Philip Handler Papers, 1932-1982

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Summary

Creator:
Handler, Philip
Abstract:
Contains the professional papers of Philip Handler (1917-1981), professor and chair of Duke University's Department of Biochemistry. Types of materials include correspondence, programs, bulletins, illustrations, exams, course materials, applications, agendas, reports, writings, clippings, speeches, tributes, invoices, reprints, biographical materials, questionnaires, and photographs. Major correspondents include Wilburt Cornell Davison, Barnes Woodhall, andWilliam A. Perlzweig. Major subjects include Duke University's Research Training Program, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, medical education, National Academy of Sciences, Lederle Laboratories, and Oak Ridge Laboratories. Materials date from 1933 to 1982.
Extent:
19.5 Linear Feet (13 cartons)
Language:
English
Collection ID:
MC.0015

Background

Scope and content:

Contains professional correspondence, programs, bulletins, illustrations, exams, course materials, applications, agendas, reports, writings, clippings, speeches, tributes, invoices, reprints, biographical materials, questionnaires, and photographs pertaining to Handler's career. Major correspondents include Wilburt Cornell Davison, Barnes Woodhall, and William A. Perlzweig. Major subjects include Duke University's Research Training Program, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, medical education, National Academy of Sciences, Lederle Laboratories, and Oak Ridge Laboratories. Materials date from 1933 to 1982.

Biographical / historical:

Philip Handler was born in New York City in 1917 to Jacob and Lena Handler. He received a BS from College City of New York in 1936 and a PhD from the University of Illinois in 1939. Handler became an instructor of biochemistry at Duke University in 1939. He held many positions at Duke University: instructor (1939-1940), associate professor (1940-1941), assistant professor of physiology (1941-1944), associate professor of biochemistry and nutrition (1944-1949), and professor of biochemistry (1949-1969). He also served as chair of the Department of Biochemistry from 1950 to 1969 and was named a James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry in 1961. In 1964, Handler was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences. Five years later, he was selected to be the society's eighteenth president, serving two consecutive six-year terms from 1969 to 1981.
As a biochemist, Handler published more than 200 papers in professional journals and was the coauthor of the widely used textbook "Principles of Biochemistry." One of his first major research efforts was on the underlying problems that cause pellagra. He also made other contributions to understanding the mechanisms by which enzyme proteins carry out their catalytic functions in metabolism. Handler was on the editorial board of periodicals including "Geriatrics," "Journal Theoretical Biology," "Journal Biological Chemistry," and "Journal of Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology." Handler was the recipient of numerous awards and twenty-eight honorary doctorate degrees. He was the Annual Orator of the Harvey Cushing Society and of the Welch Foundation, Sigma Xi National Lecturer, and delivered memorial lectures at many scientific institutions in the United States and abroad. He served on the boards and visiting committees of more than a dozen scientific institutions and was decorated by the governments of Austria, Belgium, and Poland. Handler also served as a consultant to the United States Veteran's Administration; Mead Johnson and Company; Squibb, Inc.; and Continental Baking Company.
Handler's major activities in science and public policy began in 1951, when he accepted the first in a series of government advisory appointments. He served for twelve years on the National Science Board and was a member of the President's Science Advisory Committee under two presidents. In 1981, he was awarded the National Medal of Science. A citation signed by President Reagan honored him "...for his outstanding contribution to biochemical research, resulting in significant contributions to mankind, including research that led to a clearer understanding of pellagra, and for his national leadership in furthering the state of American science."
Handler married Lucille P. Marcus on December 6, 1939. They had two children. Philip Handler died on December 29, 1981.

Acquisition information:
No documented accession number (gift, 1985), Accession A2007.096 (transferred by Karen Grigg, November 2007)
Processing information:

Processed by Archives staff: June 2005; encoded by Emily Glenn: June 2005

Arrangement:
Organized into the following series: Professional Correspondence, 1933-1982; Biographical Materials and Memoirs, 1961-1982; Reprints, 1939-1969; Associations, 1932-1969; Laboratory and Classroom Materials, 1932-1969; Unprocessed Materials, 1939-1980.
Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Duke University Medical Center Library's online catalog.

Contents

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Restrictions:

This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals or IRB approval may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which Duke University assumes no responsibility.

Terms of access:

Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Philip Handler Papers, Duke University Medical Center Archives