HERBERT KLEBER

KLEBER--Herbert David MD

Died October 5, 2018, at the age of 84, while travelling with his wife Anne Burlock Lawver and his family in Santorini, Greece. At the time of his death, Dr. Kleber was Professor of Psychiatry and Emeritus Director of the Division on Substance Use Disorders at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Kleber was born June 19, 1934 in Pittsburgh, PA. He and his late sister Tema were the children of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. His parents, Max and Dorothea, met as students at the University of Pittsburgh, and were active in Temple life. His mother was proudly photographed with Eleanor Roosevelt for her work raising bonds for the new state of Israel. His father, trained as a pharmacist, left the field for his brother's luggage business "Kleber Trunk and Bag," which was a major manufacturer of soldiers' footlockers during World War II, as well as making high quality leather and satin-lined suitcases. The store's location on Liberty Avenue became known at the time in Pittsburgh as "Kleber's Corner." As a boy, Herb was a devoted Pirates fan, a member of his high school track team, and a voracious reader (he particularly loved Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan series). He attended Dartmouth College and Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia. As a Professor of Psychiatry, he founded the substance abuse divisions at both Yale and Columbia University medical schools where he accomplished pioneering work in addiction research and treatment. In 1989 he accepted appointment by President George H.W. Bush as the first Deputy Director for Demand Reduction at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, serving for two-and-a-half years before leaving the White House because he believed more funding should be devoted to treatment than policing and interdiction. Once described in New York magazine as "the father of substance-abuse research," Dr. Kleber was devoted to treating addiction with a clinical, science-based approach as opposed to the moralistic and punitive lens that was prevalent at the time. Captivated by the humanities, Dr. Kleber considered dropping out of medical school, but ultimately remained to study psychiatry - a path that could fulfill both his parents' desire for a doctor in the family and his interest in the life of the mind. Herb and his high school sweetheart Joan Fox Kleber raised three children and shared 30 years of marriage. He later married Marian Fischman, PhD, a kindred spirit and distinguished addiction research scientist in her own right. After her premature death, Herb felt blessed to marry Anne Burlock Lawver, an accomplished photographer and partner in adventure, who shared his quick sense of humor, vitality, and warmth. Throughout his life, Herb maintained a love of science, reading, art, Judaica, and animals. He once had a pet goose Melville, with whom he enjoyed mutual conversations, and he was a devoted friend to his dog, Sparky. He was an irrepressible traveler with a mischievous spirit and an enduring love of ice cream and New Yorker cartoons. He held a nonpartisan, humanitarian compassion for all things living, except for colleagues with whom he disagreed. Herb was an unwaveringly loving husband, father, and grandfather, who made time for family in spite of his illustrious career. His legacy of curiosity, of kindness, and his great love of life, will reverberate still for his wife, Anne Burlock Lawver, his children Elizabeth Kleber, Marc Kleber, Pamela Shad, his sons-in-law Thomas Richards, Rees Shad, and daughter-in-law Judith Kleber, his six grandchildren, a great- granddaughter, and for many generations to come. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Environmental Defense Fund, or the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) with a note indicating that it is for the Herbert D. Kleber Memorial Fund. Funeral services will be held on Sunday, October 14 at 12:30pm at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 West 76th Street, New York, NY.