In Memoriam: Michael Appleman

Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences Michael Appleman, a trailblazer in the field of cellular signaling who championed biochemistry and molecular biology at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, has died. He was 85.

Appleman died at home in Los Angeles on April 10, from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease.

“Mike was a biochemist of the first rank,” said Myron Goodman, professor of biological sciences and chemistry. “His students went on to obtain coveted faculty positions in top-tier research universities and medical schools, including departmental chairs. Mike’s intellectual and creative powers were, in National Institutes of Health parlance, ‘outstanding.’”

Appleman performed important and highly influential studies on cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases — the enzymes that regulate the molecules that send messengers between cells. His findings were important for the pharmacological industry, particularly, Goodman said with respect to heart function.

Devoted teacher

Appleman was more than a stellar researcher. Linda Bazilian, director of academic programs for biological sciences at USC Dornsife, said Appleman did everything he could to enhance undergraduate education, which he believed was of utmost importance.

Describing Appleman as a beloved professor who was devoted to his students, Bazilian said, “He was one of those professors who was surrounded by students and he would always give them his time.”

Born in L.A. on June 13, 1933, to a UCLA professor of plant physiology and a high school biology teacher, Appleman grew up in Santa Monica, California. After a stint in the United States Army, Appleman earned a B.A. in biochemistry in 1957 from the University of California, Berkeley. There he met his future wife, Irma Webber, whom he married in 1958. They were married for almost 60 years, until her death in 2017.

Appleman earned his Ph.D. from the University of Washington, Seattle, in 1962. He joined USC Dornsife in 1966. 

Service and outreach

Appleman’s focus shifted toward teaching in the 1980s. He served as director of instructional programs for the Department of Biological Sciences and as department chair from 1982–86. He also served on the Faculty Senate.

Appleman sought to increase science literacy through his work on the TroyBridge program. In 1989, he obtained a $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to encourage and prepare high school students to pursue higher education leading to careers in medicine and biological science. The grant was also used to develop and support outreach programs for high school science teachers. One result was USCience, a program to engage high school students and teachers.

In the late 1980s, Appleman created and co-taught an innovative course on AIDS as a way to engage non-science majors, and in 1991 he co-authored the book AIDS: Lessons from the First Decade (Kendall/Hunt). He also introduced a course on science in the media and developed a biotechnology course with USC Marshall School of Business.

“He was thoughtful, optimistic, very generous and also very creative,” said Maria Pellegrini, former professor of biological sciences at USC Dornsife who is now executive director of programs at the W.M. Keck Foundation.

He also had a wonderful sense of humor. Pellegrini relates how, in the early, unregulated days of car cell phone use, Appleman would react to seeing another driver holding one of the — at the time enormous — devices to their ear by grabbing a banana from his lunch bag and holding it to his own. “Mike thought it looked ridiculous,” she said.

Appleman retired in 2001 but continued as an active emeritus professor, developing and teaching a course on “Health Professions: Prospects and Preparation.”   

“He wanted to help those who would become doctors but also illustrate the vast number of careers in the health professions so that students would know their options,” said Janette Brown, assistant vice provost, Emeriti Center.

Devoted family man

Appleman is survived by his sons Eric Appleman, Miguel Appleman and Alex Appleman.

“Michael was a committed scientist and educator and a dedicated member of the Trojan family for nearly half a century,” they said in a statement. “He and Irma were always there for us.”

An avid hiker, camper and world traveler, Appleman was a devoted family man who loved to cook and experiment with food and a lifelong supporter of Trojan football.

Describing his father as “pretty mellow,” Miguel Appleman said, “He loved nature and the outdoors and enjoyed the simple pleasures of life. At USC, he loved the research, spreading ideas and teaching. That was his identity: an academic at USC. He just loved to be there. As lives go, his was spectacular in terms of happiness.”

An informal get-together in the memory of Michael and Irma Appleman took place on June 14 in the Deer Meadow area of Temescal Canyon Conference Grounds in Temescal Gateway Park in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California.