Joseph V. Levy

Joseph V. Levy, PhD, (80) On January 10, 2009 in Burlingame, CA where he had been a resident for 47 years. Born in Los Angeles on April 7, 1928, Joe was the youngest son of Victor M. Levy and Rachel Alhadeff Levy, immigrants from the Island of Rhodes, Greece. Growing up among his extended Sephardic family in Los Angeles, Joe attended Carthay Circle Elementary, John Burroughs Jr. High and Fairfax High School. As a youngster, Joe developed his great love of model airplane building and flying. His gas-powered and then electric radio-controlled intricate balsa wood models were his passionate hobby. At graduation from Fairfax in 1946, Joe matriculated at Stanford University. Although he originally majored in aeronautic engineering, his excelling grades in biology, anatomy, and chemistry prompted his counselors to redirect him into the life sciences. He graduated with a BA in biology in 1950, and accepted a research and teaching asst. position in the Dept. of Physiology. In 1952 Joe met Stanford sophomore Joanne Bernice Presley of Taft, CA. Joe and Joanne spent their courting years at Stanford, and "The Farm" was an integral part of their lives for years to come. Joe continued his post-graduate work at UCLA where he received his MS in Physiology in 1954. On December 18, 1954, Joe and Joanne were married at Stanford's Memorial Church. Joe was awarded a Stanford University Scholarship in Pharmacology and was subsequently accepted into the Pharmacology Doctoral Program at University of Washington in Seattle where he received his Ph.D in 1959. Returning to California in 1959, Joe logged many hours of research for the American Heart Assoc. as one of their first advanced research fellows. In 1961, he opened his own research laboratory in San Francisco associated with the Institute of Medical Sciences and Presbyterian Hospital (Pacific Medical Center). His significant studies and advances in hypertension research and continuing cardiovascular investigations garnered him many grants, awards and fellowships over the years. In 1962, Joe and Joanne moved to Burlingame, CA, where they lived for 47 years. By 1969, he was in demand both in the U.S. and internationally as a lecturer and speaker on a myriad of scientific and research topics, and a member of numerous professional societies. In the early '70s, Joe began a longterm relationship at the Univ. of the Pacific Dental School in San Francisco. First as a guest lecturer, then asst. professor, Joe became a part of the UOP faculty family. In 1981, the United Nations World Health Organization sponsored Joe as a visiting professor and consultant for a month-long teaching program in Beijing, China. It was a major highlight of his professional career. The 1980s found Joe with a busy guest lecturing schedule. As an expert in his field of drug interactions, he was in demand as a member of continuing education programs for several large pharmaceutical companies, the National Institutes of Health, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and formulary and consulting committees on Pharmacy and Therapeutics throughout the US. By 1985, he had been appointed as clinical professor in the Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology at the UOP Dental School in San Francisco. From 1991 to the present he has served as full professor and department chairman. Joe was a respected, admired, and dedicated educator and the recipient of many awards over the years. Of his most cherished accolades were those afforded him by his students and fellow faculty at UOP. These awards included the Assoc. Student Body Award-Best Instructor 2nd Year (1993, 1995, 1996, & 1997); The Syzmd Memorial Award-Excellence in Teaching (1994); and the Eberhardt Teacher-Scholar Award 1997. In 2008, Joe received the American College of Dentists Outstanding Faculty Member Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to dental education at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry at UOP. Joe was first and foremost a committed scientific researcher and educator. Joe is survived by his wife of 54 years, Joanne P. Levy; his daughters Virginia R. Levy of Los Angeles and Suzanne Levy Garrett (Charles M. Garrett, Jr.) of Arlington, WA; his grandson, Jeffrey Charles Ross Garrett; one sister; seven loving nieces and nephews; and eight grand-nieces and nephews. No memorials or services are planned at Joe's specific request. The family asks that donations to your favorite funds or charities be made in Joe's name.