Robert S. Adelstein ’55

Bob, a clinician and distinguished medical researcher doing groundbreaking work at the National Institutes of Health for 61 years, died May 7, 2024, in Baltimore. His many appointments and awards included chairman of the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry for 20 years, the U.S. Public Health Service Medal, and a mentor of the year award.

Bob was born Jan. 16, 1934, in Brooklyn and attended Stuyvesant High School, where he was class president, editor of the school magazine, and a member of the track team. At Princeton, he joined Court Club and served on its bicker, social, and house committees. He was chairman of the Princeton Hillel Foundation, a broadcaster for WPRU, and a member of the Pre-Medical Society and Theatre Intime. He also played IAA football and softball. His senior-year roommates were Marc Schwartz and Marshall Rosenbloom.

After Princeton, Bob graduated from Harvard Medical School and did his internship and residency at Bellevue, Duke, and the University of Washington in Seattle. A growing concern for civil rights featured joining the 1963 March on Washington, highlighted by Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Bob was a member of the 1746 Society that arranges legacy gifts to Princeton. His view of his own legacy was “the same thing that I think I received from my mentors, and that is to be as honest as you can in your research at all times, and to not be afraid of changing your mind if the scientific facts begin to show that you’ve made a mistake.”

Bob is survived by his wife, Miriam; children Benjamin, Michael, and Sandra; and four grandchildren.