Michael Bustin

On Aug. 24, Dr. Michael Bustin of Rockville, beloved husband of Penelope Bustin; devoted father of Ari Bustin and Ruth Lefcoe; loving brother of the late Peter Bustin; cherished grandfather of Zoe Bustin, Ellis Lefcoe, Cate Bustin and Henry Bustin; also survived by cousins Andy and Susan Sterling and Tom and Barbara Gluck, and son-in-law Derrick Lefcoe, passed away peacefully with his wife and children by his side.

Bustin, Ph.D., NIH scientist emeritus, was a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. His research centered on the role of chromosomal proteins in chromatin function, epigenetic regulation, development and disease.

Michael was born April 19, 1937, in Bucharest, Romania. After the Second World War, he emigrated to Israel, grew up in Kibbutz Deganya Bet in the Jordan Valley and served in the IDF. He received his BSc from University of Denver and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He did postdoctoral work in protein chemistry in the laboratory of Nobel laureates Stanford Moore and William Howard Stein at the Rockefeller University in New York, and in immunochemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, where he produced antibodies to histones, and pioneered their use for studies on chromatin structure and function.

He joined NIH in 1975, where he was a senior investigator as section chief, protein section, NCI, NIH. He was also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University (1984-1990) and a visiting professor at Tel Aviv University, Israel. He published over 275 scientific articles.

He met his wife, Penny, in 1961 at the University of Denver. They married 6 years later in California while he was finishing his PhD at Berkeley. After working at Rockefeller Institute, NYC, the couple fulfilled his wish and returned to live in Israel with their son, Ari and daughter, Ruth. Michael worked at the Weizman Institute, Rehovot Israel and NCI-NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. He valued scientific research and working with his post docs and colleagues. He enjoyed the creativity and discovery of research and always loved going to the lab each day.

Michael highly valued family, friends, a healthy lifestyle and the Jewish traditions and community. His 51 years in Maryland with his family were built around a close-knit group of relatives and friends and an active social life. He emersed himself in literature and the arts, scientific knowledge, and fostering in his grandchildren, a desire for education, a strong work ethic, curiosity and kindness.

He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all who knew and loved him.

Memorial contributions may be made to Holocaust Museum, WETA, JNF Special in Uniform or B’nai Israel Congregation in Rockville.