Howard M. Lenhoff, 89
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Howard Maer Lenhoff, 89, of 304 Dogwood Drive, Oxford, Miss., formerly of North Adams, died Tuesday, July 12, 2011, at his home.
Dr. Lenhoff was a scientist recognized as a world authority in his field of biological research. He also was a humanitarian activist who achieved several goals many thought were beyond reach.
Born in North Adams on Jan. 27, 1929, son of Charles and Goldie Rubin Lenhoff, he graduated from Drury High School and attended Coe College in Iowa. He earned his doctorate in biology from Johns Hopkins University.
He was a veteran of the Air Force.
Mr. Lenhoff was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. He also was a fellow of the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Israel Institute of Technology, and Ben Gurion University. He was a visiting professor at Hebrew University and a senior research fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University.
At the University of California at Irvine, in addition to his work as a researcher and professor, Mr. Lenhoff held a variety of administrative posts, including chairman of the Academic Senate and dean of the Graduate Division.
His publications include myriad articles and a dozen books.
His work as a humanitarian was marked by the same qualities as his science and his scholarship. It was innovative and creative and diverse.
One of the great joys of his life was his participation as a leader in the successful rescue of the Jews of Ethiopia.
His activities on behalf of developmentally disabled musicians proved to be instrumental in the establishment in Lenox of a summer camp for musical young people who had Williams syndrome, and later the Berkshire Hills Music Academy, now celebrating its 10th year in South Hadley.
Most recently, his concern for the education of the young people of the Mississippi Delta developed into the "Guardian Angel Initiative" to enable children of four impoverished counties to attend school with dignity and pride.
Mr. Lenhoff was a member of Congregation Beth Israel.
He leaves his wife, the former Sylvia Grossman, whom he married on June 20, 1954; a daughter, Gloria Lenhoff of Frankfort, Ky.; and a son, Bernard Lenhoff of Berkeley, Calif.
His sister, Barbara Schwartz, died in 2010.
FUNERAL NOTICE - The funeral for Mr. Lenhoff will be Friday, July 15, at 11 a.m. at Congregation Beth Israel, 53 Lois St., North Adams. Burial will follow in Beth Israel Cemetery in Clarksburg.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Berkshire Hills Music Academy in care of Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, Central Chapel, 74 Marshall St., North Adams, MA 01247.