June 2010

Paul Hochstein

Paul Hochstein, 84, was born in February 1926, and died Saturday, June 12, 2010, at his home in Cambria, CA. Although Paul Hochstein had impeccable credentials as a scientist, he chose to spend the last 13 years working as an artist in Cambria. He did not find that to be inconsistent. He said, "Scientists and artists are cast from the same mold. They both start with imagination and insights that lead to ideas that can be tested experimentally. Both of them would like their experiments to be elegant, pleasing and even convincing." Born in New York City of Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, he graduated from the elite Bronx High School of Science. He served three years in the infantry in Europe during World War II and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He then returned to the U.S. to obtain a B.S. degree at Rutgers University and went on to obtain his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Maryland. Dr. Hochstein did postdoctoral training at the Laboratory of Biochemistry at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. Over the years, he has held faculty positions in the Colleges of Medicine at Columbia University, Duke University and the University of Southern California. He has also held Visiting Professorships at the Universities of Stockholm, London and Genoa. At USC, he became the founding Director of the Institute for Toxicology and an Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education. Pioneering in the field of oxygen and free-radical biochemistry in relation to human disease, he made milestone contributions in this area of research. He is the author of over 200 scientific publications and was recognized worldwide for his accomplishments. He served on numerous editorial boards and as a consultant to both government and industry. The recipient of many awards, he held honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Stockholm and the University of Buenos Aires. He was a distinguished Professor Emeritus of Molecular Pharmacology, Toxicology and Biochemistry at the University of Southern California. Dr. Hochstein studied sculpting with Gail Glickmann in Los Angeles and, since retiring to Cambria in 1997, studied painting with Sally Seago. An admirer of early impressionist painters, he imbibed her joyful and romantic approach to nature. His paintings reflect the natural beauty of the Central California Coast far from the cities of San Francisco to the north and Los Angeles to the South. Paul married Georgianna "Gianna" Smith in 1956, and is survived by her and their two sons Evon Hochstein (spouse, Jane Hudson) of Los Angeles and Miles Hochstein (spouse, Leora Troper-Hochstein) of Portland, Ore.; grandchildren Maggie Hochstein, Amitai Troper-Hochstein and Gavriella Troper-Hochstein; brother, Robert Hochstein of Washington, D.C. He was predeceased by his sister, Elenore Lester of New York City. Paul Hochstein''s website PaulHochstein.com contains additional information about his life and his art. Paul Hochstein made major contributions to science and to art, and along the way he made many friends: he will be greatly missed!