Dr. Lawrence Rothfield

Dr. Lawrence Rothfield, Professor Emeritus of Molecular Biology and Biophysics at the University of Connecticut Medical School, died earlier this month in Bloomfield, CT of pancreatic cancer at the age of 94, just shy of his 95th birthday. Born in New York City, he was a Bronx High School of Science graduate who enrolled at Cornell at age 16. While in medical school at NYU, he met his future wife of 69 years, rheumatologist Naomi Rothfield. They bonded while saving a patient's life using a daring treatment.

During his time as a physician in private practice, he once saw Marilyn Monroe as a patient when her regular doctor was out of town. The turning point in his life came when he realized his true calling was in scientific research, not medicine. Eventually, he joined the faculty at Einstein Medical Center, leaving in 1968 to help start the new medical school of the University of Connecticut. At UConn, he served for 12 years as the first chair of the microbiology department before stepping down to return to full-time research.

He studied membranes and cell division, showing how cell membranes are highly organized in ways that make it possible for them to allow only certain kinds of molecules to enter and exit the cell. In 1966, he created the first laboratory-made membrane that exhibited biological functions. Among his later scientific breakthroughs was his discovery of a slinky-like structure that forms in membranes as the cell begins to divide.

Dr. Rothfield had a wide range of interests beyond science. He was a workaholic, Francophile, lover of arguments, Whalers and UConn women's basketball fan, a supporter of ballet, and an avid reader of history. One of the highlights of his life was being among the last small group to visit Lascaux, France before the cave was closed. Above all, he was a wonderful parent to his four children and six grandchildren, unconditionally supportive of them. He will be fondly remembered by them, by his surviving wife Naomi, and by the many friends, former colleagues, and students whose lives he touched.