Alfred Jaretzki III

Alfred Jaretzki III (August 11, 1919 – May 29, 2014) was an American surgeon and medical professor. Early in his career, he co-authored a seminal journal article on developing synthetic vascular glands, which informed the growth of practices in aortic aneurism surgery. Jaretzki served as a professor of clinical surgery at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, a lecturer at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and led the task force of the Medical Scientific Advisory Board of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America.

Early life and education

Jaretzki was born on August 11, 1919 in Greenwich, Connecticut to Alfred Jaretzki, Jr. (1892-1976) and Edna Astruck. He graduated from the Morristown School (now Morristown-Beard School) in Morristown, New Jersey in 1937. Jaretzki then earned his bachelor's degree at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1941. During his undergraduate studies at Harvard, Jaretzki played on the junior varsity football team, and he served as treasurer of The Harvard Lampoon, a humor magazine.

Jaretzki completed his medical degree at Harvard Medical School in 1944 and his internship at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. In 2002, the Society of the Alumni of the Presbyterian Hospital awarded Jaretzki their Distinguished Alumni Award during a ceremony at Low Memorial Library at Columbia University.

Career

At the beginning of his career, he co-authored a seminal journal article on developing synthetic vascular glands, which informed the growth of practices in aortic aneurism surgery. Later in his career, Jaretzki served as president of the New York Thoracic Society. He also led the seven-member Task Force of the Medical Scientific Advisory Board of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America. The task force developed the 2000 report Myasthenia Gravis: Recommendations for Clinical Research Standards.

Jaretzki served as a professor of clinical surgery at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and as a lecturer at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

Cooperstown Planning Commission

During the 1960s, Jaretzki worked as a physician at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, New York, the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. While living in the Cooperstown area, Jaretzki served as a founding member of the Cooperstown Planning Commission. The Commission developed the 1962 Cooperstown Area Plan for Cooperstown, New York and its immediate vicinity.

Personal life

Jaretzki married Sonia Lasell in 1945. They divorced in the early 1960s. He was married to Alexandra Moltke Isles (born 1947) who had previously been married to Philip Henry Isles II of the Lehman banking family. His children were:

• Alfred Jaretzki IV
• Lasell Bartlett Jaretzki
• Alexander Jaretzki
• Sumner Jaretzki

Jaretzki died on May 29, 2014.