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My memories of Dr. Giovanni Neri

2013; Wiley; Volume: 161; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/ajmg.a.36268

1552-4833

Alfred G. Knudson,

Medical History and Innovations

“Alfred Knudson, Alfonso Bellacosa and Giovanni Neri in Porto Santo Stefano, Argentario, Italy, on March 11, 1995, on the occasion of a trip of Alfred Knudson and his wife, Anna Meadows, to Europe.” The news that Dr. Giovanni (Bibo) Neri is retiring stirs memories for me scattered over 40 years and three settings: Texas, Philadelphia, and Italy. In 1969, I was at the MD Anderson Medical Center and was Dean of its affiliated Graduate School, both part of the University of Texas when Bibo came to Houston. He came as a working visitor to the laboratory of a professor with whom I was collaborating at the Baylor Medical Center; our long friendship developed during those years. We took advantage of Bibo's proximity to us and his knowledge of genetics by having him give a series of lectures to our graduate students. He was able to utilize his wonderful teaching skills for the first time in English. Also, during his Texas sojourn, he began my education about his country; Italy continues to be the favorite of my wife Anna and myself. When we planned a trip to Perugia after I had already moved to Philadelphia, that knowledge enabled us to enjoy Italy even more. It was after I moved to Philadelphia to direct the Institute for Cancer Research at Fox Chase that Bibo arrived to spend time in the laboratories of two distinguished scientists, John Opitz, a geneticist in Montana, and Susan Astrin, a virologist at Fox Chase. This was a productive trip for him scientifically, but the weather did not cooperate: it was the coldest winter in the century in Montana and the hottest in the summer in Philadelphia. A special treat for us was enjoying the 4th of July fireworks with his family that summer. Although we have not seen Bibo for some time, we are reminded of him because of the student he sent to Philadelphia. We are grateful for Alfonso Bellacosa, the student who became an internationally prominent scientist and is now a professor at Fox Chase Cancer Center. My wife and I visited with Bibo and Enrica several times in Italy; one trip to the Isle of Capri and the Amalfi coast, one to Florence, and one to their home at the Argentario. But the most memorable was the trip to Naples for the Pope's millennium genetics meeting that Dr. Neri organized. We were also able to attend the meeting with the Pope in Rome and to observe him conduct a mass at the Vatican. Dr. Neri has had a distinguished career in the study of human genetics and hereditary cancer. He has also been a good friend and we wish him the very best in his new role in retirement.