George I. Solish M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. George I. Solish, 93, lifelong learner and true mensch, passed away peacefully Tuesday, April 9, 2013, at his home in Templeton. Born to Polish Jewish immigrants Samuel and Beile Solish in Woonsocket, R.I., George dreamt of becoming a surgeon. He earned his B.S. from Providence College and a pursued a graduate degree at Brown University in Biology. There he met a perpetually late young co-ed. George would say this is where his life truly began. Before he earned his degree, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force and served in England, France and Italy at the height of World War II. In a letter from Europe he ordered that the co-ed, Bernice Parvey, "not to get married" until he returned. He did, and they did. Together, they blew past obstacles and naysayers as he finished medical school at Tufts University, two internships at Yale New Haven Hospital and Kings County Hospital and a residency at the latter. He taught medicine at SUNY Downstate before a stint in Ann Arbor, Mich., to gain a Ph.D in human genetics. Back in Brooklyn, he taught at Downstate until he was named chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Long Island College Hospital. He was also the chair of the novel Human Genetics Department and Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Maimonides Medical Center. George and Bernice "retired" to Templeton, where George, 81, enrolled in piano and equine science at Cal Poly. He lost Bernice in 2010, but mucked stalls until the end. George is survived by his three children, their spouses and grandchildren.