Saul I. Serota

SEROTA

SAUL I. SEROTA

Of Richmond, VA died January 13, 2007, at his home in Westminster Canterbury, surrounded by family.

He was the beloved husband of Cornelia Carswell Serota, his wife of 49 years, who survives him. He was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel and Esther Serota. Survivors include his beloved sister, Sylvia Kuller; a niece, Irene N. Kuller; and nephew, Robert B. Kuller. Also surviving are nephews, Bruce Carswell Jr., Kevin Carswell, James G. Carswell, III, Thomas Carswell, David Carswell and William Carswell.

Mr. Serota was born on August 16, 1929 in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from New York University with a degree in organic chemistry and later graduated from Brooklyn Law School - 3rd in a class of 165. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict. After graduating from law school, he was selected by U.S. Attorney General Herbert Brownell to be an assistant in the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of New York. He later worked as an associate at an admiralty law firm in New York City. However, Mr. Serota always intended to practice patent law, and in 1955 he began his career at the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, DC. In October of 1970, Mr. Serota was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon, with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate, as Examiner-in-Chief at the U.S. Patent Office. Under President Ronald Reagan, he was appointed the first Chief Judge of the newly created Board of Patent Appeals. Among the cases that the Board decided was the one that established that genetically engineered, living organisms were patentable. This decision had a profound influence on the development of the genetic engineering industry. Mr. Serota also was involved in the patent aspects of nuclear weaponry. He was highly respected for his fairness and integrity.

In 1994, Mr. Serota retired to his farm in Marshall, VA, and in 2006 he and his wife moved to a retirement community in Richmond, VA.

A Memorial Service in the Chapel at Westminster Canterbury, Richmond, is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Thursday, January 18. Interment will take place in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Westminster Canterbury Fellowship Fund, 1600 Westbrook Ave., Richmond, VA 23227 or the Fauquier Hospital Foundation, Hospital Hill, Warrenton, VA 20186.