Roger H. Herzig

1946 - 2020

Roger H Herzig

Roger H. Herzig a son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, a pioneering cancer physician, and tireless advocate for patients and their families, passed away on July 18, 2020. His death is a loss for the study of medicine, the treatment of cancer, his patients and their families, and his family. He left a legacy of loyalty, commitment, courage, and love.

Roger was born on January 4, 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio to Sylvia, Jack, and brother, Geoffrey. He is survived by his spouse of 53 years Donna Stern Herzig, his four children, David, Daniel, Robert, and Brian, three daughters-in-laws, Belinda, Sallie, and Emilie, and nine grandchildren, Edward, Eleanor, Ethan, Hannah, Lucy, Catherine, Holly, Caroline, and Jack.

Roger was a graduate of Walnut Hills High School and the University of Cincinnati. After completing his medical degree with honors and residency at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, he served in the Naval Medical Corps during the Vietnam War. During this service, while working at the National Cancer Institute, he worked to develop some of the first bone marrow transplant protocols to treat leukemia and lymphoma. He then returned to Cleveland and was the founding director of bone marrow transplant programs at University Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic, before moving to Louisville to be the director of the University of Louisville James Graham Brown Cancer Center in 1988. He contributed to research, education, and patient care through tenures at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Kentucky before returning to the University of Louisville in 2020. Through nearly fifty years of medical practice he touched countless lives, educated multiple generations of physicians, helped establish bone marrow transplant programs internationally, and remains world-renowned for his landmark works in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma.

If you knew Roger, chances are you met him in one of two places: the hospital or the track. He dedicated his career to helping patients navigate through difficult cancer treatment, spending endless hours at the hospital to be available for his patients and their families. He would enter rooms with a smile and a bad "dad joke." His gentle nature and kind heart always meant that his patients knew they had someone on their side.

For those who knew him at the track, his friendly nature, his pitcher of Diet Coke, and basket of pretzels were as available as his sage advice. Some of his best-known bits of track advice were: not a man alive made a dime at 4-5; never bet a trifecta; always bet the exacta; wheel the favorite; and when in doubt bet on Pat Day.

Roger had a life well lived and his warm smile, kind eyes, and gentile laugh will be missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family request gifts directed to the James Graham Brown Cancer Center Herzig Memorial Fund, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, 509 S. Jackson St., Louisville, KY 40202. Because of COVID-19, a small memorial will be held for family in Cleveland. Next July, the family, if restrictions permit, will host a memorial for his family, patients, colleagues, and friends.