Alfred Goodman Gilman

Dr. Alfred G. Gilman, 74, of Dallas died at home on Wednesday, December 23, 2015, surrounded by his family. He will be remembered as a loving husband, father and grandfather, a brilliant scientist, and a committed advisor to countless students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members. Al’s legion of loyal friends is evidence of his generous spirit and willingness to lend an ear or hand to those in need. He mentored many scientists who went on to become leaders in their fields. Outside of the laboratory Al was passionate about classical music, Texas Longhorn and Dallas Cowboy football, the Texas Rangers, and the Dallas Mavericks; he enjoyed unusual cuisine and relaxing by the pool with a book, and was an amateur astronomer. He possessed a rather off-color sense of humor and regularly forwarded comical emails to colleagues, friends and family. Al was sharp-witted and always appreciated a clever quip.

Al’s intellect, integrity, and spirit of curiosity were unsurpassed; he had a stellar career filled with achievements, publications, and recognitions. Al was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1941. He received his B.S. from Yale University, and his M.D. and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. He completed his postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health. In 1971 he began a ten-year stay on the faculty of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. In addition, he was Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program, which allowed him the opportunity to mentor an ever-growing group of students in their research careers, something Al found more satisfying than nearly any other professional achievement. Al became Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas in 1981. In 2004, he was named Dean of the school, and in 2006 he also became Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. He retired from UT Southwestern in 2009 to assume the position of Chief Scientific Officer of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), until he resigned in 2012. Al also served on the boards of directors of Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Eli Lilly and Company, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, of which he was a co-founder.

As a graduate student Al developed an assay for cyclic AMP that became widely used in his field. Later in his career he discovered, characterized, and purified a set of guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins termed G proteins. His observations proved to be critical to the understanding of cell signaling and communication, which illuminated the mechanisms of a wide range of diseases. This work earned Al the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Martin Rodbell in 1994. He was also an associate editor, then primary editor, of the well-known textbook of pharmacology, Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, taking it over from his father, Alfred Gilman, and Louis Goodman, from 1975 to 2000. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a recipient of the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award in 1989. Al will be remembered for his profound contributions to biomedical research and his unwavering commitment to scientific integrity.

He is survived by his wife Kathryn, his daughter Amy Ariagno and her husband Michael, daughter Anne Sincovec and her husband James, his son Ted and his wife Frances, grandchildren Sydney and Carson Ariagno, Julia and Andrew Sincovec, and Teddy Gilman. A private service will be held in January. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science or the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.