Advertisement. Advertise with us

IN MEMORIAM

Bassett Scientist Len Sauer, 89;

Retired To New Life In Montana

Len Sauer

COOPERSTOWN – Beloved, gentle Len Sauer, senior research physician emeritus at Bassett Research Institute since retiring in 1996, died April 15, 2019, at his home on the Bitterroot River in Montana.

For 89 years, he was his own definite self, a quiet person of integrity and acceptance.

He went to high school in Schenectady, but was a less-than-serious student: he skipped school to play pool.  However, in 1948, he enlisted in the Army and spent nearly four years in the Signal Corps.  This experience changed his life, for thanks to the GI Bill, he was able to go to college and there he found his passion: science.

After graduation from Cornell, he got his M.D. at the University of Rochester and then his Ph.D. from The Rockefeller Institute in New York.  He became a research scientist, working most of his career at Bassett Hospital, and publishing some 70 papers.  Among other topics, he researched tumor metabolism of fatty acids; his work was imaginative, analytical and critical.

When he retired, he started a new life in Montana and began woodworking.  Continuing his lifelong love of fly fishing, he spent many happy hours on the Bitterroot.  Bird watching was an enduring interest and in his younger years he had enjoyed back packing in the Adirondacks with his family.  Mel Brooks, John Belushi and Jack Nicholson were among those who entertained him.

Len‘s radiant smile, his repertoire of arcane family sayings, and his unique sense of humor were precious to his family, which includes his wife, Mimi, his three offspring, their spouses, and his treasured grandchildren: Beneth and Alix Goldschmidt-Sauer of Guilford, Vt.; David Sauer and Jenna Murray of Portland, Or.; Matt Sauer and Rocio Sanchez-Fernandez of Limburgerhof, Germany; Hanna Reichel, Carmen Sauer and Leo Goldschmidt-Sauer.

He was fortunate in that all of them were able to spend time with him in his last weeks.  The way he approached death was the last of many excellent examples he provided for how to live a life.

In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting a cause close to Len‘s heart:  children and wild places.   Two organizations he believed in were Save the Children (501 Kings Highway East, Suite 400, Fairfield, CT 06825) and The Bitter Root Land Trust (170 S. 2nd Street, Suite B, PO Box 1806, Hamilton, MT, 59840).

 

 

Posted

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Articles

SCOLINOS: It’s All We Need To Know: Home Plate 17 Inches Wide

COLUMN VIEW FROM THE GAME It’s All We Need To Know: Home Plate 17 Inches Wide Editor’s Note:  Tim Mead, incoming Baseball Hall of Fame president, cited John Scolinos, baseball coach at his alma mater, Cal Poly Pomona, as a lifelong inspiration, particularly Scolinos’ famous speech “17 Inches.” Chris Sperry, who published sperrybaseballlife.com, heard Scolinos deliver a version in 1996 at the American Baseball Coaches Association in Nashville, and wrote this reminiscence in 1916 in his “Baseball Thoughts” column. By CHRIS SPERRY • from www.sperrybaseballlife.com In 1996, Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching…

Piper Seamon Scores 1,000th point

1,000 THANKS! Piper Seamon 5th CCS Girl To Hit High Mark The Cooperstown Central student section erupts as Piper Seamon scores her 1,000th career point in the Hawkeyes’ 57-39 win over Waterville at home last evening. Seamon becomes the fifth girl and only the 14th player in school history overall to score 1,000 points.  Inset at right, Pipershares a hug with teammate Meagan Schuermann after the game was stopped to acknowledge her achievement. Seamon will play basketball next year at Hamilton College. (Cheryl Clough/AllOTSEGO.com)  …

Sports Can Resume, Superintendents Told

CLICK HERE FOR MEMO TO SCHOOLS Sports Can Resume, Superintendents Told COOPERSTOWN – In a memo released Friday evening, county Public Health Director Heidi Bond advised local school superintendents that sports can resume as early as Monday. “Effective Feb. 1, participants in higher-risk sports may participate in individual or distanced group training and organized no/low-contact group training,” Bond wrote, “…including competitions and tournaments, if permitted by local health authorities.”…

Putting the Community Back Into the Newspaper

Now through March 30, new annual subscribers to “The Freeman’s Journal” and AllOtsego.com (or subscribers who have lapsed for two or more years) have an opportunity to help their choice of one of four Otsego County charitable organizations.

$5.00 of your subscription will be donated to the nonprofit of your choice:

Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, Cooperstown Food Pantry, Greater Oneonta Historical Society or Super Heroes Humane Society.