club. He participated in the UCSF Emergency Network. 

He was an avid collector of early English cookery books, and in 1988 the Bancroft Library, UCB mounted an exhibit of 100 volumes of his collection titled "Four Hundred Years of English Diet and Cookery: 1541-1939". He was a member of the Bancroft Council and edited "The Cookery Manuscript of Lillie Hitchcock Coit, 1870-1890, San Francisco" which the Bancroft published in 1998.

He is survived by his wife Elaine, his daughter, Elizabeth (Eric) and grandchildren Benjamin and Katherine of Park City, Utah; his son, Anthony (Ruth) of Dorset, UK and grandsons Thomas (Kelly) of Perth, Australia and Matthew (Ruth) of Devon, UK and four great grandchildren.

Friends and colleagues are invited to a Memorial Celebration of John's life at UCSF on 29th October, 4-5 p.m. in the Lange Room of the Kalmanovitz Library, 530 Parnassus Avenue, 5th Floor, Room 522. RSVP to [email protected]. 

A private interment was held on Oct. 6th at Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery. In lieu of flowers: The UCSF Faculty Associates Student Scholarship Fund, c/o Mrs. Robert Hickey, Box 216, Ross, CA 94957.

Published in San Francisco Chronicle on October 14, 2012

Colin M. Bloor, M.D., Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Pathology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, died at San Diego Hospice on September 9 from complications due to a stroke suffered nearly two months ago. He
was 77 years old.
 
Dr. Bloor was an internationally renowned cardiovascular pathologist who was one of the first faculty members recruited to the UC San Diego Department of Pathology when it was founded in 1968. Author of more than 460 scientific publications and several books, he was best known for his work on the ability of the human heart to develop collateral circulation following obstruction to blood flow and the effects of exercise on heart function, and for his research on the molecular basis of heart failure. His research was continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health, including a MERIT award.
 
“Colin was a superb scientist and teacher and was incredibly effective in helping to build our medical school,” said David A. Brenner, Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and dean of the UCSD School of Medicine.
 
Dr. Bloor received his M.D. degree and completed a pathology residency at Yale Medical School.  He was a research fellow at the Nuffield Institute for Medical Research at Oxford. After an additional research fellowship at Yale, he spent four years at the Walter Reed Army Institute before coming to UC San Diego in 1968. He remained on the faculty of UC San Diego until his retirement in 2002.
 
He was a fellow of the National Science Foundation and the American College of Cardiology and was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Cardiovascular Pathology. He served on NIH study sections and was visiting professor at prestigious institutions throughout the world. He was a member of the International Academy of Pathology, the American Heart Association, American Society of Investigative Pathology, the International Society for Heart Research, and the American College of Forensic Medicine among others.
 
He was also very involved in University of California activities, including service as chair of the campus Committee on Academic Personnel, chair of the Privilege and Tenure Committee, Director of the
Molecular Pathology Graduate Program, and Acting Chair of the Department of Pathology. Since his retirement in 2002, he has played a leadership role in the campus Emeriti Association and most recently in the all-UCcampus Council of Emeriti Associations (CUCEA). He had just been appointed to chair the Council  (CUCEA) for the 2010-2011 year.
 
"Colin Bloor was truly a giant in the field of cardiovascular pathology research, a talented administrator, and an outstanding teacher. He will be sorely missed, but we take comfort in the fact that his legacy will endure through the lives and careers of his many trainees," said David N. Bailey, former chairman of the UC San Diego Department of Pathology.
 
Palmer W. Taylor, Dean of the UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences recalls that "Colin's work was a critical part of the internationally recognized research programs in the cardiovascular sciences at UC San Diego during its formative years. As a junior faculty member joining the Department of Medicine, I remember well his commitment to these endeavors and his abiding interest in developing the human disease course in the medical curriculum."
 
"Colin's research provided the basis for current work on signaling in angiogenesis and was of  such importance that he became one of the early recipients of an automatic funding extension from NIH," said Lawrence Brunton,  UC San Diego Professor of Pharmacology.
 
Dr. Bloor is survived by his wife, Maxine, of La Jolla; children Colin Bloor (Kris), Nadine Wilson (Ollie), and Lindsey Bloor; and grandson, Nolan Bloor.

Ralph K. Nair
Professor Emeritus, Education
University of California Santa Barbara

With great sadness I am writing these notes to pay tribute to our colleague Ralph Nair who passed away on June 9, 2006 at age 92. He is leaving behind a family that embraces three generations to whom we offer our condolences; he will also be remembered and missed by legions of friends and colleagues.

​Ralph Nair hailed from Newton, Kansas where he was born in 1913. He and his wife came to Santa Barbara in 1941 where Ralph accepted an appointment at the then Riviera campus -- the original location of what became UCSB. During his long career that that spanned thirty-seven years he served the University of California in many capacities, and after retirement Ralph worked tirelessly for the cause of the Santa Barbara and UC emeriti associations, and it is in this role that I worked with Ralph for the past dozen years. And it is on these issues that Ralph displayed dedication and a vision of what defining the role and place of emeriti in the body of the University of California.

Ralph was the historian and institutional memory of the UC emeriti associations, meticulously recording the history of the various campus Emeriti Associations. We, the emeriti throughout the University of California, will miss him.
​
David A. Sprecher, UCSB, June 2006

On behalf of the Council of University of California Emeriti Associations (CUCEA), we wish to express our appreciation for the outstanding leadership of Professor Sheldon Messinger in university and emeriti affairs.

Professor Messenger was the Chair of CUCEA in 2001/2002 and Vice-Chair the previous year. In these positions of leadership he materially advanced the welfare of all emeriti. He contributed to the welfare of the entire university community by his leadership on issues of importance.

Professor Messinger's service to university emeriti was continuous and effective. He was Chair of the Berkeley Division's Committee on University Emeriti Relations, and as Chair of CUCEA he represented emerition the system-wide Faculty Welfare Committee and on the UC Retirement System Advisory Board. He was an active advocate of both emeriti and staff retirees on the system-wide Joint Benefits Committee.

Health-care was an issue about which Sheldon cared passionately. He was one of the primary architects of the Health Care Facilitator Program that provides assistance to all UC insured employees, active and retired. Judy Boyette, UC Vice-President of Human Resources and Benefits made these remarks about Sheldon's key role in establishing the program.

"I have thought so often in the past few weeks about Professor Messinger and how much he changed not only my life, but also the lives of countless people who didn't know him, and that he never knew. From the time we began to give birth to the idea of the health care facilitator project, Shelly never stopped giving of his time, his incredible knowledge, and above all, his contagious enthusiasm. Now we have a program in place at every U C location, and not a day goes by that I don't receive unsolicited notes of thanks from those being helped by the health care facilitators. While many people know about the formal ways that show his support of the program-by volunteering and being on the board--no one but I know how many times he sent personal emails or made phone calls to keep my spirits up and encourage me to continue my efforts to help others in what ways I could find."

In establishing the Retirement Center on the Berkeley campus, Professor Messinger played an important part. Professor Donald A. Riley has described Sheldon's influence on the creation of the Center: "Several of us were involved in the actions that finally led to the establishment of the Center. In this group, Shelly was deservedly the most influential because of his clarity of vision, his decisiveness and his willingness to work hard for goals he clearly believed in. After the Center had been approved and established, Shelly was the first Chair of the Policy Board, the group that oversaw the development of the new Center. Again he was regularly and repeatedly farsighted, benign, and firm in setting the center on a successful path. The Center is today a highly successful organization that superbly serves the Berkeley campus and its retirees. Much of this success is directly attributable to Shelly. We will all miss him greatly."

During the period when Shelly was Chair of CUCEA he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the illness that ultimately took his life. Quite remarkably and courageously he continued to lead the organization with undiminished vigor and enthusiasm.

CUCEA salutes its fallen leader, and wishes to express its deep appreciation for Shelly's exemplary service to the organization and to the entire university community.

Larry Waldron (B) for CUCEA, January 2004