Enoch Callaway

Enoch Callaway, III, M.D.

Dr. Enoch "Noch" Callaway was born into an established medical family in La Grange, Georgia in 1924. He died peacefully in Marin General Hospital of heart failure on August 15, 2014 surrounded by loved ones. Noch retained two things from birth until his passing at age 90, his gentle Georgia accent, and his marvelous sense of humor.

Noch and his family were Tiburon residents for over 50 years. His wife of 54 years, Dorothy, died in 2001. He is survived by two daughters, Rebecca Callaway and Deborah Callaway; two granddaughters, Gavia Brennan and Sage Keeley; four great grandchildren; and a sister, Sarah Callaway Brabant and her family.

Noch received BA and MD degrees from Columbia University in 1947 and completed training, residencies and a fellowship at Emory University Grady Hospital, Worcester State Hospital in Massachusetts, University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore Psychoanalytic Institute.

In 1958, Noch was recruited to become Director of Research for the newly constructed research wing of the Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. He worked at UCSF until 1994 when he became an Emeritus Professor.

In his role as UCSF Professor and a research director, Noch was known as an outstanding mentor to other psychiatric researchers. He considered the students he trained to be his most important contribution. Nationally and internationally, Noch was recognized as a pioneer researcher, teacher, scientist, collaborator, and also a skilled psychotherapist in the field of biological psychiatry. He worked creatively and rigorously to facilitate the essential transition from traditional psychiatric treatment to exploring more rigorous and carefully evaluated treatments. He worked on potential treatments that used psychopharmacology, new technologies, and human kindness. Noch's PDP-8 was one of the first laboratory computers on the UCSF campus. He was an early adopter and a skillful adapter of many new scientific psychiatric technologies. Noch, with his many scientific collaborators, had a wide range of scientific publications.

Noch served many roles in scientific societies, for example, as president of Biological Psychiatry, and of the Society for Psychophysiological Research. Among his other honors were the lifetime Contributions to Biological Psychiatry (1996), the George N. Thompson Ward Society (1991), American Psychiatric Association (1982), and the George Elliot Royer Award, UCSF(1981). He served on editorial boards for several publications.

Noch was a regular tennis doubles player, a fly fisherman in many rivers, a community garden advocate, a recorder player in a chamber music group, a insatiable reader and community library user, and an elegant writer. After a few lessons taken during early retirement, he became a regular windsurfer, and when his health slowed him down, he continued, until relatively recently, as a kayaker on the bay. After retiring from UCSF, he founded and led a pharmaceutical technology company developing new pharmacotherapies called Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. and worked for the Family Service League.

In addition to many important scientific papers, Noch published a wide range of writings that show his diverse interests. "Asylum" was a witty and compassionate account of his training years at Worcester State Hospital and what the experience taught him about the treatment of today's mentally ill. He wrote a novel called "The Mating Flower" that melded his interests in botany and pharmacology. His last paper, published in the magazine California Fly Fisher, was "Two Psychiatrists Look at Their Obsession" (i.e., flyfishing).

Noch was a cherished friend to many people, near and far, and always a delightful raconteur. The other significant Dorothy in his life, Dot Potter, was Noch's constant companion for the past decade; they shared many interests, and greatly enjoyed each other's company.

There will be a memorial gathering at the San Francisco Yacht Club at 2:00 on October 16. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Rotary Club of Tiburon-Belvedere is preferred.