Memorium: Michael Lesch (1939-2008)

D r Michael Lesch died suddenly on March 19,2008, at the age of 68. Mike's death brings

sorrow and sense of loss to all who knew him. Hewas a friend, mentor, chief, and editor. His wit andwarmth made days better; his enthusiasm formedicine and belief that he could make it bettermade work better; his understanding of languageand communication made articles better. He leavesa loving and lovely family that he adored. He leavesaworld full of colleagues,whowillmiss his sagacityand insights, and he leaves a hospital communityfor whom he had become an admired leader and aconstant reminder of what was best in medicine.

Mike asked my colleague, Suneet Mittal, and meto be guest coeditors for this symposium onsudden death. We are working with a group oftalented and articulate investigators that we allchose. Suneet and I will finish this work, albeitwith a strange sense of irony and more than atouch of sadness. Mike was the coeditor of Pro-gress in Cardiovascular Diseases since 1971 and the

Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, Vol. 50, No. 6 (May/June),

sole editor since Autumn 2007 when his long timecollaborator and friend, Edmund Sonneblick,died. He set the bar high, and we hope to keep itthere for the remainder of this symposium.Mike died in his sleep during a fly-fishing

vacation in Patagonia. Mike worked harder thananyone else in his department. He rounded oftenand knew his housestaff well. He guided thecareers of those finishing their training and helpedshape those of his junior faculty. He understoodthe dynamics, finances, quirks, and regulationsthat fill the corners of a chief's office. And he madeit a vibrant and cohesive entity. However, when hewas done, he did like to get away often withfriends that went back nearly half a century. Hefished in the artic, the Amazon, and Patagonia. Heloved to fish, and the small solace was that he dieddoing what he loved to do—and we learned thathe had had a great day in the stream.

Henry Greenberg, MD

0033-0620/$ - see front matterdoi:10.1016/j.pcad.2008.04.001

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