4Reflections
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To
Sam, With Love
Marcos Rojkind
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Pathology
The George Washington University Medical Center
Washington, DC 20037
T
here are some events in the life of a person that
can have great influence on his or her future. This
event occurred to me in January of 1962 when
I received a telegram from the Helen Hay Whitney
Foundation with the great news that I had been granted
a postdoctoral fellowship to work at the Albert Einstein
College of Medicine under the mentorship of Drs. Paul
Gallop, Olga Blumenfeld, and Sam Seifter. Without
knowing, I had selected three of the most wonderful
people as mentors, three people who represented the
spirit with which the College of Medicine was built.
I arrived at Idlewood Airport (now Kennedy) in the
evening of May 15th, 1962 with my wife and two small
children (an 18- and a 1-month old) and I was greeted
by Paul Gallop, who brought with him one of his postdoctoral fellows, Dr. Mercedes Paz from Argentina, just
in case I did not speak enough English to communicate
with him. He made arrangements for us to stay at the
Mazer dormitories while I found an apartment. He
brought with him a few pots, different types of milk,
and utensils to help us feed the babies. Moreover, he
obtained a crib from the children’s ward for our onemonth old baby. The next day, I was introduced to Olga
and Sam who almost instantly adopted me as another
member of their family and became my extended family
in New York. Their warmth and caring for their students
and fellows were unique and their ability to transfer
their knowledge was great.
After the official introductions, I was handed several reprints containing publications about ester bonds,
gamma glutamyl linkages, aldehydes, and what looked
to me as strange, complicated chemical reactions. I was
given the assignment to read them and prepare myself
to start working immediately. As a young physician
who had completed his training in pathology, I was
frightened and in a state of shock with the assignment
because my knowledge of the chemistry required to
approach my research project was very limited. I felt like
crying and had to decide whether to return to Mexico
defeated or to fight back and get the proper training to
solve the problem. I selected the latter and with a few
courses taken at City College and the great patience of
Sam in teaching me and explaining the chemistry to me,
I gradually became better prepared to handle the task.
Paul was the generator of thousands of ideas per
minute. Olga was skeptical about many of Paul’s ideas
and Sam was the wise man who could moderate Paul’s
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Einstein J. Biol. Med. (2008) 24:20-21.
enthusiasm and convince Olga that some ideas were
great. In addition, he had the ability to transform the
craziest idea into a fantastic research proposal. He could
easily digest the information and make it accessible to
us, the students and fellows. My three mentors were
always available, willing to teach me and answer my
questions, and were responsible for molding me as a
scientist and as a human being. However, Sam is the one
that had the strongest influence on me as an individual.
Not only is he very knowledgeable of the chemistry of
collagen, but he is humanistic, he is socially and politically involved, he is a great gardener that can recite
the Latin names of most plants in his beautiful garden,
he is a fantastic cook, and he loves classical music and
opera. Sam is a sports fan, and although he roots for the
New York Yankees, deep in his heart he cheers for the
Cleveland Indians. Along our 44 years of friendship, he
has managed to teach me many of his skills and he has
made sure I learned them the proper way.
Sam is inspiring. From him I have learned about a wide
variety of topics ranging from carbohydrate metabolism, onion compounds, and elastic proteins present in
the wings of some insects, to the lives of writers, poets
and composers. Sam knows the biographies and even
the batting averages of selected baseball players. He is
a walking encyclopedia. Sam is also a unique and generous banker. When he sees a student or fellow in distress due to money shortage, he is always ready to sign
a check. When I was in his laboratory he was always
lending money to his students and fellows without
charging interest. I, myself, was a beneficiary of his
loans which helped me balance my budget and even
pay my mortgage.
With the passing of years, I became more attached to
Sam and a frequent guest of his family. After completing my postdoctoral training and returning to Mexico,
his home and his family became my home and my family in the USA. I never had to ask for permission to stay
in the Seifter’s home. I only had to call Sam or his wife,
Eleanor, and announce to them my upcoming visit. The
room with the pink sheets was always ready for me and
I only had to take the limousine from the airport to
New Rochelle where they were waiting for me with a
wide smile, a big hug, and a warm dinner. It felt just like
home. Of course, the washing of the dishes was accompanied by a few operatic songs to which Sam composed
the lyrics. My constant travel from Mexico to New York
4Reflections
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To
Sam, With Love
gave me the feeling that I had two homes and two sets
of parents. During these visits, we used to spend time
talking, gardening, cooking, discussing my research, giving me new ideas, helping me design experiments, as
well as discussing multiple topics making the headlines
of the New York Times. Sam taught me how to write
grant applications. He helped me in preparing my first
NIH grant application before I returned to Mexico, and
to my delight, it received a favorable score and was
funded for three years.
During the 1970s, Sam and Eleanor spent a sabbatical
year in Mexico. They lived for five months in an historical apartment complex (Tlaltelolco), which was later
destroyed during the earthquake of September 1985.
While Sam was writing a review on collagenases and
teaching at the Center for Advanced Studies where I
worked, Eleanor was taking classical guitar lessons and
learning Spanish. They immensely enjoyed spending
Saturday mornings buying fresh fruits and vegetables at
the Lagunilla market, a very popular market in Mexico
City. During their stay in Mexico, the World Soccer
Championship was taking place. We used to have a tele-
vision set in the seminar room and from time to time
we used to stop our research and go there to watch
part of the games. Sam used to get as excited with the
soccer games, with the Brazilian team, and with Pelé,
as any of us.
In 1987, when I returned to New York to work at
Einstein, Sam’s home continued to be my second home
and Sam’s family was my family. I was always invited
to every single family celebration and each time I felt
loved. Now, I live in Maryland and although I do not
travel as often to the New York City area, I still maintain close contact with Sam and Eleanor by phone and
e-mail. My wife and I always reminisce about the good
times we had with them and we miss them very much.
I could spend many hours talking about Sam and
Eleanor, two wonderful human beings that had, and
still have, a great influence in my life. Sam has touched
countless lives, including mine. I feel honored and privileged to have him as a mentor and friend. If this world
could have more Sams and Eleanors, it would be a better and more wonderful world in which to live.
The Einstein Journal of Biology and Medicine
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