During the past year, we witnessed the loss of many icons in the field of natural products: Norman R. Farnsworth, Finn Sandberg, and Meinhart H. Zenk. We also suffered the loss of an unsung hero in this field: Steven S. Totura. Steve was born in Joliet, Illinois, and attended Downers Grove North High School, Downers Grove, IL. His affiliation with the University of Illinois (UIC) at Chicago had begun shortly after graduation from High School, working as an Agricultural Gardener at the UIC Drug and Horticultural Research Station, the forerunner of the UIC Pharmacognosy Field Station. While working full time, he undertook training as a Master Gardener at the College of DuPage and at UIC. From 1979 to 2002, he served as Supervising Farm Foreman of the UIC Pharmacognosy Field Station in Downers Grove, Illinois. This unit served the Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences of the UIC College of Pharmacy which became one of the world’s leading centers in natural product research.
By definition, Collaborative Research requires the effort of many individuals. This led to establishment of a Program Project in the area of cancer chemoprevention, a National Collaborative Drug Discovery Group, and an International Collaborative Biodiversity Group, all supported by the National Institutes of Health. In each of these projects, Steve served as a valuable and integral member of the team. His pride in contributing to this work was exuberant. He was a man’s man. He held a gentle demeanor. He was well-read and provided a plethora of information. He had a sharp wit and a good sense of humor. He was well respected by friends and colleagues alike.
Steve participated in several field collections and cultivation projects, on the US mainland and abroad, including field collections in West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and Irian Jaya, Indonesia. In the period just before his retirement in 2002, he was responsible for the implementation and maintenance of the Dorothy Bradley Atkins Medicinal Plant Garden located at UIC, which continues to be enjoyed today. Steve was a master craftsman with a can-do attitude. No task was too big of a challenge.
During the period of 2003–2005, Steve contributed cover illustrations for Pharmaceutical Biology. In this and many other ways, his contributions are indelible.
Steve passed away on December 5th in Tucson, Arizona, after a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Chris, and two sons, Nathan and Mike. Mike Totura is currently the Supervising Farm Foreman of the UIC Pharmacognosy Field Station.
Figure 1. Steven S. Totura (right) together with UIC Professor of Pharmacognosy Emeritus Harry H.S. Fong observing specimens of Catharanthus roseus planted at the Dorothy Bradley Atkins Medicinal Plant Garden.
