WILLIAM FIRSHEIN

WILLIAM FIRSHEIN, Daniel Ayres Professor of Biology, Emeritus, died Dec. 7, 2015. He was 85. After receiving his B.S. from Brooklyn College and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Rutgers University, he came to Wesleyan in 1958 and taught for 47 years. He was elected to Sigma Xi. An active scholar who was awarded research grants totaling more than $2 million over his career, he investigated the molecular biology of DNA replication cell division in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli and their plasmids. In his most recent book, The Infectious Microbe, published in January 2014, he discussed the relationship between humans and viruses and illustrated how pathogens are spread. This book was based on a very popular general education course that he taught for decades. He was a founding member of the Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Department, and served as chair of MB&B for seven years, and as chair of Biology for three years. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Ph.D. programs in Biology and MB&B. Molecular Biology and Biochemistry has awarded the William Firshein Prize in his honor each year to the graduating student who has contributed the most to the interests and character of the MB&B department. His friend, Anthony Infante, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Emeritus, said, “He was a true friend to his colleagues and always available for effective useful advice and guidance to the young faculty.” His wife, Anna, and five children survive.