PHILIP SIEKEVITZ

SIEKEVITZ--Philip. The Rockefeller University community deeply mourns the loss of our beloved friend and colleague Philip Siekevitz, a biochemist associated with a number of significant contributions in the field of cell biology. He demonstrated for the first time that protein synthesis could be studied using radioactive amino acids on isolated organelles and made important contributions in the control of energy metabolism in mitochondria. With George Palade at Rockefeller, he worked on the isolation and description of ribosomes and of the endoplasmic reticulum. His work with Dr. Palade on pancreatic cells led to a greater understanding of protein synthesis and protein secretion. Dr. Siekevitz's later work was devoted to the study of events occurring at the neural synapse on the level of intracellular structures, and he identified an important structural element at the synapse called the postsynaptic density. He was coauthor of the first textbook on cell biology, Cell Structure and Function, published in 1963. In addition to his research, Dr. Siekevitz was an advocate of the social responsibilities of scientists. He was an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and an honorary fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences, of which he served as president in 1976. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Rebecca, his daughters Miriam and Ruth, and his many colleagues on campus. Russell L. Carson, Chairman David Rockefeller, Honorary Chairman Paul Nurse, President Torsten N. Wiesel, President Emeritus