Mary Ellen Avery M.D.

Norma & I were very saddened to hear of Mel's passing. We first met her at Hopkins some 50 years ago and she was a tremendous influence on our lives; for me, medically and for both of us, personally. I was her first post-doctoral fellow ( as she would often quip:
" There were no other candidates !"). Her legacy is legendary and her contributions to the field of neonatology and international child health, either directly or through a multitude of trainees was immense and...

What wonderful memories I have of Mel and our friendship, beginning at Wheaton where we were roommates, and continuing at Hopkins and through the years. She was a marvelous and fun human being, devoted to her family , friends and colleagues. We will all miss her. Til Snelling Smith

I feel blessed to have had Mel as my godmother, and will forever treasure the little time I got to spend with her. Her gifts from around the world were eyeopening for me as a young child, and as an adult I was even more impressed by all of her accomplishments. My condolences to her nieces and nephew-thanks for sharing her in small part.

Our condolences to the family,

It is comforting to know that our Creator promises that we can look forward to the time when sickness and death will be completely a thing of the past. Our loved ones will hear Jesus' voice and come out to be reunited in peaceful, paradise conditions. 2 Pet. 3:13

Mel will always be with us because of her mentoring,leadership and wisdom. I try to reciprocate everyday, but will never be able to fully 'repay' the favor and honor of having worked with her. If only there were more Mels in the world.

John S. Torday, MSc,PhD
Professor,
Department of Pediatrics and
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Director, The Henry L. Guenther Laboratory
for Cell/Molecular Research
Director,Laboratory for Evolutionarypreventive Medicine