Alexander Karczmar

1917 - 2017

Alexander George Karczmar (1917-2017), known as Nicky, is survived by his beloved wife of 71 years, Marion, sons Chris and Greg, daughters-in-law Kelly and Mary, and grandchildren Alexa, Alyna, Malachi, and Naima. A neuroscientist, he was born on May 9, 1917, in Warsaw, Poland. He escaped the Nazi occupation and later settled in New York City, where he was naturalized as an American citizen in 1946, began his studies at Columbia, and met Marion. He was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapy, Loyola University of Chicago, and Director of its Institute for Mind, Drugs and Behavior, as well a founding member and Honorary President of The International Symposia on Cholinergic Mechanisms. He is widely recognized for his experimental research, almost all of which was devoted to the cholinergic system. Since the 1970s he explored the existence and the nature of the "self" and was writing a book on this topic. Karczmar received many awards for pioneering research including Guggenheim and Senior Fulbright Fellowships. A Renaissance man, Karczmar spoke 8 languages, was a voracious reader, an expert in Western history, and a lover of sports, art, music, and drama. He was known by friends and family as an affectionate, irreverent, one-of-a-kind bon vivant.