I remember Jerry as one of my best friends, while going to dental school at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. We were in the same class of December 1975 together.
We often would play music with other friends in our class and he was very good on his guitar. Jerry was multifaceted in many areas. He was an artist, poet, musician and scholar to name a few. I never really knew all of his accomplishments, because he didn’t talk about them very much. He was a very humble person. Throughout the difficulties of dental school when it was easy to be discouraged and overwhelmed by the curriculum and load we had to endure, Jerry would always have a positive and uplifting message, to help carry us through. He would talk about his family and friends with a love and adoration, not often seen. I can still remember his sharp quick wit and humor. He could come back almost instantly to any comment presented to him. He was well –liked by other members in his class.
I can remember one time when Jerry was in his apartment in St. Louis. The snow had come down heavily the night before, and Jerry was trapped in his apartment. A snow drift had blown and covered his front door and most of the windows. He could not open the door or get out to attend class that day. Some of his friend quickly went into action, and got some food items together like cans of soup, etc. We gained a slight access to one of the windows on the side of his apartment, and lowered the food down to him. I’m sure he would have survived either way, but we used to laugh hysterically about that situation for a long time afterwards.
Jerry had a big heart. He would do anything to help you out, if he could. There weren’t many people like him. I think the biggest tribute to him, is the many lives he had touched. We will miss you brother! Dr. Daniel Soper