Fred Chasan (April 4, 1924 – June 20, 2005) was an American surgeon from Los Angeles, California and veteran of World War II. Although already a prominent physician, he gained notoriety when The Chasan Villa was destroyed by a landslide on the cliffs beneath the property due to government negligence and the ensuing settlement became the largest of its kind. Early life Fred Chasan was born April 4, 1924, in New York City to Morris and Pauline (née Philips) Chasan. In 1942, Chasan graduated from Bronx High School of Science and enrolled in the College of the City of New York majoring in biology for a Bachelor of Science degree. In parallel, he was a medical researcher at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research on 66th street. World War II At age 18, Chasan enlisted in the United States Army at 400 Lexington Ave., the recruitment office of Grand Central Station in New York City. He went on receive a rating of excellent from the Medical Department Technical School of the Billings General Hospital at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was taught the care of patients. Chasan was deployed to the European theatre of World War II and promoted to the non-commissioned officer rank of Staff Sergeant. After the victory of the Allied Powers, as part of the demobilization of United States armed forces, he was honorably discharged from the Army at Camp Blanding, Florida. After the war, Chasan moved to Pasadena in Los Angeles, California. Post-war life and career In 1946, Chasan resumed his university studies on the G.I. Bill, later earning earned his medical doctorate and going into private practice as a surgeon. He was set up on a blind date with Roslyn Chasan, and the couple married in January 1954 and moved to Rancho Palos Verdes. Early in their marriage, Roslyn worked as a nurse in their medical practice. The couple had three sons in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Mark, Jeff (father of Jake), and Paul. Jeff had initially planned to follow in his father's footsteps and become a surgeon; however, he instead went into real estate, founding and selling his company to Newmark Grubb Knight Frank and helping build Ballast Point Brewing Company, among other notable transactions. Fred's youngest son Paul and daughter-in-law Cynthia (Jeff's wife) would go on to become prominent surgeons. By 1968 Chasan had become the Chief of