Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
70 | FEBRUARY 2 • 2023
The ‘Other’ Jerome Horwitz
T
his Looking Back column began as a case of mistaken identity. I probably should not
admit this, but after reading an article about the Yiddishkeit of the famous Jewish
comedians of the 1930s-1940s, the Three Stooges — Moe (Moses Horwitz), Curly
(Jerome Horwitz) and Larry (Larry Fine) — I dove into the
William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History to see
what I could find about Jerome, better known as “Curly.
”
My favorite, Jerome was indisputably the funniest of the three
(any 6-year-old kid watching the Three Stooges will back me up
on this). No offense to “Curly,
” but I found a story about another
Jerome Horwitz, a Jewish Detroiter who made a much, much great-
er contribution to the well-being of modern America.
Dr. Jerome Philip Horwitz (1919-2012) was a
professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, best
known for creating AZT, the drug that has proved so
effective as a treatment for persons living with AIDS.
It was, and still is, a life-prolonging discovery. With
this achievement alone, Dr. Horwitz would have made
his mark on the world’s medical profession, but this
was just one of his contributions.
Dr. Horwitz was born and raised in Detroit. He had
his bar mitzvah at Congregation B’nai Moshe and graduated from
Central High. Subsequently, Horwitz earned bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in chemistry from the University of Detroit, and a doctor-
ate in chemistry from the University of Michigan.
In 1956, Dr. Horwitz was hired as a professor at Wayne State
University and a researcher at the Detroit Institute of Cancer
Research (which later merged with the Michigan Cancer
Foundation, that is now the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer
Institute). He remained there until his retirement in 2005 at the
age of 86. Dr. Horwitz was also chairman of the Department of
Chemistry for the Michigan Cancer Foundation for many years.
In 1964, Dr. Horwitz synthesized what is now known as AZT as an anti-cancer treatment.
Soon after, he created ddC and d4T, additional drugs to hopefully fight cancerous tumors.
Unfortunately, these compounds had little impact upon cancer. Twenty years later, however,
AZT and the other drugs would become essential lifesaving treatments for HIV and AIDS.
Dr. Horwitz had a 60-year career as a world-renowned cancer scientist. He authored
more than 100 articles and book chapters, lectured widely, and received numerous presti-
gious awards and grants for his work.
He was also a noted Jewish community leader in Detroit. He was an active member
throughout his life at B’nai Moshe, supported Hillel Day School and Israel Bond drives, to
name just a few endeavors. At the time of his death in 2012, he had been married to Sharon
for 61 years.
Dr. Horwitz appears on many pages of the Davidson Archive. Many reports cite his lec-
tures, grants that he received, or his work at Wayne State, the Karmanos Institute and the
Michigan Cancer Foundation. He was profiled several times in the JN (see the Jan. 29, 1988,
July 29, 1994, and Aug. 4, 2002, issues).
There is a bust of Dr. Horwitz at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. When it was unveiled,
he was described as a “humble, dignified man who is steadfast in finding a cure for cancer.
”
Indeed, by all accounts Dr. Jerome Horwitz was modest and unassuming. By any mea-
surement of achievement, he was a great scientist.
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair