Sanford L. Steelman

HICKORY - Sanford L. Steelman departed from this earthly life Nov. 1, 2008. Born Oct. 11, 1922, in Hickory, he was the youngest and last surviving child of the late John Avery Steelman and Blanche Ownbey Steelman. He attended North Elementary School and Hickory High School, graduating in 1939. In 1943, he graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne College with a degree in chemistry. During World War II, he was a member of the commissioning crew of the heavy cruiser, U.S.S. Los Angeles, on which he served as a deck and gunnery officer. On Jan. 10, 1945, he married Margaret Elizabeth Abee with whom he had attended high school and college in Hickory. Upon his return from service, he resumed his education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning his Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1949. Following graduation, he went to work at Armour Laboratories in Chicago, Ill., where he headed the biochemical research department. In 1956, he joined the faculty at the Baylor University College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. In 1958, he became director of endocrinology for Merck & Co. in Rahway, N.J. He worked for Merck until his retirement in 1986. At Merck, he held a number of positions, including director of Clinical Pharmacology International. He was an internationally recognized scientist in the fields of endocrinology, growth and reproduction, published more than 100 scientific papers and received five United States patents. In 1995, he was recognized by his colleagues as being one of the 200 major contributors in the world in those fields. While he worked at Merck, the family resided in Westfield and Watchung, N.J. There, he was involved in the founding of three Southern Baptist churches, Madison Baptist Church, Terrill Road Baptist Church and Somerset Hills Baptist Church. In 1986, he and Margaret retired to their childhood home of Hickory. Dr. Steelman believed it was extremely important for young people to meet and hear from the leading scholars in the student's field of endeavor in order to inspire them to strive for excellence. To facilitate this goal, in 1980, he established the Steelman Lecture Series at his alma mater, Lenoir-Rhyne College, to bring outstanding scientists to the campus. In 1990, the Avery Steelman Lectureship in Basic Endocrinology was established at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, in honor of his father. Over a dozen of the speakers at this lectureship series have been Nobel Prize laureates. In 1998, he created an annual lectureship in honor of his wife at the Wake Forest University School of Divinity. A fund also was established at Gardner-Webb University. In 1993, he established a scholarship at Catawba Valley Community College to assist academically talented students in the fields of nursing and environmental and life science. In 1995, the Blanche O. Steelman Research Fund was established at the University of North Carolina to support research in gynecologic oncology. In 1997, an endowment fund was established in his wife's honor for teaching excellence in mathematics at Lenoir-Rhyne College. In 2000, the Steelman Scholarship Endowment Fund was established at Lenoir-Rhyne College for students majoring in biology or chemistry. In 2006, the Avery and Blanche Steelman Scholarship Fund was established through First Baptist Church of Hickory to support students studying toward full-time Christian ministry. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Hickory and the Hickory Kiwanis Club, where he was a George P. Hixson fellow. He was also a member of numerous scientific societies and served on a number of boards. Sanford is survived by his two sons, Sanford L. Steelman Jr. (wife, Buff) and Brian L. Steelman (wife, Kathy); and four grandsons, Sanford L. Steelman III (wife, Heather), John W.K. Steelman, James A. Steelman and William A. Steelman (wife, Amanda). He also is survived by four nephews and two nieces. He was preceded in death by his wife and his siblings, John A. Steelman Jr., Max R. Steelman, Ruth A. Steelman and Harry F. Steelman. A memorial service celebrating the life of Sanford L. Steelman will be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 5, 2008, at First Baptist Church of Hickory. The family will greet friends following the service in the church parlor. The family requests no flowers or plants be sent. Memorials may be made to the Avery and Blanche Steelman Scholarship Endowment Fund at First Baptist Church of Hickory, 339 Second Ave., NW, Hickory, N.C. 28601. Online condolences may be left for the Steelman family at www.bass-smithfuneralhome.com. Bass-Smith Funeral Home of Hickory is serving the family of Sanford L. Steelman.