Brilliance. tenacity. a sense of adventure. According to the youngest of the four Scheuer children, Jonathan, those traits pervade the long and productive life of Paul J. Scheuer, chemistry professor emeritus at the University of Hawaii and pioneer of the field of marine natural products.
Scheuer evidenced all those characteristics when, as a young Jewish man denied university admission in Nazi Germany, he received an introduction to real-world chemistry while working in tanneries throughout Europe. His adventuresome side carried him through his emigration in 1938 to the U.S., where he worked his way through college at Northeastern University. His wartime graduate work at Harvard University with Robert B. Woodward was interrupted when he was drafted by the U.S. Army, but after serving in the Chemical Warfare Service and then in military intelligence, he returned to Harvard to finish his degree.
In 1950, newly married and knowing almost nothing about the Hawaiian islands, Scheuer and his wife, Alice, who had been a student of his at Harvard, sailed to the University of Hawaii, Manoa, where he set up a research program in natural products from land plants. He soon recognized the untapped resources of the surrounding sea, however, and within a few years was submersed in the area of marine natural products.
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| SHARING THE HONORS Scheuer (right) shows collection of memorabilia to wife, Alice, and son Jonathan. |
| PHOTO BY KEVIN MACDERMOTT |
The once-obscure field is now a major subdiscipline of organic chemistry that is seen as a potential source of new drugs and other bioactive compounds. Indeed, a compound that Scheuer discovered in a Hawaiian marine mollusk, kahalalide F, is entering clinical trials against cancer.
Scheuer's 50 years of research was honored at Pacifichem 2000 with a two-day symposium on marine natural products, a term he coined. In addition, a diverse group of family, colleagues, and former students gathered from around the world to share memories and testimonials and to shower Scheuer with honors.
"Thank you, Dr. Scheuer, for making a difference in our lives," said Joyce S. Tsunoda. Now senior vice president of the University of Hawaii, Tsunoda credits Scheuer with giving her the courage, when she studied with him as an undergraduate, to pursue science despite her family's opposition. "Thank you for being our teacher, mentor, and most of all, our friend," she said.
At the testimonial, Scheuer received collections of photos and personal letters from colleagues worldwide. He was given an honorary membership to the American Society of Pharmacognosy in recognition of his accomplishments. And he received a copy of a special issue of Tetrahedron dedicated to him and signed by all 19 of the researchers who contributed articles.
"I was unfortunate that I never was a student of Paul's," said William H. Fenical , professor of oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "Yet Paul influenced my career and that of thousands of others through the field of marine natural products, which he developed." "Paul really understood the importance of chemical compounds in the biology of marine creatures," Fenical continued. "Paul is a giant. He showed us the way. We are forever grateful for his guidance."
PAMELA ZURER,C&EN WASHINGTON
©Chemical & Engineering News
January 22, 2001 p.70
Used by permission