Dr. Louis Lemberger

Dr. Louis Lemberger, loving husband, father and Poppy, passed away peacefully on July 13th 2016, surrounded by his adoring family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Max and Ida Lemberger; and his sister, Rozy Pavloff.

He leaves behind his wife of nearly 57 years, Myrna Diamond Lemberger; brother, David (Donald Heurlin) Lemberger of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; daughters, Harriet (Neil) Schor of Youngstown, Ohio, and Margo of Manhattan, NY; and granddaughters, Alyssa and Meryl Schor.

The son of two Orthodox Jewish Eastern European immigrants, Dr. Lemberger was raised in Woodridge, NY and exemplified the American Dream. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy (now Long Island University), which named him its 1990 Distinguished Alumnus and awarded him an honorary Doctorate in 1994 and the 1998 President's Award. He got his MD and his PhD in Pharmacology degrees from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and in 1971, moved his family to Indiana to accept a position at Eli Lilly & Company.

As a scientist and ultimately Director of Clinical Pharmacology and the Lilly Laboratory until his 1993 retirement, Dr. Lemberger discovered and developed many life-saving drugs, including Prozac, Zyprexa, Cesamet, Strattera, and Permax. He was the first physician to administer these compounds to a human being, as well as the first person to simultaneously hold a scientific and administrative title for the company. His accomplishments led to his annual inclusion in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in The World .

During his entire tenure at Lilly, Dr. Lemberger insisted on seeing patients at Wishard to maintain a one-on-one connection to the endgame of pharmacological research-the person in need of treatment.

He was also a respected professor (now Emeritus) of Pharmacology, Toxicology, Medicine and Psychiatry on the Indiana University School of Medicine faculty.

Dr. Lemberger was a board member and president of numerous professional societies, and was showered with a myriad of awards for his accomplishments, including the 1985 ASPET Award, the 1986 Rawls-Palmer Progress in Medicine Award, the 1992 Henry W. Elliott Distinguished Service Award, the 1993 Harry Gold Award For Excellence in Research and Teaching in Clinical Pharmacology, the 1994 Advocate of The Year Award from the Indiana Academy of Ophthalmology, the 2000 Cornerstone Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in the Health Sciences, and the 2003 Oscar B. Hunter Award For Outstanding Achievement in Experimental Therapeutics.

Dr. Lemberger was on the Board of Directors for the Jewish Studies Department, and a member of the Well House Society, the Varsity Club, the Presidents Circle, the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

Like most men of his generation, Dr. Lemberger was a member of our military, serving at the National Institute of Mental Health during the Vietnam War. He was enormously proud of his service, and held the rank of Commander of Jewish War Veterans Post 114.

He was fortunate that his career took him around the world, taking his family along whenever possible. Those trips are among the family's best memories. He was especially proud of receiving the coveted Mr. Potato Head Award at Dodger Baseball Fantasy Camp back in 1991. In addition, Dr. Lemberger was a rabid Indiana University basketball and football fan, and a huge Colts supporter. He never missed a performance or game his daughters participated in, and he and Myrna made frequent trips to Youngstown and beyond to do the same for his granddaughters.

Dr. Lemberger authored two books: The Physiologic Disposition of Drugs of Abuse and then the nearly cult-classic, Indiana: Where Basketball Is King, or Is It Knight? Confessions of An Indiana Hoosier Fan. All profits for the latter were donated to Indiana University's Bobby Knight Library.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Indiana University Jewish Studies Program or the American Cancer Society.

A calling will be held at ARN Funeral & Cremation Services, 11411 N. Michigan Road, Zionsville, IN 46077, on Sunday, July 17th at 2:30 PM, the funeral service will begin at 4:00 PM. Funeral services will then be held at the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home, 388 Broadway, Monticello, NY 12701 on Wednesday, July 20th at 10 AM. Burial to take place in Fallsburg, NY.

Friends may leave a message of condolence or a memory of Dr. Lemberger for the family by visiting www.arnmortuary.com.