Norman Kirshner, 86, who helped start the Duke Department of Pharmacology, died on Sunday June 27, after a long illness.
The son of the late Samuel and Marie Frank Kirshner, Norman was born September 21, 1923 in Wilkes Barre, Pa., and grew up in Plains, Pa. After serving in the Army Medical Corps where he was awarded a Purple Heart, he received his bachelor's degree from the University of Scranton and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Penn State University in 1952.
In 1956, he became a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Duke, where he met his future wife, Annette Grossman Kirshner. In 1977 he was appointed the first chair of the newly formed Department of Pharmacology at Duke and served until 1988. Kirshner was an internationally renowned neuroscientist and a pioneer in studies on the biosynthesis of the catecholamine neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. His seminal studies of the pharmacology, physiology and biochemistry of the adrenal gland served as the foundation for an understanding of the mechanisms of synthesis, storage and secretion of the catecholamine neurotransmitters. He was also a teacher, mentor, friend and inspiration to all the students and scientists who passed through his laboratory.
He also served a term as editor-in-chief of Molecular Pharmacology and on the Board of Scientific Advisors for the Roche Institute in New Jersey. After his retirement from Duke University in 1993 he was the financial secretary and member of the Board of Beth El Synagogue and active in the Duke University Retirement Association, a community service organization.
Kirshner was married for 48 years to his wife Annette. In addition to Annette he is survived by his children Naomi Kirshner, Susan Kirshner and Amy Kaufman, his grandchildren Marya, Abigail, Ben and Noah, his sister and brother-in-law Daniel and Lila Kanter and numerous nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his daughter Marya Kirshner and his brothers Sidney and Leonard Kirshner. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM Tuesday June 29th at the Howerton-Bryan Funeral Chapel, 1005 West Main St. in Durham. Officiating will be Rabbi Frank Fischer. Burial will follow at Durham Hebrew Cemetery. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to: Triangle Aphasia Project, Unlimited, 127 N. Salem St. Suite A, Apex NC 277502 or to Duke Community Hospice, 4321 Medical Park Drive, Suite 101 Durham, NC 27704. The Kirshner family is under the care of Howerton-Bryan Funeral Home. Online condolences may be submitted to www.howertonbryan.com, select obituaries.