Louis Elsas II

Family-Placed Death Notice

ELSAS, Louis II DR. LOUIS J. "SKIP" ELSAS II Dr. Louis J. "Skip" Elsas II passed away peacefully early Sunday morning, September 16th, after a seven-year battle with cancer. He was surrounded by family and caregivers, who loved him deeply. He was 75. Visitation will be on Thursday, September 20, 2012 from 6 to 8 p.m. at H.M. Patterson & Son-Spring Hill located at 1020 Spring Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30309. A service will be held on Friday, September 21, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., NE Atlanta, GA 30309. A reception will immediately follow the service, and a private burial at Oakland Cemetery will follow the reception. A native Atlantan, Skip was born on February 10th, 1937 at Emory University Hospital. Under the strict yet loving guidance of his parents, Herbert Rothschild Elsas and Edith Levy Elsas, Skip learned at an early age the invaluable virtues of a good education. As a young child, he attended the original Eva Edwards Lovett School, followed by the Marist School, then followed by Phillips Andover Academy, where Skip graduated in The Great Class of '54. He pursued his higher education at Harvard College, where in 1958 he received a B.S. in Biochemistry. In 1962, Skip graduated with an M.D. from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the storied Raven Society, and ó due to his tremendous scholarship and leadership skills -- was elected into the exalted Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AOA). Upon graduating medical school, Skip entered that common, existential phase in life, where -- like many recent graduates -- he sought to establish his role in the world. Bolstered by his unparalleled intellectual curiosity and a deep affection for humanity, Skip set out to become a "triple threat" in the medical world: a man whose sense of self was defined by a firm belief in education (Teacher), active service (Physician), and research (Scientist). This postgraduate path first led Skip to Yale University, where he served his internal medicine residency under the tutelage of Dr. Paul Beeson and his fellowship training in metabolism under Dr. Phil Bondy. He was then subsequently honored by the esteemed Dr. Leon Rosenberg, who invited Skip to be his first fellow in medical genetics -- an appointment that would forever shape Skip's perspective on the world of medicine. Under Dr. Rosenberg's supervision, Skip would continue for two additional years at Yale -- now as a faculty member -- where the two young doctors sought to pioneer a unique, forward-thinking approach to medical genetics. Skip's desire to lead his own program and his incessant longing to return to his family roots, however, ultimately compelled him to depart Yale and head back to Atlanta, where Emory University eagerly welcomed the hugely talented Dr. Skip Elsas with open arms. (Continued to next column)