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In Memoriam: Roland E. Lehr Roland Edward Lehr died July 16, 2003 in Norman, Oklahoma. A significant portion of Roland’s work was aimed at understanding the molecular basis of carcinogenesis by the environmentally prevalent class of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. He, his collaborators, and co-workers developed syntheses to many carbocyclic and aza polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their metabolites, which have yielded much valuable information on the details of tumorigenesis by these compounds. He was also involved in the application of molecular orbital calculations, the results of which were utilized in structure reactivity studies. Roland was born on November 7, 1942 in Quincy, Illinois. He completed the A.B. (magna cum laude) from Princeton University and then joined the group of the late Nobel Laureate Robert Burns Woodward at Harvard University where he worked on cyclization reaction mechanisms. After completing the Ph.D. degree, he joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. It is here that he initiated his research on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In addition to his research, Roland coauthored the first textbook written on concerted reactions, which has been a standard in graduate organic chemistry courses throughout the world for years. He has at various times served as Interim Department Chairman and Acting Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He has been the recipient of a David Ross Boyd Professorship and was a Regents’ Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He also received both a Sigma Xi Award and a
Regents’ Award for Research. He was an excellent and a highly respected teacher and scientist, and he served for many years as an advisor to Chemistry majors. As an active member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and the American Chemical Society, Roland held many positions of leadership in these organizations. He also held many elected and appointed positions in university governance. Roland was a keen golfer with a simple style and good game around the greens. He enjoyed spending time at the family cabin in Canada and backpacking in the mountains. He closely followed University of Oklahoma sports and enjoyed entertaining in his home. A good cook, he was a popular host and a popular guest. Roland is survived by two children, Quincy and Amy Lehr, who are graduate students in New York City and Boston, respectively; his sisters, Linda Eyer and husband Clarence of Syracuse, IN; Susan Lehr of Bloomington, IN; Sara Corry and husband Howard of Albuquerque, NM; his uncle Bob Shuck of Cape Girardeau, MO; cousins Robert and Jerry Shuck of Clearwater and Seminole, FL; and five nieces and one nephew. He will be missed by all he interacted with professionally and personally.
Mahesh K. Lakshman Department of Chemistry City College of CUNY 138th Street and Convent Avenue New York, New York 10031
10.1021/tx034208k CCC: $25.00 © 2003 American Chemical Society Published on Web 11/08/2003
TX034208K
