[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 11, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       A TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF THE LIFE OF DR. ALEJANDRO ZAFFARONI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 11, 2014

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring 
the life of an extraordinary American, Dr. Alejandro Zaffaroni, who 
passed away peacefully at his home in Atherton, California, at the age 
of 91.
   Dr. Zaffaroni was born on February 27, 1923, in Montevideo, Uruguay. 
He earned a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Montevideo in 
1941, and came to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship to the 
University of Rochester, where he earned his Ph.D.
   In 1951, after finishing an NIH Fellowship, Dr. Zaffaroni joined a 
privately held Mexican chemical company, Syntex. He was a major force 
in its transformation and brought it to the U.S., shaping it into a 
global pharmaceutical company located near Stanford University in Palo 
Alto, California. It became most known for pioneering the development 
of therapeutic corticosteroids and the birth control pill. Dr. 
Zaffaroni eventually became President of Syntex Laboratories and 
Director of Reasearch.
   Dr. Zaffaroni was widely hailed as not only a pioneer in the field 
of biotechnology, he was often referred to as the father of 
biotechnology in the United States and a Silicon Valley legend. His 
extraordinary accomplishments include the founding of the DNAX 
Institute, Alza Corporation, Affymax Inc., Affymetrix, Alexa 
Pharmaceuticals, Symyx Technologies and Maxygen.
   He was the recipient of many prestigious awards and honors, 
including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 1995. He 
was also honored by the creation of a $10 million financial aid program 
for Latin American students at Stanford University, the Alejandro and 
Lida Zaffaroni Scholarship and Fellowship Program, funded by colleagues 
who were inspired by Dr. Zaffaroni and his work. Dr. and Mrs. Zaffaroni 
are widely hailed for their extraordinary generosities to many 
humanitarian causes.
   I have had the privilege of knowing Dr. Zaffaroni and his family for 
many years. Always the consummate gentleman, he was a mentor and an 
inspiration to me. He was a man of great integrity, and his wise 
counsel and warm friendship will remain with me for a lifetime.
   Dr. Zaffaroni leaves his devoted wife Lida who was always his source 
of inspiration and support over a lifetime, his son, Dr. Alejandro 
Zaffaroni, his daughter-in-law Leah, his daughter Elisa, and his two 
beloved grandsons, Peter and Charles.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our deepest 
condolences to Dr. Zaffaroni's wife, Lida, and his family. We honor 
this singularly brilliant man through whom unparalleled achievements 
were made to treat disease and prevent suffering. These are his lasting 
legacies. Dr. Zaffaroni was a national treasure and his contributions 
to science and medicine are and always will be heralded around the 
world as extraordinary gifts to the betterment of humankind.

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