Earl R. Stadtman, 88; Revered Biochemist, Mentor at NIH

Three years ago, NIH opened an exhibit in honor of Dr. Stadtman and his wife, "The Stadtman Way: A Tale of Two Biochemists at NIH." The exhibit consists of a physical display and a Web site http://history.nih.gov/exhibits/stadtman/index.htm.

Earl Reece Stadtman was born Nov. 15, 1919, in Carrizozo, N.M., the son of an engineer-turned-life insurance salesman. His family moved to San Bernardino, Calif., when he was 10. In high school, he was a leader of the debate team.

He began taking science courses at San Bernardino Valley College in anticipation of starting a soil-testing laboratory business and then worked his way through the University of California at Berkeley, graduating in 1942.

After working on a wartime mapping project in Alaska, he returned to Berkeley, where he began working with his mentor, Horace A. Baker, on a World War II-related project to prevent dried fruits from spoiling quickly in the South Pacific.

In 1943, Dr. Stadtman met and married another talented Berkeley grad student. They both studied biochemistry and received their doctoral degrees in 1949 and moved to the East Coast for their postdoctoral training. Dr. Stadtman joined Fritz Lippmann's laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital as an Atomic Energy Commission fellow.

Several universities wanted to hire Dr. Stadtman but would not relax anti-nepotism rules and hire his wife. In 1950, they both came to NIH, which was growing as a research institute for biomedical science. In addition to his wife, of Derwood, survivors include a brother.

In his laboratory at NIH, Dr. Stadtman created a culture of high standards and humane relationships. He was described as a calm and patient teacher who never rushed experiments.

"Productive laboratories are not merely the reflection of good scientific discipline and expert direction," he once said, "but depend almost as much on the establishment of a congenial atmosphere in which science can flourish as a consequence of free thought, unguarded exchange of ideas, critical discussion and a respective interaction among all of its personnel."

Dr. Stadtman cared about the well-being of his young scientists, both inside and outside the lab, said Gabriela Viteri, one of his most recent fellows.

"He found joy in every single little thing he did . . . like taking care of the azaleas on his property, caring for the raccoons and the other animals that may come up to his house and . . . asking me about the results of my experiments and discussing them, or drinking coffee with other lab members while talking to them."