The field of Pharmacology and the College have lost a major leader with the death of Salvatore (Sam) Enna, PhD (a Fellow Emeritus, admitted to ACNP in 1983). Sam leaves his wife of over 50 years, Colleen, and their three adult children, Anne, Matt and Katie. Sam was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, the second of five children of Faye and Veto Enna. He attended a parochial grade school and the local Jesuit run Rockhurst High School and Rockhurst College. He then pursued a Masters degree and a PhD in Pharmacology at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

His focus on neuropsychopharmacology began with a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Texas, Dallas with PA Shore on biogenic amines. After a year with Alfred Pletscher at Hoffman-LaRoche in Basel, Switzerland, he took a third post-doctoral fellowship (1974–1976) with Solomon Snyder, MD, in the Department of Pharmacology at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore where he began his career-long research on γ-amino butyric acid (GABA). He then joined the Department of Pharmacology and Neurobiology at the University of Texas Medical School, Houston rising to the rank of full Professor in a mere 4 years. In 1986, he was recruited by Solomon Snyder, MD, to take the helm of the newly created Nova Pharmaceutical Corporation as its Scientific Director.

In 1992, he and Colleen returned to their hometown when Sam was appointed the Chair and Professor of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics at the University of Kansas Medical School. In addition to his path-breaking research on GABA, Sam turned his energies to scientific editing. Over the years, he served on the editorial advisory boards of over a dozen journals in pharmacology and neuroscience including the Journal of Neuroscience, Neuropharmacology and Brain Research. He was the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (1998–2002), of Biochemical Pharmacology (2003–present) and series editor of Advances in Pharmacology (2009–present). In his career, he edited over 60 books. Undoubtedly, his international reputation for scholarship contributed to his election as Secretary General of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacologists, which led to world travel for him and Colleen and the development of numerous foreign friends. Not surprisingly, Sam received several distinguished awards including the John Jacob Abel Award for most promising pharmacologic scientist under 40 (ASPET), the Daniel Efron Award for basic research (ACNP) and the Otto Krayer Award for lifetime achievements in Pharmacology (ASPET).

This description of Sam’s accomplishments does not adequately capture his essence. I met Sam when he became a senior fellow in Snyder’s laboratory when I was a starting Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at Hopkins. I think that our shared bemusement over the contradictions of academic life cemented our bond that was leavened by his trenchant humor. We managed to fashion opportunities to continue to work (and laugh) together on ACNP committees, NIH study sections and pharmaceutical consulting. One of our favorite times was our annual dinner, often with our wives, at ACNP. Invariably it focused on reviewing the lives of our children spanning years from grade school to college to their adult accomplishments and marriages. Clearly, above all, the family was the center of Sam’s attention and love. Sam will be missed by countless friends from around the world not only for his wit but for his wisdom.