64 | MARCH 14 • 2024
OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY
D
r. Jonathan Uhr —
along with cousins
Dorothy Davidson
Gerson, Bill Davidson, Bill
Saulson, Saul “Shep” Saulson
and Bill Wetsman — grew up
spending his summers at a
small family cottage in Port
Huron. From the time school
was out until Labor Day, their
families lived together in
an 1,800-square-foot home.
Shoes were rarely worn, and
the days were spent swim-
ming, boating, playing sports,
horseback riding, shooting BB
guns and slingshots as well as
a weekly trip to the library.
Those summers on Lake
Huron were in the formative
years of Dr. Uhr, who would
go on to become a pioneer
in the field of immunology
and a key contributor to early
cancer detection techniques.
Dr. Uhr died Feb. 15, 2024, in
Dallas. He was 96.
The grandson of Hungarian
and Russian Jewish immi-
grants, Dr. Uhr was born
in New York City and was
an only child. At the age of
4, his family moved to New
Brunswick, New Jersey, where
he grew up. At only 16 years
old, he left for college and
then joined the Navy at 17
and served stateside during
World War II. He earned his
undergraduate degree from
Cornell University in 1948.
Dr. Uhr followed in his
father’s footsteps in the med-
ical field. His father was a
pediatrician who had also
studied microbiology at the
Rockefeller Institute.
After Cornell, his next step
was medical school.
In a 2013 interview for
the American Association of
Immunologists Centennial
Oral History Project, Dr. Uhr
recalled that if you were a
premedical student and you
were Jewish in those days,
they had very tight quotas
for admittance to medical
schools.
He applied but
got no responses
from Yale, Harvard
or even University
of Chicago, where
his mother was an
alumnus.
The only reason
he was eventually
admitted into and
attended New York
University was because his
father knew the chairman of
the pathology department.
A call was made and within
weeks he was a student at
NYU’s School of Medicine,
where he received his medical
degree in 1952.
In that interview, Dr. Uhr
also recalled an “unwritten
rule” where Jews could never
become a chief resident in
medicine or surgery, the two
major departments.
The “unwritten rule” wasn’t
in effect at Mt. Sinai Hospital
in New York, where he went
for his clinical training. “I
could become chief resident
in medicine there, and I did,”
he said.
Dr. Uhr was recruited
to the University of Texas
Southwestern in 1972 to
be Chair and Professor
of Microbiology. UT
Southwestern Medical
Center’s tribute said Dr. Uhr
built the department into one
of the best in the world.
“He discovered how anti-
bodies are made and devel-
oped a technique that led to
the early detection of cancer
cells,” UTSMC’s tribute said.
“He was a pioneer in the
investigation of dormant
cancer cells and
circulating tumor
cells and played
a key role in the
science behind the
development of
RhoGam, a medi-
cine that prevents
Rh incompatibility
from developing
during pregnancy.”
Much of Dr.
Uhr’s research focused on
early diagnosis and treatment
of cancer, which took the lives
of both of his parents.
His efforts “led to a
commercialized test to detect
circulating tumor cells in
the human bloodstream that
became routinely used in
clinical laboratories,” UTSMC
said. The Cleveland Clinic
ranked the technology as the
top medical innovation for
2009.
As of 2013, Dr. Uhr was
continuing his research
and work in early diagnosis
efforts.
Dr. Uhr was professor
of internal medicine at
NYU Medical School for
a decade before moving to
UT Southwestern. In 1997,
he stepped down as Chair
of Microbiology to become
professor at UTSW’s Cancer
Immunobiology Center,
where his research continued.
He was named professor
emeritus in 2010.
Dr. Uhr was president of
the American Association of
Immunologists from 1983-
1984 and was a member of
the National Academy of
Sciences.
He mentored countless
researchers and always
encouraged younger
generations to take an interest
in science.
Dr. Uhr was an avid
tennis player and traveled
to 85 countries, often
giving lectures. He was a
huge fan of country western
music as well as the Dallas
Cowboys.
To bring his life full circle,
about 20 years ago, he and
his wife, Ginger, bought
their own cottage in Port
Huron. He and his best
friend and cousin Shep (Saul
Saulson) would meet every
day reliving their childhood
adventures — swimming,
bicycling, taking art classes,
going to band concerts and,
of course, retelling stories of
their childhood together.
He is survived by the
love of his life, the former
Ginger Lanclos of Dallas;
two daughters from his first
marriage, Sarita Uhr of La
Jolla, Calif., and Jacqueline
Guise of Oahu, Hawaii;
cousins from the extended
Davidson, Gerson, Saulson
and Wetsman families; six
grandchildren; and four
great-grandchildren. As a
patriotic WWII veteran, he
got his final wish, a 21-gun
salute. Interment took place at
Clover Hill Park Cemetery.
Dr. Jonathan Uhr, a pioneer in immunology and cancer treatment, died at 96.
A Medical Pioneer
DANNY SCHWARTZ SENIOR STAFF REPORTER
Dr. Jonathan Uhr