Miriam Scheraga (1921-2020) at Prof. Scheraga's 65th Birthday Sympsosium (Cornell, 10-18-1986)

Memories of Miriam Scheraga


Confucius said "Honor your parents & teachers".
Miriam was my Cornell Professor Scheraga's
wife for 76 years, so it is great sadness
I learned of her passing a month ago.

Here are some fond memories of Miriam—
Scheraga didn't have a TV at home
till their three children left for college,
then he bought a TV and invited the lab

of 40 scientists to his home (11-3-1964) to watch
the 1964 Presidential Elections in the basement;
Miriam tells me to come upstairs to bring down
the coffee, and I fainted going up the stairs.

Drank two cups of white wine on empty stomach
and Miriam offered me to sleep on the bed,
but I just relaxed on their reclining couch
as she was so caring about my well-being.

Scheraga was going to Israel for six months
and wanted to see my doctorate thesis (1970)
but a huge snow storm dumped 40 inches of snow,
his car was buried and couldn't come to the lab.

Miriam phoned and wondered if I had food
and drink with me to weather the blizzard—
I had a tuna sandwich & juice, will trudge
home when they bulldozed away the snow.

Miriam shouted "Peter" when they drove
by my apartment at 11 Walnut Ave, they
brought daughter Deborah to Brandeis
and she wanted me to phone her.

Was too busy doing post-doc research
experiments with Professor Fasman,
and had no chance to contact her.
At Scheraga's 65th Birthday Symposium

(10-18-1986), they took two group photos—
one on all the attendees, and the other just
Scheraga's grad students & post-docs; Miriam
seeing me in the second row said "Why are you

up there" and dragged me to the front row
next to her, thanking me for the poem written
honoring Scheraga's protein research. Just found
this 1986 photo— I'm in the center of Baker Lab!

At Tompkins County Book Sale (1968),
Miriam bought Garcia Lorca's Poems
for 25¢ as I recommended this book
with a beautiful sunburst on the cover.

Miriam's warmth, kindness, & generosity
is like bright sunshine I'll always cherish,
and while I'm saddened by her passing,
these memories will be alive in my heart.


      — Peter Y. Chou
          Mountain View, 2-5-2020