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Ernst Pulgra
Ernst Pulgram, professor emeritus of romance and classical linguistics, Born Sept. 18, 1915, in Vienna, Austria, Pulgram completed his doctorate in romance philology at the University of Vienna in 1938. Choosing to leave his homeland shortly after its annexation by Nazi Germany, he fled to Switzerland and immigrated to the United States in 1939.
Following two years of military service, Pulgram entered the doctoral program in comparative linguistics at Harvard University, earning a doctorate in 1946. He taught for two years at Union College in Schenectady, NY, and in 1948 came to U-M, where he rose through the ranks and remained until his retirement in 1986.
In 1948, Pulgram and his colleague, Lawrence B. Kiddle, founded what became a flourishing program in romance linguistics. The program granted more than 60 doctorates and many master of arts degrees and a number of Pulgram's doctoral students went on to become active scholars in the fields of romance and general linguistics.
In 1950, Pulgram and Kiddle co-founded the Language Laboratory, forerunner of today's Language Resource Center.
In 1979 U-M awarded Pulgram the title of Hayward Keniston Distinguished Professor of Romance and Classical Linguistics. Over the years he held visiting professorships at the universities of Florence, Cologne, Heidelberg, Regensburg, Vienna, Innsbruck, Munich and International Christian University in Tokyo.
Pulgram's scope of study included proto-Indo-European, Latin, Greek, and romance languages, with an emphasis on French and Italian. He authored five books, several edited volumes and more than 80 articles. Pulgram remained active until the end of his life, publishing book reviews in major linguistics journals.
Always an independent thinker, Pulgram described his intellectual credo: "It never was my desire or my ambition to adhere unquestioningly to any one school of linguistics and to become the disciple or apostle of any prophet ... I preferred to practice a brand of linguistics-philology that allowed the problems themselves to determine the means, the theory, if you will, for their solution."
Early in his career, Pulgram received the Henry Russel Award, and twice held Guggenheim and American Council of Learned Societies fellowships. These, and several sabbaticals, enabled him to spend more than seven years doing research in Italy. In 1990, the University of Vienna awarded him an honorary doctorate, a distinction rarely granted by the institution.
Pulgram was a lover of music and art; he supported the University Musical Society and attended the Salzburg Festival for many years. During his annual trips to Europe he acquired a splendid collection of pre-World War II Austrian art, including the works of Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka.
Pulgram is survived by his wife, Frances McSparran; brother, William; a niece and three nephews, and their children. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Oct. 29 at the U-M Museum of Art.
Carol Mowbray
Professor of Social Work and Associate Professor of Psychology Carol T. Mowbray preceded in death by her husband, Sherman Mowbray. Condolences may be sent to Orion and Nicholas Mowbray, 5460 Prairieview, Brighton, MI, 48116.
A memorial service will be at 4 p.m. Sept. 9 in the Michigan League Ballroom.
At Mowbray's request, in lieu of flowers, a scholarship fund to support doctoral students planning to conduct research in the area of psychosocial rehabilitation has been established. Contributions may be sent to the Carol T. Mowbray Scholarship Fund, School of Social Work, 1080 S. University, Room 4733, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1106. Gifts also can be made by calling the Development Office at (734) 615-3402
Chauncey Korten
Chauncey Frederick Korten, emeritus professor of art, died of complications of pneumonia Aug. 29, 2005 at his home in Ann Arbor. He was 92.
Davenport was one of the world's preeminent gastric physiologists whose landmark studies led to the discovery of the stomach's barrier to injury. His findings led to a greater understanding of the gastric mucosal barrier, which prevents the stomach from injuring or digesting itself.
preceded in death by two wives: Virginia (Diskerson) in 1968, and Ingeborg (Epstein) in 2004. He also was died in 1988.
Donations are being accepted for the Horace W. Davenport Lecture Fund or the Horace W. Davenport Scholarship Fund at https://cgi.www.umich.edu/cents-bin/cents-open/mcado2.
G. Robert Greenberg
G. Robert Greenberg, emeritus professor of biological chemistry, born in 1918 in Minnesota and received a doctorate in physiological chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1943. During the early years of his career at Case Western Reserve University, he pioneered the use of radioactive compounds to elucidate the pathway for the biosynthesis of purines, one of two types of bases in DNA.
In 1957, Greenberg was awarded the prestigious Paul Lewis prize and he joined the faculty of the newly reorganized Department of Biological Chemistry at the U-M Medical School. Greenberg refocused his research on the bacteriophage T4, which infects E. Coli and reprograms the cell to synthesize a new type of viral DNA. Greenberg's research was innovative and imaginative, and he became a leader in the emerging field of molecular biology.
Greenberg transmitted his great enthusiasm for bench research to several generations of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Through his contacts with the early pioneers of molecular biology, he launched many students on their academic and scientific careers. Junior faculty colleagues also acknowledge his influence on their scientific development.
Mandatory retirement laws forced Greenberg to step down in 1988, but he continued his research on the T4 rib nucleotide reductase for many years as an active emeritus professor. He taught a graduate biochemistry seminar until last year.
Greenberg had a special passion for amateur radio. Following a coup in Brazil, he helped redirect a scientific expedition headed for the Amazon River to the Oronoco in Venezuela to study the genetics of indigenous Indian tribes. He took pleasure in linking members of the Ann Arbor community with family members living in South and Central America before phones and computers readily were available.
Greenberg is survived by his wife of 39 years, Susan Jiga Greenberg; children James (Eva) of Tucson, Ariz., Paula Marshall (Charles) of Los Angeles, Bettie (Gary Clark) of Ft. Collins, Colo., Alice Vorbach (Robert) of Nashua, N.H., Ela (Amir Cohen) of Jerusalem, Israel, and Marc Efraim (Marsha Davison) of Denver; a brother, Frank Ready of Los Angeles, and nine grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, 60 W. Hancock, Detroit, MI, 48201.
