Sam Ruben

Samuel Ruben (born Charles Rubenstein, November 5, 1913 – September 28, 1943), the son of Herschel and Frieda Penn Rubenstein – the name was officially shortened to Ruben in 1930. Young Sam developed a friendship with neighbor Jack Dempsey and became involved with a local boys' boxing club and later, when the family moved across the Bay to Berkeley, he was a successful basketball player at Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California). After achieving his B.S. in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, he continued his studies there and was awarded a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry in May 1938. He was immediately appointed Instructor in the Chemistry Department, and became an Assistant Professor in 1941.