HR1304 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1304 LRB093 24170 HSS 54476 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Dr. Howard Moltz on Friday, November 26, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Born in the Bronx, Dr. Moltz met his wife, Marilyn, when he was 13 years old and she was a year younger; they married in 1948; and

WHEREAS, He valiantly served his country as a member of the U.S. Navy, joining in 1945; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Moltz graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in philosophy and psychology from New York University in 1949 and continued his studies there, earning a PhD in 1953; he was a faculty member at Brooklyn College until 1970, when he joined the University of Chicago's psychology faculty as a biopsychology professor; he served as the department chair until 1973; he later added Jewish studies to the classes that he taught and was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; he served as president of the International Society for Developmental Psychology; and

WHEREAS, The bulk of the New York native's work centered on the sexual and parental behavior of rats; one of the highlights of Mr. Moltz's career included his discovery of the maternal pheromones used by female rats to attract their nursing babies and protect them from disease during weaning; and

WHEREAS, Although his interests led him to conduct wide-ranging research, his work was always concerned with the connection between the mind and body; late in his career, he joined research into understanding the origins and nature of homosexuality; his findings, which showed that male sexual orientation appears to be connected to brain metabolism, were published in the Brain Research journal this fall after he and fellow scientists unveiled the study at the Society for Neuroscience conference in New Orleans last year; the breakthrough research used high-tech imaging to show that the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that regulates the sex drive, functions differently in gay and straight men; and

WHEREAS, To his colleagues, Dr. Moltz was a researcher of extremely high standards who readily imparted that precision to his students; he loved good writing and words; his wit and compassion, usually conveyed through his writing, could bring laughter and a tear to the eye; he always treated his students as equals, asking them to refrain from calling him "doctor"; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Moltz was the heart and soul of the interdisciplinary faculty lunch group at the University's Quadrangle Club round table; his insatiable and wide-ranging curiosity, his perceptive insights, and his wealth of knowledge kept his colleagues on their toes - and often well beyond the lunch hour; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Dr. Howard Moltz has been deeply felt by many, especially his wife, Marilyn; his daughters, Erica Moltz (Russ Kinner), Lauren Moltz (John Clement), and Marci Malter (Norman Malter); his brother, Alan; and his seven grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Dr. Howard Moltz, and we offer our deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Dr. Moltz as an expression of our sincere condolences.