BETTELHEIM, Frederick A(braham) 1923-2004

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born June 3, 1923, in Gyoer, Hungary; died of a heart attack, February 17, 2004, in Kona, HI. Biochemist, educator, and author. Bettelheim was best known for his research on carbohydrates and proteins, as well as for his studies of the biophysics of the eye. His early life was marked by war. Born a Hungarian Jew, he joined the Resistance movement during World War II; after the war, he moved to Palestine, fought with the Israel Defense Forces, and was wounded in the battles before the founding of the state of Israel. He then emigrated to the United States, earning a B.S. at Cornell University in 1953, an M.S. in food science from the University of California at Davis in 1954, and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from UC Davis in 1956. The next year, he joined the faculty at Adelphi University, becoming a full professor in 1963; he also served as chair of the department of chemistry from 1985 to 1991. Two years later, he retired, but continued to write and give lectures on his work. Bettelheim held ten patents for his work and was highly regarded as the author, with Jerry March, of the textbook Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry (1984; 6th edition, 2001). He was also the author of Experimental Physical Chemistry (1971), coauthor of Laboratory Experiments for Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry (3rd edition, 1997), monographs, and chapters to other scholarly works.

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Washington Post, February 21, 2004, p. B6.