RICHARD VEECH

1935 - 2020

VEECH Richard Lewis Veech Richard Lewis Veech of Rockville, Maryland, died quietly in his sleep on Thursday, Febuary 2, 2020. He was 84 years old. Richard Veech was born on September 19, 1935, in Decatur, Illinois, the son of George Lewis Veech and Jennie Elizabeth Edwards Veech. Called his "little buddy" by his older brother, Ed, everyone called him Bud. Bud left Decatur for Harvard University where he earned a degree in history and literature, followed by an MD. After graduating from medical school, Bud was a resident in internal medicine at Cornell Medical Center New York Hospital where he met his wife, Sally Stoesser Veech. They married in 1965 and moved to Washington, DC, where Bud was stationed and served as a "yellow beret"-a public health service physician for the NIH at St. Elizabeths Hospital. In 1966 Bud joined Hans Krebs at Oxford University. Krebs was best known for his work on the citric acid cycle. He and Bud dove further into the study of mitochondrial metabolic pathways and redox cycles. Theirwork in cellular energetics set the stage for the rest of Bud's career. During their two years in England Bud and Sally had three children, Jennifer, Andrew, and Tom. Bud's return to the United States was precipitated by a plane crash into a remote, snow covered mountainside outside of Hanover, New Hampshire, in late October 1968. Of the 42 people on the plane, only 10 survived. Bud was one of those fortunate ten. Although suffering from a broken back, Bud saved many and directed medical efforts. Bud and his young family settled in Alexandria, Virginia, where George, the fourth of his children was born. Bud went to work for the NIH where he would do the work that would shape his life. His research ranged from basic science to clinical medicine including the study of dialysis, radiation injury, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disease. However, it was his ground breaking work in ketone metabolism that will be his most profound scientific legacy. He was very fortunate in his collaborators, Antonia Calzone, Kieran Clarke, Calvin Crutchfield, William Curtis, Yoshihiro Kashiwaya, and Robert Palowsky, without whom his work would have been impossible. Bud was also a lifelong gardener. A warm peach and a beautiful tomato were gifts to be worked for and admired. He is survived by his son, Tom and his wife, Heather; his son, Andrew and his wife, Tricia; his son, George and his partner, Jessica; his daughter, Jennifer and her husband, Stephen; and his five grandchildren, Lily, Hayden, Emma, Will, and Sam. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association. A memorial service will be held for Richard Veech at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 8, at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House in Alexandria, Virginia.