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Lester Mitscher Obituary
Dr. Lester A. Mitscher, 83, died May 8th, 2015, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Lawrence, KS. He was born August 20th, 1931, in Detroit, MI, to Lester and Mary Athelda Mitscher (Pounder). He graduated from Hazel Park High School in 1949 as Class Valedictorian. He married Betty Jane McRoberts on May 29th, 1953 in Ferndale, MI. She survives of the home. He was preceded in death by his parents, Les and Mary, his brother, Ronald Eugene, and his daughter, Katrina Louise Chapman (Mitscher). He is survived by Katrina's daughters Stephanie Louise Hamm and her husband Steve, Pomoma, KS, and Jennifer Marie Chapman, husband David, of Topeka, KS. His sons, Kurt Alan Mitscher, Olathe, KS, his wife Karen, and his grandchildren Mary and Trevor, his son Mark Andrew Mitscher, Lawrence, Catherine Louise Crawley of Roanoke, VA, and grandson Joseph Drewry Thies of Washington DC. He is also survived by five great-grandchildren.
Dr. Mitscher earned his B.S. - Pharmacy (1953) and a Ph.D. - Organic Chemistry (1958) from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. As a graduate student, he worked on the structure of coffee oil diterpenes and on optical rotary dispersion under the late Dr. Carl Djerassi. He continued his work on natural product chemistry at Lederle Laboratories in Pearl River, NY from 1958-1967 where he rose to group leader in antibiotic discovery. In 1967, he accepted an associate professorship in Natural Products Chemistry at The Ohio State University to pursue his passion for teaching, quickly rising soon to the position of Tenured Professor. In 1975, he joined University of Kansas as a University Distinguished Professorship and the Chairmanship of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry. He returned to the faculty in 1992 and retired as Emeritus Professor in 2011. During his tenure, he also held conjoint academic appointments at the University of Missouri – Kansas City and the Victorian College of Pharmacy, Melbourne, Australia.
Throughout his decorated career, he earned numerous awards and honors. These included the Research Achievement Award in Natural Products Chemistry from the American Pharmaceutical Association (1980), the Ernest H. Vorweiler Award for Research Achievement from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (1985), the Higuchi-Simons Award in Biomedical Sciences at Kansas University (1986), the Bristol-Myers Squibb/Edward E. Smissman Award in Medicinal Chemistry from the American Chemical Society (1989), Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1995), the Division of Medicinal Chemistry Award from the American Chemical Society (2000), and the Norman R. Farnsworth Research Achievement Award from the American Society for Pharmacognosy (2007).
Dr. Mitscher's research focused on the isolation, identification, and optimization of naturally occurring antimicrobial and anti-cancer agents, as well as the development of combinatorial methodologies. He published more than 270 research publications and authored or co-authored seven technical books on drug discovery and properties. He was on the editorial board of several technical journals including the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and the Journal of Natural Products. He also consulted widely among pharmaceutical firms, serving as senior advisory council member of firms such as Abbott Laboratories, Searle Laboratories, Dupont-Merck, among others.
Visitation will be held at Rumsey-Yost Funeral home from 6:00PM-8:00PM on Thursday, May 14th, 2015. Services will be held at Plymouth Congregational Church, Lawrence, KS, on Friday May 15th. 3:00PM. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contribution to the Lester A. Mitscher Faculty Fellowship in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Kansas.
Online condolences may be sent at rumsey-yost.com.
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Memories and Condolences
for Lester Mitscher
Rao Gollapudi
May 4, 2023
You always live in our hearts. Thank you for every thing you did for us. You are the best teacher we ever had. We love you with respects and affections. Thank you.
Michael Tempesta
May 4, 2023
my memories of Les are always with his smile and some humor to share
Rao Gollapudi
May 4, 2022
You are still with me. Thank you for guiding me in every step. You are always in my prayer. Condolence to Betty.
Gerardo Mora
May 4, 2021
I have a wonderful memory of Lester. May he remain in there for a long time.
Gerardo A. Mora
May 14, 2019
I first met Dr. Mitscher when he came to do a presentation at KU. He was able to laugh at himself. I thought that was a wonderful sign. I was not wrong. What a great person!
jack plimmer
May 4, 2019
A great colleague and friend
Rao Gollapudi
May 4, 2019
I miss him more than any thing in my life. Thank you Les for being such a good friend and teacher.
Debi Kalaritis
May 18, 2015
Our time in Lawrence and especially Panos' at KU was enriched by association. He left a large legacy.
Debi & Panos Kalaritis
Jean-Marie Lehn; Alain Krief
May 15, 2015
We are deeply affected by the lost one of one of our leading scientist and cheerful friend.
Professors Jean-Marie Lehn (President) and Alain Krief (Executive Director) of IOCD ((International Organisation for Chemical Sciences in Development)
Jack Plimmer
May 15, 2015
Lesters passing will be a great loss to medicinal chemistry and he will be mourned especially by his colleagues of IOCD. We will miss you greatly Lester.
Joann & Austin Stedham
May 15, 2015
We are sorry to hear of your loss. Our prayers are with you.
Michael Tempesta
May 15, 2015
Betty and Family,
Les was a scientists scientist, as well as a warm, humorous and very humble colleague, who was a joy to work with during our early IOCD ventures in South America and Africa. He was always willing to help advance developing country scientists regardless of the personal cost to himself (and you as well sometimes!). Les will be missed but never forgotten as his many contributions will be with us forever.
Pradip Maity
May 15, 2015
Les was a great scientist and also a great person. He always teach us in a good way and give time to discuss when he can. I feel extraordinarily fortunate to work with him. He will be deeply missed. Please accept my heart-felt condolences.
May 15, 2015
On behalf of my self and colleagues of my institution I offer my condolences to the family.
Berhanu Abegaz
AAS
Atta-ur Rahman
May 15, 2015
I have known and admired Dr. Mitscher for some 4 decades for his contributions in medicinal chemistry and natural product chemistry. He will be deeply missed by me and my colleagues in Karachi. Our heart felt condolences
May 15, 2015
Les has made important contributions to our activities for chemistry in the developing world at IOCD. We will miss him very much as a scientist and a friend.
Jean-Marie Lehn
George & Sherry Catt
May 13, 2015
Dear Betty: What a full and accomplished life! Our thoughts and concerns are with you and your family at this trying time.
Ken & Gay Hirst
May 13, 2015
Sorry for you loss!!
Berl Oakley
May 12, 2015
Dear Betty,
Les was a great scientist, a great collaborator and a great person. My wife and I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have known him. He will be deeply missed. Please accept our heart-felt condolences.
Zhijun Wu
May 12, 2015
I miss you for all your kindness and guidance.
Beibei Wang
May 12, 2015
May you rest in peace. You will be missed.
Mahabir Gupta
May 11, 2015
Olga and I are deeply sad to know of the demise of Les. He was a great friend, kind hearted soul and a renowned scientist.
May his soul rest in peace
Chandra Chaurasia
May 11, 2015
So sorry to hear Dr. Mitscher's death. He was the Chair of Med Chem Dept, during my post doc there. Even though, not being directly associated with his lab, the modesty of Dr. Mistcher was a great source of inspiration and welcoming to be at KU. May his soul rest in peace.
Eleanor Nelson
May 11, 2015
Betty, I am so very sorry to read that Les had passed away. Please call me if I could be of any assistance to to you in this time of your loss. (766-8564) I will be thinking of you and keep you in my prays. Les was a very special person and will be missed by many.
May 11, 2015
Our respect and condolences to the family of this great person. He was a good teacher and a good friend. May he rest in peace.
Benyi Li
May 11, 2015
May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.
Kuo-Tung Chen
May 11, 2015
Please accept my deepest sympathies.
Michael Mullican
May 11, 2015
He was a big and positive influence on my life, professional and otherwise. God Bless him.
Ken & Gay Hirst
May 10, 2015
So sorry about your loss. He is in the lord hands and enjoying the Lord blessings.
May 10, 2015
Betty, Mark, Kurt, so very sorry for your loss, Les was a wonderful man, and I enjoyed our visits, he was always so upbeat and saw the good in people. Will be missed very much. Velda Dick
Dr. Rao Gollapudi
May 9, 2015
Les, we miss you. Always, you will remain in our hearts till our last breath. We pray for Betty's comfort in this difficult time.
Anu & Rao.
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