Professor Laszlo Endrenyi (1933 - 2020)

Canada has long benefited from immigration of talented people from other nations. The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 led to Laszlo Endrenyi's relocation to Canada and thence to his exceptional contributions to the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology and to the entire University of Toronto community.

Laszlo's engineering background and knack for quantitative thinking formed the basis of his international reputation in pharmacokinetics and the assessment of bioequivalence. He generously gave his time and expertise to Departmental students and colleagues who often were perplexed by issues of kinetics, statistics and experimental design.

Anyone who ever met with Laszlo in his office will remember the huge stacks of papers that covered his desk and every available surface. Remarkably, Laszlo’s mental filing index allowed him to (usually!) retrieve the pertinent documents.

I had the good fortune to know Laszlo as a friend and colleague in the Department for over 40 years. Laszlo had an inborn talent for helping others. During my term as Chair (1989-2001) I greatly benefited from his insight and advice regarding arcane matters of University governance. He also was kind enough to serve as Acting Chair during my sabbatical leave.

In non-academic matters, I particularly appreciated his recommendations for obscure-but-wonderful restaurants in Budapest — an example of the pleasure Laszlo took in fostering the enjoyment of life for others.

Laszlo had a sly sense of humour and was not overwhelmed by the frequent absurdities of life in general nor in the academic world. Such a useful model for us all...

Allan Okey

Tributes to Dr. Endrenyi

I was saddened to hear of Dr. Lazlo Endrenyi's recent death. I have many fond memories of our interactions.I first met him when I was a graduate student in Pharmacology in the 1970's. Later, during my medical training, he agreed to tutor me in medical statistics. I will always remember his enduring patience and humour in drumming statistical principles into me for hours at a time. After I completed my training he stayed in touch for many years, checking in to see how my career and life were progressing. He was the quintessential European gentleman-kind, thoughtful and always gracious in manner. - Myroslava K Romach

Laszlo was an excellent scientist and truly a gentleman, always smiling. I had several conversations with him (and Desi sometimes) over the years and fondly remember them all. He will be missed. - John W. Semple

Very sad news. I shared office space with Dr. Endrenyi and Dr. Kadar and had many conversations with them. I had a great deal of respect for both and was honored to have close interactions with them. - Anita Hamadani

And in addition to all the valued scientific and personal attributes already noted by all of us, a loyal friend to so many colleagues over so many years. - Harold Kalant

I will miss Laszlo’s smile … his good humour could really light up a room. - Peter McPherson

He was a fine person, a terrific colleague and a great collaborator. Always available to give advice on statistics,data analysis strategies, bioavailability studies and regulatory requirements. His interests went far beyond science and pharmacology into the arts. I had many chats with him about our shared interests outside of pharmacology. - Ed Sellers