HR0648 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0648 LRB095 12854 KXB 38423 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of an esteemed member of the faculty of the University of Chicago, Dr. Lewis S. Seiden, who passed away on July 26, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Lewis Seiden was born on August 1, 1934 in Chicago, where he grew up in the South Shore neighborhood; he signed on to an early enrollment program at the University of Chicago, where he eventually earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees; at age 18 he was stricken with dystonia, which caused him to abandon his plans to attend medical school; after spending a year in the hospital, he instead turned his attention to the neurobiology field; and

WHEREAS, He then spent a year in Sweden doing post-doctoral research with Arvid Carlsson, who would later win the 2000 Nobel Prize in medicine; and

WHEREAS, In 1963 he returned to Chicago and the University and rose through the ranks of the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and the Department of Psychiatry, becoming a full professor in 1977; he also taught in the College and was a member of the Committee on Neurobiology and the Brain Research Institute; during his career at the University he trained more than 30 doctoral students, including many scholars who went on to play leading roles in the field; and

WHEREAS, Lew Seiden was considered a pioneer in the field of neuropharmacology, conducting studies on the effects of anti-depressants and methamphetamines on the brain; he was an expert on how drugs, especially amphetamines, could selectively damage certain neurons; his research showed that drugs such as methamphetamines, Ecstasy, and fen-phen caused damage to brain cells; and

WHEREAS, Lew Seiden, recognized as a world expert on psychopharmocology, won many awards for his research: he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Psychological Association; he was awarded an honorary doctorate in medicine from the University of Goteborg; and he won the University of Chicago's Gold Key Award, recognizing outstanding service to the Biological Sciences Division and to the University; and

WHEREAS, Lew Seiden published more than 220 scientific papers and 40 book chapters on neurochemistry, the brain and behavior, drug effects, and neurotoxicity; and

WHEREAS, Lew Seiden served on the President's Advisory Committee on Mental Health, the board of scientific counselors for the National Institute of Environmental Health Services, and the Life Sciences Working Group for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and

WHEREAS, Lew Seiden is survived by his loving wife, Anne; his children, Samuel Seiden, Alex (Larraine) Seiden, and Evelyn (Toby) Ivey; and his grandson, Lewis George Seiden; he will also be missed by the University community, his colleagues, and his many friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family, friends, and colleagues, the passing of Dr. Lewis S. Seiden; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Dr. Lewis S. Seiden as an expression of our sympathy.