Richard Koch M.D.

1921-2011

Richard Koch was born in Dickinson, North Dakota in 1921, the 6th child in a family that eventually included seven boys and two girls. The family moved to Petaluma, California when he was a child and he attended elementary and high school there, graduating in 1941 and earning a scholarship at the University of California at Berkeley. In 1942 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was trained as a bombardier. He served in the 8th Air Force, based in England until his B-24 was shot down on April 9, 1944. He spent 13 months as a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft 1 in Germany. After the war, he finished his pre-medical studies and was accepted at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in New York, graduating in 1951. He interned at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles where he eventually joined the staff and became a Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. In 1957 he started a traveling clinic that brought a team of professionals to 13 southern California counties to serve children with developmental disabilities. In 1966 Governor Pat Brown signed legislation that used this model in establishing the Regional Center system in California. Eventually 21 Regional Centers were established throughout the state. Richard Koch became the first director of the Frank Lanterman Regional Center. In 1970 he took a sabbatical leave and he and his family spent a year in Peru where he was a volunteer for Project Hope. Over a span of more than 50 years, Richard Koch conducted extensive research on Down syndrome and rare metabolic disorders, such as PKU (Phenylketonuria). He was the principal investigator in the Collaborative Study of Treatment of Children with Phenylketonuria sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, which lasted 16 years. He was also the principal investigator of the International Maternal Phenylketonuria Collaborative Study. In 1962 he was actively involved in getting legislation passed in California mandating newborn screening for all babies born in this state. Since 1966 when the legislation passed, hundreds of babies have been diagnosed at birth and treated for severe genetic disorders. Dr. Koch was also involved in research to establish guidelines for getting FDA approval for biopterin for the treatment of PKU in the U.S. This product is now available under the trade name Kuvan and is the newest treatment for many people with PKU. He also pioneered in the treatment of persons with PKU who are disabled because they were born before newborn screening. In 2004, a new group home specifically for late-treated persons with PKU was named in his honor – The Koch-Vagthol's Metabolic Residential Care Center in Burbank, California. Dr. Koch has had more than 200 articles published in peer-reviewed professional journals. He married Jean Holt in 1943 and they raised five children. The family spent many summer vacations back-packing in the Sierra, including a 110 mile round trip hike from Mineral King to Mt. Whitney and a 150 mile hike on the John Muir Trail. He and Jean were active in efforts to save Mineral King from commercialization in the 1970s. This battle was won and Mineral King is now part of Sequoia National Park. Richard Koch is survived by his wife, Jean, his daughters, Jill Koch Tovey, Christine Koch Wakeem and Leslie Koch and by his sons, Tom and Martin. He also leaves ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. He passed away peacefully in his home on September 24, 2011. He lived a full, adventurous life and accomplished much. A memorial service and reception will be held at All Saints Church, 132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101 on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 4:30 P.M. Donations in his memory can be made to Mt. Hollywood Congregational Church, 4607 Prospect Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027 or to the Guthrie-Koch Scholarship Fund at 6869 Woodlawn Ave. NE # 116, Seattle, WA 98115-5469.