Dr. John Gergely

NAHANT - Dr. John Gergely (MD; PhD) of Nahant, died peacefully on Friday, July 26, 2013. He was 94. He leaves behind his wife Nora (Czoboly), to whom he was married for 68 years, their eight children, 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.Dr. Gergely was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary. He earned his MD degree at the University of Budapest in 1942. In 1946 Dr. Gergely moved with Nora and their two baby daughters (Sophia and Katherine) to the University of Leeds in England, where he studied the quantum aspects of Biochemistry. While in Leeds, where he earned a PhD in Biochemistry, a third daughter (Julia) was born and soon after (1949) the young family moved to Bethesda, Md. where Dr. Gergely had accepted a position at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In September 1950 the family relocated to the University of Wisconsin's Enzyme Institute in Madison. One year and another child later (this time a son, John Jr.) the family arrived in the Boston area where Dr. Gergely accepted a research position at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The family settled in Nahant, in 1951, where four more children (Martha, Peter, Andrew, Anna) were born to Nora and John over the years, and where the family has lived ever since. He enjoyed engaging with his children through skiing, sailing, tennis, music, art and imparted to them the pure joy of learning.Dr. Gergely spent nearly 50 years in muscle research in the Boson area, first as a biochemist in the Department of Neurology at MGH, and as an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, and eventually as Senior Scientist at the Boston Biomedical Research Institute (BBRI) which he co-founded with his boyhood friend from Budapest, Dr. Andre "Bandi" Balazs in 1968. Dr. Gergely also served as Director of BBRI for many years until he semi-retired in 2003. In that same year he was named a Fellow by The Biophysical Society "for fundamental contributions to the understanding of the mechanism of muscle contraction, in particular through pioneering studies of the structure and function of the troponin complex." He remained active as a Board member of the Institute until March of this year.Dr. Gergely was an accomplished skier and sailor in his younger days, activities he managed to enjoy well into his late 80s. He was an active member and leader on the Council of Clifton Lutheran Church (Marblehead) for many years, where he also served as a lay worship assistant.Although Dr. Gergely's contributions to science and muscle research are many, and he was internationally renowned in his field, perhaps his greatest legacy is how he touched others and positively affected the lives of colleagues and friends. Their words best convey the essence of Dr. John Gergely:"John was the heart and soul of BBRI"."John possessed great skills as both an entrepreneur and basic medical researcher. I feel my life has been the better because of knowing him."One of the most important measures of a scientist is the number of scientists they train and inspire. I can't begin to count the number of young scientists that John Gergely mentored, who are now leaders in muscle research. This was partly due to his scientific brilliance, but even more to his generosity, his selflessness, his empathy. We are all so lucky to have been inspired and encouraged by John."It breaks my heart knowing that John Gergely will no longer be with us to generously share his wit, scientific views and his good heart. I am so happy I had the opportunity to work with John in BBRI. John's spirit will always be among us."Service information: The family asks that in lieu of sending flowers, gifts in Dr. Gergely's memory be given to the Trustees of Boston University to Support Scientific Research at Boston University School of Medicine and mailed to the attention of Lawrence Crimmins, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord St., L219, Boston, MA 02118.