Samuel Carroll Brooks Jr., Ph.D., a retired professor of Biochemistry at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, died Dec. 15 after a battle with cancer.
Dr. Brooks, a resident of Steamboat Springs, Colo., was a faculty member from 1959 to 2006. He was also the former deputy director of Chemistry and chief of Endocrinology at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. He was widely known for his scientific and scholarship contributions to breast cancer research. He was the first to describe the estrogen receptor in breast cancer cell line MCF-7, the first human breast cancer cell line produced. He characterized the line, and was instrumental in recognizing the importance of the estrogen receptor in regulating breast cancer growth. This research led to the development of a clinical laboratory test for estrogen receptor used to determine which patients are eligible for treatment with anti-estrogen drugs.
He also worked to characterize the MCF10 cell lines that led to the first continuously growing line of human pre-neoplastic breast cells, which allow researchers to study the earliest events in breast cancer progression and to test strategies to interfere with those events.
During his career at Karmanos and WSU, Dr. Brooks maintained an unbroken string of continuous funding from his first grant in 1968 until his retirement in 2005, one of the longest records of continuous research funding in the university’s history.
He was a charter member of the WSU Academy of Scholars, and made many contributions on behalf of the university, School of Medicine, Cancer Biology, Oncology, Faculty Senate, and his Department of Biochemistry. In addition to his contributions in research, Dr. Brooks was also an outstanding mentor to numerous graduate and medical students, as well as junior faculty. He taught many graduate and medical school courses, and was the original principal investigator of the WSU T32 NCI Training Grant for the Cancer Biology Program, serving as its director until 2005. Dr. Brooks initiated a similar research training program with Department of Defense funding for undergraduates from 1991-1996. He headed the WSU Cancer Biology Graduate Program from 1994-2005 and served as the director of Education at Karmanos and the WSU School of Medicine Admissions Committee. He was named as Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the School of Medicine student body, and was widely respected by associates and students.He received the School of Medicine Distinguished Service Award in 2000 and Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Dr. Brooks is survived by Frieda Brooks, his wife of 58 years; children Katie Brooks Robertson and husband Mike of Fishers, Ind., and Carroll Brooks and wife Jamie of Seoul, South Korea; grandchildren Samuel, Phillip, Jake, Lauren and Ben; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother James Webster Brooks and son James Winfried Brooks.
Dr. Brooks was born and raised in Winchester, Va. He received his bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University and master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He served in the United States Army and was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain during the Korean War.
In his free time, Dr. Brooks enjoyed traveling, skiing, reading WWII history novels, watching Wisconsin Badgers football and spending time with family and friends. He will be fondly remembered for his kindness, sense of humor, knack for storytelling, and his love of animals.
A celebration of life will take place at 11 a.m. Dec. 29 at St. Martin-Tours Catholic Church, 400 Sharp Ave., in Oak Creek, Colo. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Colorado, 325 7th St., Steamboat Springs, CO. 80487.