On Thursday, February 16, 2006, professor Donald Creighton of the UMBC Chemistry Department lost his seven year battle with cancer. He was a distinguished scholar and researcher who had been a member of the UMBC chemistry department since 1975.

Prior to joining the UMBC faculty, Creighton received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at UCLA and worked at the Institute for Cancer Research in the laboratories of Judith Klinman and Nobel Prize winner Irwin Rose.

He was named a UMBC Presidential Teaching Professor from 1993 to 1996. His other accomplishments include about 75 publications, patents, and licenses, as well the receipt of an Outstanding Service Award from the American Cancer Society.

He was a spokesperson for the Maryland section of the American Heart Association, a grant reviewer for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, and American Heart Association, and a Fellow of the American Heart Association.

He received research funding from the American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, Maryland Technology Development Corporation, United States Army, and National Cancer Institute. In addition, he traveled to China in 1988 as a Visiting Professor at Fudan University.

In response to his death, numerous scholars from around the country have contacted the UMBC Chemistry and Biochemistry office to express their sadness, as well as their admiration for Dr. Creighton.

Phil Cole of Johns Hopkins University stated, "This is indeed a very sad moment, as Don represented a true scholar and gentleman in our field." Richard Wolfenden of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill said, "Don was one of the nicer people in our field."

Rutgers University's Frank Jordan thought, "He was a real fighter through all these years of suffering, and a splendid enzymologist whose work was always incisive."

Dr. Ralph Pollack, Chair of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at UMBC, had known the late professor since 1975, the year Creighton first came to UMBC. Pollack felt that, "He was an outstanding scientist, a great friend and an outstanding colleague."

Pollack also explained that, "He had been sick for about seven years. He was diagnosed with cancer seven years ago and had two operations because of it. He went out of his way to hide his pain, so only a few of his closest friends really knew how sick he was."

He added that though it is hard dealing with the professor's death, he isn't surprised by it, because "to those of us who knew him well, it was pretty obvious he was severely ill."

Dr. Daniele Fabris, a former colleague of Creighton, said the late professor was "internationally recognized, he worked in enzymology, and was very, very well known. He always brought very ‘big fishes' to seminars. He was friends with and knew a lot of the major players in his field. They knew him, they respected him and they were willing to visit UMBC to give seminars because of him. His research projects were well funded. You don't get funded these days unless you're doing something top-notch."

When asked about his thoughts on Creighton from a personal standpoint, Fabris started to become emotional and needed a moment to compose himself. He immediately apologized and explained, "I'm sorry, I loved him dearly. I knew him since '98, when I became a faculty member. The senior colleagues always try to help the junior colleagues and for me, Don was a great source of advice. Don was one of my readers [for papers]. He was an English major as an undergrad and me having come from a foreign country, he was a great resource for me. He was always very open-minded, always ready to help."

Former colleague and student of Creighton, Assistant Researcher Dr. Diane Hamilton, described him as, "scientifically acute and insightful, a very careful and meticulous researcher. He expected a lot of his students, but understood that our families would come first. He always emphasized that we could have personal lives as well as be committed scientists. He was very scientifically collegial; he enjoyed collaborating with other scientists and watching the growth of the scientists."

She also had an anecdote which provided a glimpse of his personal side, "He had a sweet tooth at afternoon snack time and he would share his candy with his grad students while he was going over scientific stuff. One day, he gave a student some of his milk duds and she had never had them before. She tried some and she really liked them. So, the next day, he brought her an enormous bag of milk duds."

According to Chemistry Ph.D. student Ron Holewinski, Creighton was "very dedicated to his research. He was always looking to advance his research in the area of anti-tumor drugs. As a professor, he was very challenging and encouraged students to think for themselves." Holewinski also noted that, "As a lab mentor, he always let us pursue our own ideas and encouraged independent thought and work."

Czarlite Ricasa, a Biochemistry major and former student of Creighton, believes that "He was an excellent professor. He had a very unique style. He wasn't afraid to teach the subject in a way that it's never been taught before. You just had to have had him to understand what I'm talking about. Everybody flooded him with questions, but he always made time, even outside of class, to help us."

Ricasa also said that one of the professor's sayings, "Try and find simplicity in apparent complexity and it becomes a problem you can solve," continues to help him. He added, "It's a very big loss as far as I'm concerned and I was fortunate to have had him as a professor. In my opinion, he's irreplaceable."

Another of Creighton's former students, Ruth Devadas, said, "He was a really good teacher. He could explain everything really well, ‘cause he had so much experience." Regarding his death, she explained, "I didn't expect it."

Pollack believed that one of the most important aspects of Creighton's life was that, "He never let his illness get in the way of his life, no matter how much pain he was in. He always insisted on continuing his work and on continuing his life."

Creighton is survived by his wife, Arlene, and his two daughters, Diane and Christine. He requested that there be no service or funeral. According to www.retrievernet.umbc, "The [Creighton] family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Donald Creighton Scholarship Fund. Please make checks payable to the UMBC Foundation and send them to the UMBC Chemistry Department, c/o Dennis Cuddy, Room 108, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250.