Lester Packer passed away following a rapid decline in his health. He died peacefully at his home in Orinda, CA with his wife Anne, attending to him. His family including his children David, Anna Beth and Michael and grandchildren Sammy, Gretchen and Ella will all miss him immensely.
Born and raised in the Bronx in NY, he earned his Ph.D. from Yale University studying bacterial hydrogenases. Subsequently, he did postdoctoral studies on mitochondria, enzymology, and biological oxidations at the Johnson Foundation at the University of Pennsylvania and began his academic career at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. In the early 1960s, Lester moved to the University of California, Berkeley where he became a professor of Physiology-Anatomy and later of Molecular and Cell Biology.
He published over 700 papers spanning a vast range of biological research. His early research focused on electron transport in enzymes and mitochondria and this led to studies on oxidants, oxidative stress, and the cellular adaptive responses associate with such stresses. The relationships between a myriad of pathologies and errant oxidant production and inadequate antioxidant protection led to his well-known research on antioxidants both vitamins and natural food supplements designed to enhance human health. Professor Packer was the author of many books, editor of the series Oxidative Stress and Disease, served on numerous editorial boards, and is often best known as the organizer of dozens of international meetings where he fostered the interactions between senior scientists and students. Professor Packer developed the Antioxidant Network, a concept that engaged many institutions and colleagues all over the world and that materialized as conferences with a focus on redox biology.
His intellect was complemented by boundless energy, unrelenting enthusiasm, and superb mentoring of a generation of scientists to study cellular redox processes inherent in health and disease. His extensive travels took him all over the world and wherever he went he made new friends throughout his life. He was an avid and competitive sailor and he knew the value of exercise in maintaining our "health span" well before this was common knowledge. He will be thoroughly missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and students.
The Family requests that in his memory you may make a contribution to The Oxygen Club of California, a California non-profit started by Professor Packer in 1994, and is now a prominent promoter of education and research in oxidants and antioxidants in medicine and biology.
Contributions can be made by going to:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=C2FT4MLV7NGMC

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Published by San Francisco Chronicle from Sep. 6 to Sep. 9, 2018.

Memories and Condolences
for Lester Packer

4 Entries

Ed Munn

November 1, 2023

Lester on his last visit to Cambridge.

Tom Brody, Ph.D.

August 1, 2020

I was a graduate student at U.C. Berkeley from the years 1974 to 1980, and I was in the Comparative Biochemistry program. All of my laboratory work was in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. Prof. Lester Packer was my advisor for the Comparative Biochemistry Program, and my actual laboratory research was in E.L.R Stokstad's laboratory (my work was on the vitamins, folic acid and vitamin B12). Since my work was in the Dept. of Nutritional Sciences, I was aware that other graduate students in my department admired Prof. Lester Packer's research on vitamins, and these included Judy Turnlund. My professional connection with Judy Turnlund can be seen in the acknowledgement section of my book, Nutritional Biochemistry (1999). In addition, one of my roomates from my undergraduate years, John J. Maguire, worked in Prof. Packer's laboratory for many years. They were co-authors on about 30 publications, and these include publications in Free Radical Biol. Med. (1997), Arch. Biochem. Biophys. (1992), Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. (1989), and Biochim. Biophys. Acta (1973). Prof. Packer's line of research, namely oxygen-induced damage to the cell, was and continues to be amongst the most challenging fields in biochemistry. Attached is a photograph of me at the time that Prof. Packer was my advisor for the Comparative Biochemistry program. To conclude, me and my close circle of friends who worked at U.C.Berkeley will always be admirers of Prof. Packer's contributions to the field of anti-oxidant research.

Anthony Almada

October 9, 2018

To Anne, whom I saw at numerous meetings and at your lovely home, and to your children:

I never called him Les--always Lester or Dr. Packer--yet he always called me "Tony" even though I always called myself "Anthony". :)

I read an article by Les in the early 1980's, discussing free radicals and exercise. Instantly I knew I wanted to go to Cal for my Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences. It was the only school I applied to, and I was the only nutrition grad student who was in the Physiology Dept. Circa 1985.

Les was a science god in my eyes--I wanted him to befriend me and take me under his wing. I often felt uneasy and unsettled around him in and around the lab but when invited to your house, or at numerous nutrition meetings in the years that followed, he always embraced me with both hands and requested--or obtained--a photo, which he always sent to me.

I have always felt immense pride and distinction to say that Les was my thesis co-chair and I performed my grad research in his lab. The last time I saw him we were speaking at the same conference (in San Francisco) and I had the privilege of speaking before him and then introducing him. What an auspicious day that was for me...the student approaching but not surpassing the teacher.

I often wondered how Les was doing. Today I was writing an article for LinkedIn and cited Les and his lab as watershed elements in my career and went searching for a biography page and saw obituary. My throat swelled and then I smiled...

I extend a warm embrace to all of you. I know Les is smiling, too.

Anne, Dave, Anna, Michael Packer

September 9, 2018

When someone you love becomes a memory, The Memory becomes a Treasure

Showing 1 - 4 of 4 results