Gherardo Gherardi ’42

Gherardo "Zeke" Gherardi, a pathologist and teacher, died Sept. 6, 2007, in an automobile accident near Hearne, Texas. He was 86.

Zeke was born in Lucca, Italy. In 1933 he and his mother followed his father to Trenton, N.J., where he graduated from Trenton High School.

At Princeton Zeke majored in biology and graduated with high honors. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, and was a member of the fencing team.

In 1945 he graduated from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Following medical training he served as a surgeon in the 24th Infantry Division in Japan, separating as a captain.

In 1954, Zeke moved to Boston as a pathologist, first at New England Medical Center, and later at the Framingham Union Hospital. He was an associate professor of pathology at both Tufts Medical School and Boston University Medical School, and served from 1975 to 1976 as president of the New England Society of Pathologists.

Zeke was a warmhearted man who was devoted to his late wife, Celeste, his family, his students, and his Italian heritage. The class sends sympathy to his children, Mark and Peter '83; his stepchildren, Ronald Banay and Roberta Kelly; and eight grandchildren.