Lasting Memories

Tag Eldin Mansour
Nov. 6, 1924-Nov. 4, 2011
Stanford, California

Tag Eldin Mansour, Stanford University Professor of Molecular Pharmacology Emeritus, died from complications of Alzheimer?s on November 4 just two days before his 87th birthday.

He was born in Egypt and educated at Cairo University in Veterinary Medicine. He received Doctorates in Pharmacology and Biochemistry from the University of Birmingham, England.

He held teaching positions at the medical schools of Howard, Western Reserve and Louisiana State Universities before coming to Stanford in 1961 where he was later chair of the Department of Pharmacology for 14 years. The National Institutes of Health sponsored his research into heart muscle metabolism, particularly the changes that occur after a heart attack.

His studies of enzymes controlling metabolism in parasites, especially schistosomes, led to Mansour being appointed head of the Stanford section of a MacArthur Foundation program on the biology of parasites.

He also helped to organize new medical schools in Syria, Kuwait and Oman and served as a consultant to medical programs sponsored by UNICEF.

In addition to his scholarly work Tag was a dedicated amateur painter and calligrapher. He loved classical music, especially opera, and Arabic folk music.

He is survived by his wife Joan, who was his laboratory assistant for many years. He will be missed by his children Suzanne Mansour (spouse Carl Thummel) grandsons Jason and Corin, Jeanne Peterson (spouse Douglas Peterson) grandchildren Grace and Stanley, and Dean Mansour (Anne Morley). A brother Gamal Mansour, retired justice of the Supreme Court of Egypt, and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins in Egypt also survive.