Annenberg Memorial

Norman Annenberg, Benefactor of the SURF Program

Norman Annenberg

It is with regret that Columbia’s Department of Biological Sciences acknowledges the passing of Norman Annenberg on Saturday, January 8, 2005. He was a beloved friend of the department and its students. Norman, who was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in World War II and graduated from Harvard Law School, is also remembered by his friends and family as a man with unparalleled intellect and generosity, a beloved friend, mentor, and wise counselor to colleagues and clients alike. Until his last days, he remained an active lawyer, world traveler, exceptional dancer, and violinist in the Doctor's Orchestra.

The Lawrence Annenberg Fellowships in the SURF Program at Columbia University

Lawrence Annenberg

The Lawrence Annenberg Fellowships are awarded to students in the SURF Program who are working on research projects in neurobiology. These fellowships, established in 2001 with a gift from Norman Annenberg, honor the memory of the donor's brother, Lawrence. Born October 12, 1920, Lawrence Annenberg was an outstanding student at Columbia College, where his passions were physics, mathematics, and music. An accomplished pianist, he was also a promising young researcher whose mentor was the legendary Isidor Isaac Rabi, who would receive the Nobel Prize for physics in 1944. Lawrence Annenberg was never able to fulfill his great promise due to the onslaught of schizophrenia, which first manifested itself in 1945 during his World War II service in the U.S. Army. He died on January 11, 1999. It is the hope of the Annenberg family that scientific research, especially in neurobiology, will help to illuminate further the mystery of schizophrenia and relieve the suffering of its victims.