FUNERAL SET TODAY FOR DR. REGELSON

A funeral for Dr. William Regelson, a researcher and author, will be
held at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Workman's Circle Cemetery.

Dr. Regelson, co-author of the 1995 best seller "The Melatonin
Miracle" and a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical
College of Virginia campus, died at his Richmond home Tuesday. He was
76.

"The Melatonin Miracle: Nature's Age-Reversing, Disease-Fighting,
Sex-Enhancing
Hormone," co-written with Walter Pierpaoli, promoted melatonin as a powerful
anti-aging compound.

Though the book ignited a debate in the medical community with some
scientists calling its experiment flawed, Dr. Regelson was undeterred
in his advocacy of melatonin's benefits. He was, after all, accustomed
to controversy.

"Most of the things he worked on were controversial because he took on
things no one else would take on," said his son, Isaac Regelson of
Richmond.

In his career, Dr. Regelson was outspoken in his support for medical
marijuana use. He performed early research on the plant as part of the
clinical cancer research program at MCV from 1973 to 1975.

In a 1997 article for The Times-Dispatch, Dr. Regelson wrote,
"Washington must appear politically hard on drugs, and as a result our
patients may be denied the help of an effective drug because of
politicians looking for votes and a few adolescent 'hopheads' whose
recreational use denies benefit to those who are suffering."

He spoke at the General Assembly, advocating legalized heroin use for
terminally ill patients, and testified to Veterans Affairs panels
about veterans exposed to mustard gas.

He was equally outspoken on RU-486, the so-called abortion pill,
arguing that the nation's abortion debate was stymieing research into
what he called a possible "breakthrough drug" for many maladies,
including breast cancer and Crohn's disease.

Dr. Mohammed Kalimi, who co-wrote two volumes on the hormone DHEA as
well as numerous journal articles with Dr. Regelson, said he "had an
infectious passion for research. He was controversial. Sometimes
people thought he was crazy, but he was a genius. You have to be crazy
to be a genius."

Kalimi added that the flap over Dr. Regelson's anti-aging work has
been beneficial. "That's the way it is in science. Controversy
initiates research. That is a positive, I think."

Dr. William L. Dewey, a VCU professor and former vice president of
research, said Dr. Regelson was "in my mind, the most imaginative
person in terms of research ideas among anybody at this
university."

Dr. Regelson's strength lay in his ability to "transfer basic research
ideas into biotechnology," said Dewey.

In 1967, Dr. Regelson first came to the Medical College of Virginia as
chairman of the division of medical oncology. He held that post until
1976. At his death, he was a professor of medicine.

Dr. Walter Lawrence Jr., a former chairman of surgical oncology at MCV
and the founding director of the Massey Cancer Center, said it was Dr.
Regelson who pushed and prodded for the formation of a cancer center
at MCV.

While not all of his ideas were well received, many were ahead of
their time, Lawrence added. "He was looking at immunotherapies like
interferon for cancer treatments 40 years ago. He always challenged
the status quo, and I think the scientific world needs more Bill Regelsons."

A New York City native, he was an Army Signal Corps veteran of World
War II and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1948. He held a medical degree from New
York State University College of Medicine.

Before coming to Richmond, Dr. Regelson spent 12 years at the Roswell
Park Memorial Institute in various cancer research roles.

In addition to his son, survivors include his wife, Sylvia Phillips
Regelson, and five daughters, Rachel Norton of New York; Jessica
Regelson of Providence, R.I.; Miriam Regelson of Richmond; Esther
Regelson of New York; and Naomi Walker of Chicago.