Loren G. Lipson M.D.

1944 - 2018

February 22, 1944 - September 27, 2018 On September 27, 2018, Dr. Loren G. Lipson passed away peacefully at his home in S. Pasadena, California. Loren was born on February 22, 1944, in Los Angeles, California, to his parents Dr. Morris and Janice Lipson. Loren received his Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry, Summa Cum Laude, from University of California, Los Angeles, in 1965, his MD from Johns Hopkins Medical School, in 1971, followed by two years of research at the National Institutes of Health where he specialized in the field of endocrinology. In 1975, the National Institutes of Health honored Loren with a National Service Award in recognition of his work in diabetes. After further serving as a research fellow and teacher at Harvard Medical School, Loren returned home to teach at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, where he was Chief of Geriatric Medicine until his retirement in 2006. Loren continued to teach at the University of Alaska and Claremont Graduate University. Loren had an abiding interest in the care of the elderly, and was instrumental in drafting regulations for nursing homes adopted by a number of states. Loren was a highly respected forensic witness specializing in the standards for nursing homes and assistant care facilities, testifying throughout the country. The United States Department of Justice and the California Attorney General's office would seek out Loren's advice, and respected Loren for the depth of his knowledge and for the integrity of his professional opinions. Loren cared deeply for the plight of the disadvantaged including the Japanese Americans interned during WWII, the Alaskan natives who lacked medical care, the prejudice directed to Mexican Americans, and the plight of Native Americans living in poverty on reservations. In the last decade of his life, Loren's mission was to purchase American Indian art, from collectable antique pottery to the art of living master ceramicists, and to donate the pieces to museums, so that the public at large would be aware of the great talent of the artists and the beauty of their creations. Along the way, Loren acquired an interest in a number of contemporary artists to whom he was also a generous benefactor. It is hard to quantify the extent of Loren's mission, except to say that by the time his life's journey had ended he had donated over a thousand pieces of art which are now on display in over forty museums. Through all these pursuits, Loren's unique personality shined through. To say that Loren was eccentric would be an understatement. Anyone who met Loren would say affectionately that there was no one quite like him. Loren had a prodigious memory for the countless people he met throughout his life, recalling their names and their family histories. Loren was a great teller of stories, and he could recount with both humor and wisdom quirky facts about history, science, and the arts. To sum up his life in his own words, Loren would have said, "Wasn't that wild?" Loren is survived by three sons, Keith A. Lipson (Katy), Kyle A. Lipson (Genevieve, granddaughter Marlowe), Kurt A. Lipson (Jean), and Kiki L. Schlosberg (Phillip). A memorial service will be held for Loren at the Autry Museum of the American West on October 15, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. Donations to Loren's memory may be made to the Loren G. Lipson Scholarship Fund, Institute of American Indian Arts at www.iaia.edu/philanthropy or mailed to 83 Avan Nu Po Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508.