Emanuel Margoliash Obituary

Margoliash, Prof. Emanuel passed away peacefully on April 10, 2008. He was born on February 10, 1920, in Cairo Egypt, the last of four children of parents who immigrated in 1908 to the United States from the Ukraine but subsequently had to leave for health reasons. From the earliest age his remarkable intellectual vibrancy was evident. He gained highest honors throughout his schooling, eventually finishing medical school at the American University in Beirut. He married his sweetheart Sima in 1944, and served with fierce dedication as a Israeli physician in the 1948 war of independence following the invasion by the Arab countries of the newly formed state of Israel. He was in Jerusalem during its siege. Following the war he joined the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to begin an extraordinary scientific career that spanned six decades and three continents, and was marked by approximately 300 scientific papers. He developed fundamental insight into the process of metabolism, protein mechanism, and evolution of the metabolic pathways, studying the protein Cytochrome c. He was a member of the faculty and chairman of the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology at Northwestern University and was a leading figure in the small group of senior scientists that shaped that department into a leading program. Professor Margoliash was a remarkable mentor for legions of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who learned to sharpen their intellectual skills under his tutelage but also learned scientific demeanor and decorum. He was equally caring of junior faculty whom he mentored with a deep wisdom. He was a devoted teacher whose biochemistry classes were tough and yet highly prized by the students. His work was of international renown, as was recognized by his election to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1975. For all these talents and accomplishments, Professor Margoliash was equally remarkable for his human qualities, a quiet, unassuming and wonderfully generous human being. He was totally devoted to his wife throughout their 60 years of marriage, and was a deeply loving and caring father. He is survived by two sons, Reuben and Daniel, and grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. Graveside service 11 a.m., Sunday, at Shalom Memorial Park, 1700 W. Rand Road, Arlington Heights. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Jewish United Fund, 30 S. Wells, 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL, 60606. For Info: Shalom Memorial Funeral Home 847-255-3520.