Dr. Libero Ajello

News Obituary Article

DECATUR: Libero Ajello, fungal disease expert

By KAY POWELL

Researching athlete's foot in soldiers at Fort Benning set Dr. Libero Ajello up to become a world leader in fungal diseases.

"Ideas and opinions Li expressed 30 or 40 years ago are still relevant today," said Dr. David Warnock of Conyers, chief of the mycotic diseases branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"He made a range of very significant discoveries in a number of areas in the field. He made so many contributions, I can't single out one."

Dr. Ajello worked for the CDC for 43 years, retiring in 1990 as director of the mycology division.

"He published his first work in the 1940s and is still being published today," Dr. Warnock said. "We still quote him today."

The memorial service for Dr. Ajello, 88, of Decatur, who died of a stroke Feb. 24 at Emory University Hospital, is 2 p.m. today at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta. The body was cremated. A.S. Turner & Sons is in charge of arrangements.

Dr. Ajello was working with fungi in graduate school at Columbia University when World War II broke out. He joined a unit from Columbia that went to Fort Benning to research athlete's foot, said his wife, Gloria Ajello, a CDC microbiologist.

Dr. Ajello was particularly interested in histoplasmosis and coccioidomycosis, systemic fungal diseases, said his wife. Coccioidomycosis, which also can be a fatal respiratory disease, is particular relevant today, she said. It thrives in desert areas and is a threat to soldiers in such areas, she noted.

"He had an intellectual reputation second to none," Dr. Warnock said. Dr. Ajello was as respected for his teaching and assistance to other scientists worldwide as he was for his research, he added.

"He possessed a remarkable ability to convey his views with clarity and great certainty," said Dr. Warnock. "He was a man of strong conviction. He was a very clear minded, determined individual."

Dr. Ajello was a member of a number of environmental organizations and based his vacations on taking natural history tours in, among other countries, Malaysia, Australia, Brazil and Costa Rica, his wife said.

Survivors include a son, Marc Ajello of Decatur; a sister, Santa Ajello of Decatur; a brother, Vero Ajello of New Jersey; and two grandchildren.

© 2004 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution