Finding Aid to the Jesse Rabinowitz Papers, 1944-1999, bulk 1948-1995
Finding Aid written by Jennifer Davis
Funding for processing this collection was provided by the estate of Jesse Rabinowitz.
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
© 2006
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Finding Aid to the Jesse Rabinowitz Papers, 1944-1999, bulk 1948-1995
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2003/333 c
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Funding for processing this collection was provided by the estate of Jesse Rabinowitz.
- Finding Aid Written By:
- Jennifer Davis
- Date Completed:
-
August 2006
© 2006 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Jesse Rabinowitz papers
Date (inclusive): 1944-1999,
Date (bulk): bulk 1948-1995
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2003/333 c
Creator:
Rabinowitz, Jesse
Extent:
Number of containers: 11 cartons, 2 boxes
Linear feet: 14.4 linear feet
Repository: The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Abstract: The Jesse Rabinowitz papers, 1944-1999, consist of correspondence, writings, research, and personal papers relating to his
life and work as a biochemist. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, research material, and professional
papers that Rabinowitz collected during his 40 year career with the Department of Biochemistry at the University of California,
Berkeley. Also included is a small array of personal papers which present a view of Rabinowitz's wide-ranging interests, as
well as a limited collection of personal photographs.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English. There are some materials in French and Yiddish.
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must
be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-6000.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and the copyright.
Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted
to research and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Jesse Rabinowitz Papers, BANC MSS 2003/333 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Separated Material
No materials have been separated from this collection.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Rabinowitz, Jesse--Archives
University of California, Berkeley. Dept. of Molecular and Cell Biology
Folic acid in human nutrition
Biochemistry--Research
Faculty papers.
History of science and technology collection
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The Jesse Rabinowitz Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by Mr. Edward Penhoet on October 17, 2003.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
Processing Information
Processed by Jennifer Davis in 2006.
Biographical Information
Jesse Charles Rabinowitz was born on April 28, 1925 in New York, New York. He was the only child of Julius and Frances Rabinowitz,
immigrants to the United States from Eastern Europe. When he was eleven, the family relocated to Jersey Homesteads, an experimental
Jewish co-op. In 1945, Rabinowitz received a bachelor's degree in chemistry at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. From
University of Wisconsin, he obtained a master's degree in biochemistry in 1947 and a Ph.D. in 1949.
After completing his doctorate, Rabinowitz spent a year studying under David Green at the University of Wisconsin Enzyme Institute.
From 1951-1952, Rabinowitz furthered his postdoctoral study of purine fermentation by anaerobic bacteria at the University
of California, Berkeley. In 1952 he joined the National Institutes of Health. Rabinowitz then joined the Department of Biochemistry
at UC Berkeley in 1957, where he served as chair of the department from 1978 to 1983. During his long and distinguished career,
Professor Rabinowitz taught and mentored many graduate and doctoral students. Rabinowitz became professor emeritus of the
Biochemistry Department in 1991.
Over the course of his career, Rabinowitz did groundbreaking research in the essential B vitamin, folic acid. This research
was begun under the tutelage of his graduate school professor, Esmond Snell and continued with one of Rabinowitz's graduate
students, Dean Appling. As a result of their research, it is now widely advised that pregnant women take folic acid to prevent
birth defects in newborns. In UC Berkeley's "In Memoriam" tribute, a colleague of Rabinowitz is quoted "Jesse worked out a
good part of the basic biology of folic acid. In our research on chromosome breaks caused by folic acid deficiency, we keep
coming across Jesse's old work. All his papers are classics."
Over the course of his career, Rabinowitz authored many scientific articles on the subjects of enzymology, purine fermentation,
folic acid, clostridial ferredoxin, iron-sulfur proteins, and protein synthesis. In recognition of his contributions to science,
he was awarded fellowships with the United States Public Health Service in 1962, the National Science Foundation in 1970,
the Guggenheim Foundation in 1977, the National Academy of Sciences in 1981, and the American Academy of Microbiology in 1997.
Rabinowitz was also the editor of the
Journal of Biological Chemistry from 1965-1970 and from 1974-1977.
In addition to his career as professor at UC Berkeley, Rabinowitz was an avid photographer, music devotee, cellist, cook,
dancer, and traveler. Rabinowitz enjoyed three sabbaticals in Paris and vacationed in Japan, Guatemala, and Egypt, among many
other countries. His photographs of the people he met on his travels have been exhibited at galleries around the San Francisco
Bay Area. For a photograph he made of a child in Mexico, Rabinowitz won the 1969 Saturday Review magazine World Travel Photography
Grand Prize in Color. Rabinowtiz's extensive personal slide collection may be found at the McHenry Library of University of
California, Santa Cruz. The University Library at University of California, Santa Cruz also received a donation of 2,700 classical
CDs from Rabinowtiz's personal collection.
Jesse Rabinowitz died of melanoma Tuesday, September 9, 2003 at his home in Kensington, California.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Jesse Rabinowitz papers, 1944-1999, consist of correspondence, research, and personal papers relating to his life and
work as a biochemist. The bulk of the collection includes correspondence, research material, and professional papers that
Rabinowitz collected during his 40 year career with the Department of Biochemistry at the University of California, Berkeley.
Also included is a small array of personal papers which present a view of Rabinowitz's wide-ranging interests, as well as
a limited collection of personal photographs.
The correspondence files make up the bulk of the collection and include letters to and from Rabinowitz as well as research
materials, reprints, notes, and personal information. Collected in the General Research series is correspondence, notes, and
various other material representing the following subjects: enzymology, purine fermentation, folic acid coenzymes, ferredoxin,
iron-sulfur proteins, and protein biosynthesis. Grant applications and correspondence relating to grants are also included
in this series. Rabinowitz collected reprints which illustrate 50 years of his research efforts in biochemistry; this work
is also found in the General Research series.
Professional materials pertaining to Rabinowitz's career at the University of California, Berkeley and his outside affiliations
are found in the University of California, Berkeley and the Professional Affiliations series. There is a notable lack of course
materials found in the collection.
Rabinowitz was an avid traveler, amateur photographer, dancer, and cook. These personal interests are represented by his personal
papers files. Included is correspondence, photographs, travelogues, and ephemera. Lastly, a small collection of photographs
of Rabinowitz's lab colleagues and friends is found in the photographs series.
Series 1
Correspondence
1949-1997
Physical Description:
Cartons 1-5
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Content Note
The correspondence files include incoming and outgoing correspondence of Dr. Rabinowitz's personal relations and colleagues.
Correspondence is often in relation to biochemistry research and occasionally includes the scientific papers and research
materials of Rabinowitz's colleagues. It is not uncommon to simultaneously find research and personal information within an
individual letter or folder. Also included is correspondence to and from former students.
Carton 1, Folder 1
Abramowitz, Nurith
1966-1969
Carton 1, Folder 5
Anderson, Bruce
1963-1965
Carton 1, Folder 10
A Miscellaneous
1957-1993
Carton 1, Folder 12
Bailey, Laura K.
1967-1968
Carton 1, Folder 16
Blicharski, Janine
1966-1979
Carton 1, Folder 18
Broderick, James
1971-1982
Carton 1, Folder 19
Brody, Ed and Charlotte
1976-1986
Carton 1, Folder 22
Buchanan, Bob B.
1961-1978
Carton 1, Folder 24-25
B Miscellaneous
1949-1993
Carton 1, Folder 26
California Corp.
1957-1959
Carton 1, Folder 28
Ceglowski, Piotr
1987-1994
Carton 1, Folder 29
Champion, , Alex
1970-1971
Carton 1, Folder 31
Chen, Ching-San
1970-1991
Carton 1, Folder 34
Clark, Benedict
1974-1976
Carton 1, Folder 37
Curthoys, Norman
1970-1981
Carton 1, Folder 38-39
C Miscellaneous
1951-1994
Carton 1, Folder 42-43
Davidson, Barry
1977-1995
Carton 1, Folder 50
D Miscellaneous
1956-1994
Carton 1, Folder 51
Eisenberg, David
1968-1973
Carton 1, Folder 52
E Miscellaneous
1956-1993
Carton 1, Folder 53
Fancher, Harriett
1966-1967
Carton 1, Folder 54
Feigenblum, Ellen
1968-1975
Carton 2, Folder 3
F Miscellaneous
1951-1992
Carton 2, Folder 4
Glaser Affair Letter to Chronicle
1973-1980
Carton 2, Folder 15
Grunberg-Manago, Maria
1971-1980
Carton 2, Folder 16-17
G Miscellaneous
1954-1993
Carton 2, Folder 19
Hamilton, Franklin
1967-1989
Carton 2, Folder 25
Hong, Jen-Shiang
1968-1972
Carton 2, Folder 28
Horecker, Bernie
1953-1979
Carton 2, Folder 32-34
H Miscellaneous
1949-1994
Carton 2, Folder 35
I Miscellaneous
1968-1983
Carton 2, Folder 38
Kapor, Gabrielle
1977-1983
Carton 2, Folder 40
Kornberg, Arthur
1964-1995
Carton 2, Folder 41-42
K Miscellaneous
1963-1996
Carton 2, Folder 54
Lovenberg, Walt
1963-1987
Carton 3, Folder 1
L Miscellaneous
1964-1989
Carton 3, Folder 2
MacKenzie, Robert E.
1968-1991
Carton 3, Folder 4
Marks, P.A. and Joan
1968-1995
Carton 3, Folder 6
McGuire, John J.
1974-1989
Carton 3, Folder 7-8
McLaughlin, Jane
1977-1989
Carton 3, Folder 14
M Miscellaneous
1965-1995
Carton 3, Folder 15
Mc Miscellaneous
1968-1981
Carton 3, Folder 23
N Miscellaneous
1964-1994
Carton 3, Folder 24
O'Donoghue, Gerard
1983-1986
Carton 3, Folder 26
O Miscellaneous
1968-1986
Carton 3, Folder 30
Parker, Riley D., Jr.
1986
Carton 3, Folder 31
Paukert, James L.
1969-1980
Carton 3, Folder 34
P Miscellaneous
1964-1986
Carton 3, Folder 38
Reingold, Arthur
1977-1987
Carton 3, Folder 40
R Miscellaneous
1963-1993
Carton 3, Folder 41
Samuel, Charles
1970-1973
Carton 3, Folder 45-46
Scott, John Martin
1965-1996
Carton 3, Folder 47
Schiotz, Bodil and Henrick
1962-1996
Carton 3, Folder 48
Searle, Barbara
1958-1961
Carton 4, Folder 2
Shores, Ed and Joan
1963-1974
Carton 4, Folder 6
Springer, Mathias
1993-1995
Carton 4, Folder 7-10
Staben, Charles
1967-1995
Carton 4, Folder 11
Stallcup, Michael
1970-1983
Carton 4, Folder 12
Sternlicht, Himan
1974-1976
Carton 4, Folder 13
Straus, Linda D'Ari
1970-1985
Carton 4, Folder 14
Suarez-Mata, Zadila
1975-1980
Carton 4, Folder 15-16
Sweeney, William
1972-1995
Carton 4, Folder 17-19
S Miscellaneous
1963-1993
Carton 4, Folder 24
T Miscellaneous
1963-1994
Carton 4, Folder 27
V Miscellaneous
1963-1977
Carton 4, Folder 30
Wawszkiewicz, Ed
1973-1987
Carton 4, Folder 31
Whitehead, Terence
1981-1993
Carton 4, Folder 32
Whittaker, Vivian
1959-1971
Carton 4, Folder 33
Williams, Gene and Alice
1973-1976
Carton 4, Folder 34
W Miscellaneous
1963-1990
Carton 4, Folder 35
X-Y-Z Miscellaneous
1965-1989
Series 2
General Research Files
1947-1997
Physical Description:
Cartons 4-7
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
Scope and Content Note
The General Research Files include papers relating to Professor Rabinowitz's work in the field of biochemistry. In addition
to his own research, Rabinowitz also collected the work of his colleagues. Reprints of published papers, correspondence, and
notes are included. Major research topics covered include: enzymology, purine fermentation, folic acid coenzymes, clostridial
ferredoxin, formyltetrahydrofolate sythetase, iron-sulfur proteins, and protein synthesis. Research conducted prior to 1963
is not found in this collection. Much of the material is undated. Also included are applications and materials related to
grant work.
Reprints represent over 50 years of published scientific articles authored by Rabinowitz. Major subjects of the articles include:
the vitamin B6 group; purine fermentation by clostridium cylindrosporum; folic acid; Vitamin B12; protein synthesis; and clostridial
ferredoxin. Coauthors include Esmond Snell, W.E. Pricer, Richard Malkin, J.-S. Hong, Norman Curthoys, Charles E. Samuel, Ann
S. Delk, Cheryl L. Murray, and Dean Appling.
Carton 4, Folder 37-49
Research Files
1963-1996,
n.d.
Carton 6, Folder 1-26
Research Files
1963-1991,
n.d.
Series 3
University of California, Berkeley
1957-1999
Physical Description:
Carton 7, 8
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
Scope and Content Note
Rabinowitz's collection of files pertaining to his career with the University of California, Berkeley, Department of Biochemistry
is found this series. The Departmental Files include administrative papers; curriculum notes; and Rabinowitz's bio-bibliography.
There is a very limited collection of course lecture notes. The Committees files contain documentation relating to the committees
Rabinowitz took part in at the University of California, Berkeley. In particular, Rabinowitz was active on the College of
Natural Resources Academic Planning Committee and the Health and Medical Sciences Program Curriculum Committee.
Carton 7, Folder 14-41
Departmental Files
1957-1999
Carton 8, Folder 1-8
Departmental Files
1957-1999
Series 4
Professional Affiliations
1948-1995
Physical Description:
Cartons 8, 9
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
Scope and Content Note
The professional affiliations series represents Jesse Rabinowtiz's membership in professional associations; attendance at
biochemistry conferences; and miscellaneous professional papers. Rabinowitz was an active member of the American Society of
Biological Chemistry; correspondence, memoranda, and meeting notes in relation to this association are included in the Associations
sub-series. Conference files include meeting minutes, programs, rosters, notes, and correspondence. There is also a small
amount of scientific paper reprints that were presented at the conferences.
Carton 8, Folder 22-27
Associations
1965-1995,
n.d.
Carton 8, Folder 28-37
Conferences
1975-1991,
n.d.
Carton 8, Folder 38-56
Miscellaneous Professional
1948-1994
Carton 9, Folder 1-6
Miscellaneous Professional
1948-1994
Series 5
Personal Papers
1945-1996
Physical Description:
Cartons 9-11
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
Scope and Content Note
Rabinowitz's Personal Papers present a view of his interests in various associations, clubs, music, Scottish dance, travel,
and more. There is a small amount of correspondence relating to his family. Also in this series is miscellaneous correspondence,
including retirement letters and postcards to and from the Biochemistry lab. Travel Files contain material relating to Rabinowitz's
personal travels across the world. He spent several sabbaticals in Paris, and vacationed in Japan, Guatemala, and Egypt among
other countries. Of particular significance is the file entitled Travel Chronology; it provides a chronological list of the
trips that Rabinowitz took from 1963-1994. Included is correspondence, postcards, pamphlets, ephemera, photographs, and brochures.
Carton 9, Folder 7-63
Personal Papers
1953-1996
Carton 10, Folder 1-28
Personal Papers
1953-1996
Carton 10, Folder 29-31
Thesis Research Notebooks
1945-1949
Series 6
Photographs
1947-1987
Physical Description:
Boxes 1-2
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
Scope and Content Note
Laboratory and other miscellaneous personal photographs are found in this series. Of particular interest are photographs of
the 1955 team of National Institute of Health scientists: Bruce Ames, Leon Heppel, and Bill Pricer, among others. Included
are a collection of largely unidentified negatives and slides. In addition, there are photo prints of Rabinowitz's 1987 laboratory
team, the 1945 University of Wisconsin Biochemistry Department, and the 1949 Enzyme Research Institute team. A number of the
negatives appear to be of the 1963 Barker Hall construction on the University of California, Berkeley campus. Although Rabinowitz
was an amateur travel photographer, this collection does not represent these pursuits. Rabinowtiz's extensive personal slide
collection may be found at the McHenry Library of University of California, Santa Cruz.
Box 1, Folder 1-5
Photographs
1955-1987,
undated
Box 2, Folder 1-22
Photographs
1947-1987,
undated