Deaths Deaths (October 05, 2005)

Milan Henzl

Milan Rastislav Henzl, 77, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died peacefully at Stanford Hospital Sept. 26.

He was born in the former Czechoslovakia in 1928 and earned his medical and PhD degrees there. In 1966 he came to the Bay Area for a post-doctorate fellowship. At the end of that time, the Soviet Army invaded Czechoslovakia, therefore he never returned to Prague and subsequently lived the rest of his life in Palo Alto.

He became a research scientist and executive medical director for Syntex Labs, where he was responsible for the development of compounds in the female health area. There he participated in the development of oral hormonal contraception, principally the mini-pill.

Later he developed the anti-fungal drug Femstat, as well as the gynecological drug nafarelin. He was the first to conduct clinical trials with a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen sodium, for the management of dysmenorrhea. This medication is now marketed as Alleve.

In addition to his work in research, he was also clinical professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford Medical School.

In his free time, he was an avid history enthusiast and collected antique books, swords, maps and statues. He was also a long-time supporter of the San Francisco Opera and Symphony.

He is survived by his wife, Vera M. Henzl; daughter, Renata Henzl Mullen, and her husband, William Mullen, and their children, Dominic, Regina and Nicholas of Menlo Park; son, David Henzl, and his wife, Daryl Henzl, and their children, Erik, Alexandra and Max of San Anselmo; and brother, Ctibor Henzl of the Czech Republic.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 2 p.m. at Stanford Memorial Church.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Helena Henzl Memorial Fund for Young Women in Science, Office of Medical Development, 770 Welch Road, Ste. 400, Stanford, CA 94305. Or, in lieu of donation, please do something special for your own family.

Alan Manne

Alan S. Manne, 80, Stanford University a professor emeritus of operations research known for devising economic models pertaining to major world concerns, died Sept. 27 at Stanford Hospital of complications from injuries sustained after falling from his horse.

Born May 1, 1925, in New York City, he was an only child. He received his bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard College at 18 years old. Following graduation, he served out the last days of World War II in the Navy before heading back to Harvard, where he earned a doctorate in economics in 1950. He stayed there as an instructor before accepting a position at the Rand Corporation as an economic analyst from 1952 to 1956.

He spent the next five years at Yale as an associate professor of economics. But he was not destined to remain on the East Coast.

He served as a professor between 1961 and 1967 at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. In 1967, he became a faculty member of the Department of Economics and a founding member of the Department of Operations Research; he remained on campus until 1974.

During a brief hiatus from the Farm, he traveled to Vienna, Austria, as an economist for the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis before returning to Harvard as a professor of political economy from 1974 to 1976.

Over the past four decades, he and his collaborators applied their economic models internationally, aiding India in developing its fertilizer industry, and designing industrial resource planning models for Mexico and Turkey.

He had a passion for his family, classical music, reading history and horseback riding.

He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline of Stanford; sons, Edward and Henry, both of Israel; daughter, Elizabeth of New York City; 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his memory to either the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, 500 Morris Ave., Springfield, NJ 07081; or Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 1856, Merrifield, VA 22116-8056.

A memorial service is pending for Oct. 30. Details will be published as soon as they are available.

James Ashley Wilson, Jr.

Captain James Ashley Wilson, Jr., 92, a longtime Palo Alto attorney and 33-year pilot with Pan American Airlines, died Sept. 21. He had been suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone marrow failure disease.

He was born May 16, 1913, in Dyersberg, Tenn. He graduated from the University of Memphis with a degree in teaching. After graduating from Pensacola in 1937 he was assigned to the U.S.S. Colorado and was involved in the search for Amelia Earhart.

In 1940 he was hired as a pilot for Pan American Airlines and flew for them for 33 years. During World War II he flew for the Army Air Transport Command, flying between Miami and North Africa. In 1946 he received a law degree from the University of Miami.

Before mandatory retirement in 1973, he passed the California State Bar. He worked for Moerdyke Law Offices in Palo Alto for 21 years. He was also an active building contractor.

He was constantly challenging his brain. At the age of 84 he received a degree in Computer Science from Foothill College. At 85 he became a member of MENSA. He was also a Master Bridge player.

In 1995 he moved into the Sequoias in Portola Valley. He became active in many of the activities offered and set up the current square-dancing program.

He is survived by his two daughters, Gail Wilson Hynding of Woodside and Bonnie Wilson Miller of Palo Alto; four step-daughters, Sheyla Kantor of Orinda, Calif., Susan Gibson of Yelm, Wash., Georgianna Maddams of Campbell, Calif., and Julie Rotary of Seattle, Wash.; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

There will be a celebration of life Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Sequoias in Portola Valley. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in his name to the AA & MDSIF, P.O. Box 613, Annapolis, MD 21404.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.