Chemistry professor Schlessinger dies

Praised as a colorful teacher and demanding mentor, he had been a member of the University faculty for more than three decades.

Schlessinger's research focused on re-creating natural compounds that could control a variety of human ills. These included substances to regulate cholesterol, inhibit tumors, lower blood pressure, and modify immune responses.

In recent years, his research group achieved the efficient laboratory synthesis of Virginiamycin M2, an antibiotic effective in fighting potentially lethal infections caused by bacterial strains resistant to conventional antibiotics.

Born in Colorado in 1935, Schlessinger received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1964 and did postdoctoral research at Harvard and Columbia universities before joining the Rochester faculty in 1966. He was a member of the American Chemical Society and the New York Academy of Science and an associate member of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Schlessinger is survived by his wife, Lisa M. Demeter, a brother, Edward Schlessinger, and nieces, uncles, and aunts. Contributions in his honor may be made to the Humane Society Capital Campaign, P.O. Box 66075, Fairport, N.Y. 14450.