Robert Tod Schimke

Professor of Biology, Emeritus, at Stanford University, died on September 6, 2014, at age 81. Born in Spokane, Washington, he received A.B. and MD degrees from Stanford University. He served in the Public Health Service at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, from 1960 to1966, after which he returned to Stanford in the Pharmacology Department in the School of Medicine, serving as chair from 197073. He then moved to the Department of Biological Sciences, which he chaired from 1978-82, and became American Cancer Society Research Professor of Biology in 1983.

Schimke made pioneering discoveries in biochemistry and molecular biology. He was recognized for these discoveries with numerous awards, including election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine. Schimke was a member of numerous national advisory and editorial boards and served as President of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from 1988-89.

Schimke’s life changed dramatically in 1995 when he was hit by a car while bicycling, leaving him a quadriplegic. He became emeritus professor at Stanford and turned to his other life passion, painting, experimenting with the dynamic interaction of various materials and their textures. He has produced over 400 works of art, which have been exhibited at universities and corporate headquarters.

Bob Schimke approached all phases of his life with passion, creativity, and courage. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and former lab members. He is survived by his wife Patricia Jones, Professor of Biology at Stanford, his daughters Caroline Schimke, Cynthia Ames, and Allison Powers, five grandchildren, his sister Barbara Bazemore and two nephews. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Robert T. Schimke Graduate Fellowship Fund, Department of Biology, Stanford University.