Margaret "Peggy" E. Saks

Born in Newark, New Jersey on July 25,1950 to Mildred and Raymond Saks, Margaret "Peggy" E. Saks died on November 23, 2025 in Urbana, Illinois. The cause of death was a brain hemorrhage.

A proud native of Maplewood, New Jersey, she obtained her bachelor's degree in urban studies from Washington University in St. Louis, her Master of Science in Zoology from the University of Connecticut, and her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from the State University of New York Stony Brook.

Dr. Saks performed wide-ranging and widely acclaimed studies that had a major impact on several areas of research. These investigations ranged from field-ecological studies of plant-insect interactions to molecular studies of basic processes of cellular function and how these functions evolve.

She conducted her research at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) and several other institutions, including the University of Oregon, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A sizeable body of her work focused on the ways in which genes are translated into proteins. Her research and experiments made numerous significant contributions to our understanding of transfer RNA -- the small molecules that play a key role in that translation process. Dr. Saks's scholarly work appeared in multiple prestigious journals including Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the Journal of Molecular Evolution.

Dr. Saks was widely admired by her colleagues for her strong work ethic and scientific rigor, her humility and her unselfish desire to help others. She retired from her long career as a researcher and mentor to future scientists, most recently at the University of Illinois.

In addition to her passion for scientific research, Dr. Saks was an avid gardener, cook, outdoor enthusiast and lover of the arts. She was blessed by having many longtime close friends, perhaps her greatest legacy. She is survived by her sister Marian K. Stevens and brother-in-law David E. Stevens. Burial was in New York City on Dec. 1, 2025.

To honor Peggy's memory, donations may be directed to The Kaly Stevens Kris Sarcoma Research Fund at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center online at http://mskcc.convio.net/goto/kalyStevensKris or the charity of your choice.