Lawrence H. Fein '64, J.D. '67

Lawrence H. Fein '64, J.D. '67, whose experience after suffering a heart attack directly impacted the standard of care for chest pain management in U.S. emergency rooms, passed away Sept. 23 in Sacaramento. He was 78.

Fein grew up in Los Angeles, attending Micheltorena Elementary School in Echo Park, Thomas Starr King Junior High School and Hollywood High School. He attended the University of Michigan, his father's alma mater, for a year, before returning to his native (warmer) Southern California and attending the University of Redlands for two years. Fein then transferred to UCLA, where he earned his bachelors' degree in business administration and accounting.

In 1962, Fein met Anita Frimkess '64 while they were attending UCLA. They married in December 1963. Son Jordan was born in 1966. After earning his law degree and passing the California Bar in 1967, he accepted a position as a tax attorney with the California Legislative Counsel Bureau. The family moved to Sacramento in December 1967, two weeks after son Aaron was born.

One morning in 1975, Fein suffered chest pains while riding his bike to work. He was seen in a hospital ER and was sent home with pills for muscle spasms. The chest pains continued for three days and he went back to the ER two more times. It wasn't until the third visit that he was finally given an EKG which indicated that he had suffered a massive heart attack.

Fein and his attorney sued for medical malpractice and prevailed. The case went up on appeal over the course of a decade, ultimately being heard before the California State Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. Fein finally received compensation in October 1985.

Fein's medical challenges were far from over: he twice received a heart transplant, the second one at UCLA. He was a beneficiary of many new medical devices and immunosuppression drugs that allowed him to live a very full and productive life in relatively good health for more than 20 years following that operation. Managing all the medical issues was always a large part of his life, but Fein had many passions and interests, including traveling, camping, volunteering, dancing, attending concerts, body surfing and diving.

Fein is survived by his wife, Anita Frimkess Fein, his sons Jordan Fein (Pramela Reddi) and Aaron Fein (Nephyr Jacobsen), and his grandchildren Django, Dilan and Mira. He is also survived by his sisters Carol (Brian Gilbert) of Houston and Stephanie (David Lakes) of Marin. There are many friends who were important in his life, but two special people are Curt Firestone, best man at his wedding, and Mike Salerno, a former colleague at Legislative Counsel, who continued to have lunch with him every week through the years.

The family thanks all the health care professionals who provided their loved one excellent care for so many years. The pandemic permitting, there will be a memorial gathering in September 2021 around the one-year anniversary of Fein's death.

Read a full obituary here.