Sylvia V. Winstein
1917 - 2009
On Friday, March 27, 2009, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry lost a great friend and benefactor, Sylvia Violet Winstein. Sylvia came to UCLA as an undergraduate in psychology nearly 80 years ago and, except for a brief respite, never left. It was at UCLA that she met Saul Winstein, an undergraduate chemistry major, who, after receiving his master's degree in 1935, went on to Caltech for his doctoral studies. He and Sylvia were married in 1937, and they returned to UCLA in 1941, when Saul accepted a position as instructor. With Saul's untimely death in 1969, Sylvia's ties to the department and the university became even stronger. She was instrumental in establishing the Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry and the Winstein Awards given annually to graduate students, until recently presenting the awards at the departmental graduation ceremonies. She served for many years on the Chemistry Advisory Council.
Her commitments to UCLA extended beyond our department and include her work with Aesculapians, the School of Medicine support group, Design for Sharing, which brings elementary and high-school students to campus for concerts, and the Grunwald Center for Graphic Arts. In 1980 she took over the management of the annual Emeriti Arts and Crafts exhibit, which flourished and is now named in her honor. Despite suffering a debilitating stroke several years ago, she continued to participate in departmental activities; just two weeks before her death she had been present for the annual Winstein Lecture.
In 2002 Sylvia donated her Westwood house to the university as a gift annuity. This permitted her to continue to live in the house and to receive some retirement income. Now, when UCLA receives the house, the proceeds from its sale will add substantially to the funds supporting the Saul Winstein Chair and the Winstein fellowships. The gift will also be used to establish a Sylvia Winstein Fund to benefit the UCLA Emeriti Association's art programs.