WILLIAM (BILL) HARVEY KLEIN

1946-2021

William (Bill) Harvey Klein, a prominent scientist, educator and administrator at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, died on March 9, 2021 in New York City.

The son of Goldie and Milton Klein, Bill was born in 1946 and raised in Detroit. Bill developed a strong interest in science during high school, studied chemistry as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, and earned a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Illinois in 1973. While a graduate student, Bill married his first wife, Ilona; they divorced in 1981.

During these years, Bill became fascinated with the growing field of developmental biology, which sought to describe, at a molecular level, how a single-cell embryo develops into a complex organism. For his postdoctoral training, he moved to the California Institute of Technology to work with two pioneers in this field, Eric Davidson and Roy Britten, an experience that shaped his subsequent career.

In 1979, Bill became a faculty member in Biology at Indiana University, continuing his studies on gene regulation during sea urchin development, building an active research team, and emerging as an intellectual leader in his field. Bill’s work uncovered critical regulatory mechanisms involved in embryonic patterning and morphogenesis. While in Bloomington, Bill met the pianist Ruth Friedland then a student at the renowned School of Music, and they began their life-long partnership.

Feeling constrained by small-town life in Bloomington, in 1985 Bill moved to Houston to join the Biochemistry Department at MD Anderson; he was soon joined by Ruth, and in 1992, they married under a chuppah in a traditional Jewish wedding.

Bill became intrigued with the emerging field of mammalian molecular genetics and, in 1989, spent a sabbatical at Columbia University, learning gene targeting technology and, with Ruth, enjoying the cultural opportunities the city offered. Back in Houston, Bill’s research shifted to focus on gene regulation during skeletal muscle differentiation and retinal development, two areas in which he would make seminal contributions. Over his career, Bill published over 160 scientific papers and trained 40 students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom advanced to prominent positions in academia and industry.

From 1998 - 2014, Bill was Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at MD Anderson, a position that allowed him to mentor many junior faculty members. He greatly enjoyed the opportunity to nurture emerging careers, and he was revered for these contributions. In 2010, Bill was feted in a “Bill Klein Celebration” that brought many of his former trainees and associates to Houston for the happy occasion.

Outside the lab, Bill and Ruth were intensively interested in art and music, and travelled extensively in the US, Europe and Israel. Bill was an avid reader of history, art and the broader aspects of science. He was an accomplished athlete; after a high school career running track and pitching baseball, he became a committed longdistance runner, competing in several Houston Marathons, and interviewing at least one job applicant while running around the Rice University campus.

In 2018, Bill retired from MD Anderson, and he and Ruth moved to New York, where Bill was a visiting professor at Columbia; meanwhile, they enjoyed the museums, concerts, and restaurants - until March 2020, when the Covid pandemic forced them to suspend these festivities. Bill did not succumb to the pandemic, but neither did he live to see its end.

Bill will be remembered not only as a brilliant scientist, but as a generous mentor, friend and colleague. To quote some of his associates: “Bill was friendly with everyone, talked frequently with everyone, and then passed his insights on to the rest of the community (as well as some personal gossip).” “He was always generous in sharing ideas and credit, always enthusiastic about hearing my ideas, gently pointing out the flaws without a trace of condescension.” “The scene I miss the most: Bill, a cup of coffee in one hand, comes around the lab, stops by my desk, and we start chatting, sometimes for a few minutes, some for an hour….”

Bill is survived by his wife Ruth, and his sisters Ruth Barr and Shelly Parkhurst.