We are very sorry to note the passing of Professor Emeritus LeRoy R. Kuehl.
LeRoy was a very popular teacher of first-year medical students in the years when the department offered a full-year course in Biochemistry. He made a point of learning the students’ names and interacting with them in a very personal manner. In later years, he also taught Biochemistry in the Physician Assistant program. When LeRoy was recruited to Utah in 1964 by then-chair Sid Velick, a shortage of space and start-up funds led to his sharing a lab with another Assistant Professor, Ollie Richards. Not surprisingly, they became fast friends and often went skiing together – two tall, thin figures on the slopes.
Much of LeRoy’s research was focused on chromatin proteins, including histones and the protamines that replace them in mammalian sperm. A particular interest was the non-histone chromosomal proteins, and his identification of extended acidic amino acid sequences in these molecules may have foreshadowed the phase separation mediated by unstructured regions that is such a hot topic today. He retired in 1994. We extend our sympathy and best wishes to LeRoy’s wife, Barbara, and their extended family. A very nice obituary that features his love of international travel and the Utah out-of-doors can be found at the link below.
