Dr. Morton Edward Goldberg

1932 - 2014

Dr. Morton Edward Goldberg

Age 82, passed away on December 8, 2014 in Glen Mills, PA from Parkinson's disease.

Dr. Goldberg was a distinguished pharmaceutical researcher and executive. Janet, his wife of 60 years; their three children, Shellie Winkler of New York, NY, Ellen Goldstein of Wilmington, DE and David Goldberg of Fort Collins, CO and their respective spouses Dean, Adam and Michelle; and four grandchildren, Danny Goldstein, Ben Goldberg, Ethan Goldstein and Sarah Goldberg who work or attend school survive him.

Mort, as he was affectionately known by family, friends and colleagues, will be loved and remembered for his keen intellect, dry sense of humor, dedication to science and deep belief in the uplifting power of education. Mort also had a love of food, travel, art, music, cities and the humor and perfection of animals. He was particularly passionate about American musicals.

Morton Edward Goldberg, an only child, was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1932. His father was a butcher and his parents later owned a grocery store in West Philadelphia. Like many growing up during the Great Depression, he was a self made man who worked his way through college and graduate school with a drive and ambition to succeed. Mort graduated from Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia and earned his BS through DSc in the 1950s at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (now University of the Sciences). He pursued a career in the then nascent US pharmaceutical industry. Mort focused on the research and development of new drugs to treat conditions of the central nervous system, cardiovascular disease and cancer working for such companies as Abbott, Squibb and Warner-Lambert. He retired in 1991 from Imperial Chemical Industries (a British pharmaceuticals company and predecessor to AstraZeneca) as its head of research and development.

Over the years, Mort and his team of fellow scientists developed and brought to market several significant therapies that positively impacted millions of patients and their loved ones including quetiapine (Seroquel) and tamoxifen. Mort was a devoted mentor and role model to many younger scientists and is remembered fondly for his exemplary guidance. This was a quality that he especially extended to his children and grandchildren who will remember him with respect and deep appreciation.

After retirement, Mort devoted his energies to teaching pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania, serving on the boards of several biopharmaceutical startups and amusing fellow retirees on musical theater and movie history. He created and led many well-attended lectures at the Academy of Life Long Learning in Wilmington, DE.

A memorial service to celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. Morton Goldberg will be held 11:00 am, Friday, December 12, 2014 at Congregation Beth Emeth, 300 W. Lea Boulevard, Wilmington, DE 19802 (302) 764-2393). In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent in his memory to the National Parkinson Foundation (www.parkinson.org).

SCHOENBERG

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