Lawrence "Larry" Grossman, a pioneer in the field of
DNA repair and a World War II combat veteran, died Jan. 13
at the age of 81. A University Distinguished Service
Professor at the
Bloomberg School of Public Health, he was also the
former chair of the
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Grossman's crowning achievement was the development of
a highly sensitive test for measuring the DNA repair
capacity of individual people. The test provides a powerful
tool for assessing which individuals in a population are at
risk for skin cancer or for other tumors of environmental
origin. In one of his studies, Grossman found that reduced
DNA repair capacity appears to contribute to basal cell
carcinoma, especially in those individuals with a prior
history of severe sunburn. Grossman also made enormous
contributions to uncovering the molecular mechanisms by
which cells repair ultraviolet radiation damage to their
chromosomes.
A New York native, Grossman quit high school to help
support his family in 1941, just one month before the
United States entered World War II. Soon after, he enlisted
in the Navy as an aviation cadet. At the age of 18, he was
shot down in his fighter plane off the coast of Okinawa and
spent two days floating alone on a raft until rescued by a
U.S. destroyer. During his time as a pilot, he was twice
awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, he
resumed his education, first finishing high school, then
studying engineering at City College of New York before
transferring to Hofstra University to complete his
bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry. After earning
his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of
Southern California in 1954, he joined the laboratory of
Nathan Kaplan in the McCollum-Pratt Institute on the Johns
Hopkins Homewood campus.
In 1957, after a brief stint at the National
Institutes of Health, Grossman joined Brandeis University's
new Department of Biochemistry, which was being organized
by Kaplan. At Brandeis, his pioneering studies on the
biochemistry of DNA repair assured his rise to the rank of
professor. In 1975, he returned to Johns Hopkins to become
the E.V. McCollum Professor and Chair of the Department of
Biochemistry in what was then the School of Hygiene and
Public Health. Grossman also held joint appointments in the
Bloomberg School's Department of Environmental Health
Sciences and the School of Medicine's Oncology
Department.
Roger McMacken, chair of the Bloomberg School's
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, said,
"Larry's vision, drive and personal warmth produced
dramatic revitalization of the research and training
programs of this department, and his achievements as chair
continue to benefit the group."
The department established the Lawrence Grossman
Lectureship in spring 2004 to honor Grossman's research
achievements and his 14 years as department chair.
Michael J. Klag, dean of the School of Public Health,
said, "Larry was a warm, enthusiastic and supportive mentor
for students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty, and
was an outstanding scientist. His legacy lives on in a
strong and vital department which he nurtured and led for a
decade and a half."
Grossman was on the editorial boards of Cancer
Research, the Journal of Biological Chemistry Methods in
Enzymology and Critical Reviews of Biochemistry. He also
was a committee member or chair of advisory committees for
the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of
Health in biochemistry and represented the International
Union of Biochemistry to the National Academy of Sciences.
He co-edited multiple volumes of the book Methods in
Nucleic Acids and contributed numerous articles to
scientific journals.
Outside of science, Grossman was active in civil
rights and anti-war movements (both Vietnam and Iraq) and
was an avid sailor and pilot. He lived in Baltimore and was
a longtime summer resident of Woods Hole, Mass. Grossman is
survived by his wife of 57 years, Barbara; his children,
Jon D. Grossman, Carl H. Grossman and Ilene R. Grossman;
his sister, Gertrude Richards; and six grandchildren.
The School of Public Health is planning a memorial
service, but details have not been finalized. Contributions
in his honor can be made to The Johns Hopkins University
with "Lawrence Grossman Lectureship" noted on the check;
they should be sent to Ricky Fine, Office of External
Affairs, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,
650 N. Wolfe St., W1600, Baltimore, MD 21205.
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