August 13, 2008 Dear Med Associates Friends,
See the announcements below. Sincerely,
I am writing to share some very sad news – Dr. William Halpern was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away at his home on the morning of July 29th, 2008. Just one week earlier, though physically declining, Bill still possessed his unique sense of humor and clarity of mind. In spite of his terminal illness, and an understanding that his time was limited, the future of our business was one of his greatest concerns. As you know, Bill prided himself on the quality of our company, on its many friends and contacts, and on its legacy of personal and thoughtful touch, genuine accessibility, and spirit of creativity and innovation. Although his loss is foremost in our thoughts, this note is to let you know that Living Systems Instrumentation will continue on. One of Bill’s final wishes was to sell the assets of Living Systems Instrumentation to Catamount Research and Development Company, another Vermont corporation. Led by a fellow physiologist, Dr. Gerald M. Herrera, Catamount Research and Development Company embodies the same entrepreneurial spirit characteristic of Living Systems Instruments. The engineers, technicians and I will continue on without interruption, as this was Bill’s wish. We are looking forward to continuing to make new inroads into the wonderful and complex study of vascular physiology, as this is Bill’s legacy. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns, or if you would simply like to share memories of Bill. Sincerely,
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. William Halpern. Bill was a friend and great role model to me. I was exposed to Bill’s work in cardiovascular physiology early on in my career. As an undergraduate student, I read the classic book Bill co-edited, “The Resistance Vasculature.” This book had a great impact on my formation as a scientist, and was one of the key reasons that led me to pursue graduate education in the renowned Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Vermont. Indeed, I have the fortune of having a copy of “The Resistance Vasculature” that Bill personally inscribed for me. So allow me to take a moment to introduce myself to you. I have been involved in physiological research for over fifteen years. As an undergraduate student, I studied under cardiovascular physiologist Dr. Benjimen R. Walker at the University of New Mexico. I performed hemodynamic studies on whole-animals and in isolated blood vessel preparations. I decided to pursue cellular/molecular training to study smooth muscle function as a doctoral student. I trained with experts in smooth muscle physiology and pharmacology at the University of Vermont, in the laboratory of Dr. Mark T. Nelson. I learned electrophysiological techniques and sub-cellular calcium imaging methods for studying ion channel function and calcium signaling in smooth muscle cells. I employed transgenic animal models and molecular biological techniques to characterize important regulatory mechanisms controlling urinary bladder smooth muscle excitability and contractility. After graduate school, I continued on in the Nelson lab for a post-doctoral project. During my post-doc, I designed a system for conducting urodynamic measurements, or cystometry, in conscious rats and mice. At that time, I met my father-in-law, Karl Zurn, founder of a behavioral research instrumentation company, Med Associates, based in Georgia, Vermont. I started doing consultant work for Karl, and we took the cystometry system I had designed and established it as a standard product. I was also able to develop a myograph system that integrated the myograph and electrical field stimulator with data acquisition and analysis software. I really enjoyed this side of science – the development of equipment and instrumentation used for conducting research applications. I soon decided to join Karl’s company full time, and was named Vice President of Research and Development for Med Associates. At Med Associates, I was involved with relocating all of our engineering and technical staff from our main manufacturing facility in Georgia, Vermont to a state-of-the-art 23,000 square foot laboratory facility in Saint Albans, Vermont. At the end of 2006, we formed a new company, Catamount Research and Development, of which I am the President. This company consists of approximately 30 staff engineers, scientists, and technicians. We are responsible for all of the engineering work to support Med Associates’ behavioral products, and we also design, develop, manufacture, and sell our own lines of physiological equipment, including the cystometry system and myograph system. Over the last 3 or 4 years, I have maintained close contact with Bill Halpern. Due to my long-standing interest in cardiovascular physiology, my company’s excellence in engineering and technical abilities, and my commitment to living in Vermont, I expressed an interest to Bill to establish a collaboration of some sort between our company and his. Over time, we gradually began to discuss the possibility that he might consider selling his business at some point. I assured him that I would be interested in purchasing his business assets and continue on the Living Systems Instrumentation name and tradition of excellence. Not much more than one month ago, I received a candid note from Bill, in which he expressed a serious interest that we meet expeditiously to discuss the selling of his business. We quickly agreed to terms, and began moving forward with legalities and logistics. So, it is with great sadness that we announce the death of Bill Halpern to his friends and customers. But it is with great pleasure, joy, and indeed extreme humility that I can say that we are continuing on, and we will foster Living Systems Instrumentation into another generation. I can tell you honestly that I will not even try to fill the shoes left by Bill. I don’t believe that would be Bill’s desire. Instead, I look forward to coming in with my own shoes to walk in my own path, and I will follow Bill’s vision to guide this path. Before I close this letter, I would like to share a very personal story to reassure you that we at Living Systems Instruments are here to stay. Just the day prior to Bill’s death, I had the fortune to speak with him one last time by phone. I was able to tell him myself that our purchase of Living Systems had been finalized. Bill responded with the phrase, “I AM EXCITED.” And then only a few hours later, he passed away, resting assured that the future of the company he worked so hard to build would be well looked after and continue on in the years to come. In closing, I look forward to getting to know each of you. Indeed, many of you are already friends and familiar acquaintances of mine. To all of you, I say it is a pleasure for me to now be able to offer you the same high quality arteriographs and accessories that Bill has made available for so many years, and had dedicated so much of his life to developing and supporting. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns, or if you would like to see specific physiological products developed. Sincerely, If you would like to learn more about our company, Catamount Research and Development, see our web site at www.catamountresearch.com. Also, see our Scientific Advisory Board page at http://www.catamountresearch.com/scientificadvisory.htm If you have any problems viewing this email, you can see it online at: |
I am pleased to announce that the Zurn and Herrera families have acquired the assets of Living Systems Instrumentation. Living Systems Instrumentation specializes in developing and manufacturing research equipment for conducting studies in isolated blood vessels and other cardiovascular preparations. This acquisition will complement the strengths of our company Catamount Research and Development, which specializes in physiological and pharmacological research applications. 
Dear Friends of Living Systems Instrumentation,
Dear Friends of Living Systems Instrumentation,