Edward Gerety

Edward Joseph Gerety was born at home on December 20, 1918 and died at home September 7, 2012 as a result of injuries sustained from a fall. He was born in Shelton, Connecticut, the fifth of nine boys of Peter Leo Gerety and Charlotte Ursula Daly. His father said, We'll take nothing but the best from the children and indeed, they got nothing but the best. Edward was precocious in school, skipping two grades and graduating from high school at age 15 in 1934. Although he had earned a scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, he was unable to take advantage of it. He and his brothers had to postpone their higher education in order provide for their family after their father was disabled by Parkinson's disease. Edward went to work for the Bullard Company where he filled many positions, including one as a machinist. He left the employ of others to establish the Henry and Gerety construction firm in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1938. His career in the construction industry was successful but interrupted by World War II. He enlisted in the Marines in 1942 and attended the Pensacola Intermediate Training School for Naval Aviators. There, although he had only a high school education and was competing with college-educated officers, he earned the second highest score ever recorded, wings as a Naval aviator and a commission as an officer in the Marine Corps. He was deployed to the Pacific theater as a Corsair fighter pilot where he flew 110 missions and earned numerous military decorations. Upon completion of his Pacific tour, he returned to the United States as a Naval flight instructor. In the course of his service he also met Marine Lieutenant Margaret Schneider of Reno, Nevada, whom he wed at Camp Pendleton on September 4, 1945. For the rest of his life he would say to his children, Your mother is the best thing that ever happened to me.After leaving the Marines as a newly married man, Edward returned to his work with the Henry and Gerety firm. His image served as an icon of the retuning soldier in July 1947 when it graced the cover of The Saturday Evening Post. That same year, when higher education became possible because of the GI bill, he returned to school as a night student. Because of his stellar performance in flight school, he had become convinced that college work could not be too difficult. Although others spent their free time in World War II differently, Ed devoted his time to self-study, buying textbooks in mathematics, physics, fluid mechanics, biology and other subjects to pour over when he was not flying. When he entered night classes at the University of Bridgeport, he sat for comprehensive examinations, earning substantial credits toward graduation. He finished with honors after only two and one-half years of night classes. After graduation, he was accepted to Yale Medical School, but only after successfully appealing an administrative rejection based on age. At the time of his entrance into Medical School, he had three children and was 35 years old. He graduated from Yale in 1954 with five children, earning the Parker prize for the student who has shown the best qualifications for a successful practitioner. He then entered an internship at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland which he completed in 1955 with six children. He returned to Connecticut and established a general practice with his brother Robert, who had graduated from Yale medical school two years earlier. In 1961, now with seven children, the pull of additional education led him away from Connecticut to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he entered a University of Colorado-sponsored surgical training program at the Albuquerque VA Hospital and Bernalillo County Indian Hospital. Resident housing was available on the VA campus. He often said that Sears and Roebuck made it possible for him to become a surgeon. Their triple-deck bunks allowed his nine-person family to live in the 800 sq. ft. quarters. He completed his surgical training in 1965. Shortly thereafter, he joined forces with Dr. Robert Castillo and others to form Surgical Associates, PA, still an active surgical practice in Albuquerque. In 1969, he once again felt the need to advance his knowledge and skills. He was intrigued by evolving new cardiovascular surgery techniques. He took a leave of absence from his practice, sought cardiac surgery training at Presbyterian Hospital in San Francisco, returned to New Mexico, and entered practice with Dr. Bud Wilson. Together, they and others brought cardiovascular surgery and intensive care technology to New Mexico. After many years of successful practice, he retired in 1983. Retirement did not spell the end of his contributions to society. Indeed, he said that retirement could mean the true beginning of his meaningful life because it would allow him time to devote himself to contribution without the daily toil of struggle for survival. He began to study computers, took up the piano, and joined the Board of the Santa Fe Opera Foundation. From 1981 to 1990, he served as member, President, and then Chairman of the Board of the Opera Foundation. During his tenure in leadership, the Santa Fe Opera achieved its long-time goal of financial security. In recognition of his success in leadership of the Opera Foundation, he was enlisted by the Ford Foundation National Arts Stabilization program to assist other arts organizations in building a sustainable financial basis. His work with the Ford Foundation continued for several years. Ed did not only focus on academic achievement and hard work. In 1970 he and his wife Peggy built their dream house in the village of Los Ranchos - one which would house all their children, permit horses, and attract their grandchildren. He followed his athletic wife Peggy eagerly into sports and the outdoors. Family vacations were often camping vacations where their love of nature was passed on to their children. Peggy and Ed took frequent advantage of the ski slopes in New Mexico and the Rocky mountains. He prided himself on free ski passes upon reaching his seventies. They were avid riders with the Juan Tomas Hounds, a hunt club, where Peggy served as Secretary, Treasurer and President. He remained active athletically into his mid-eighties. Ed and Peggy were not typical parents. They raised their children based on his parents' philosophy. They taught their children not to lie by always believing them and made them successful by expecting only the best from them. They pursued Rudolf Dreikurs' philosophy of instructing children to understand the consequences of their actions by allowing them to experience those very consequences. There were very few rules and little punishment but very high expectations. They believed in the value of higher education and expected all of their children to earn post-graduate degrees. An early feminist, Ed encouraged his daughters to have high ambitions. He often said he wanted his daughters to have an education so they didn't have to depend on any S.O.B. for a living. Throughout his life he was blessed by astounding intelligence, great health, and insuperable optimism. All of his seven children, twenty-two grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren felt truly loved and accepted by him. This love is indelible and will be with them for the rest of their lives. Dr. Edward J. Gerety is survived by many, including, his brothers, Rev. Peter Leo Gerety, retired Archbishop of Newark, NJ, Robert Gerety, MD, of Vermont; wife, Margaret H. Gerety; and his children, son, Edward J. Gerety Jr., a small businessman in Miami, Florida; son, Michael Gerety, geophysicist and artist, of Provence, France; two grandchildren, Ryan and Jessica and two great-grandchildren, Adam and Liam; son, Richard Gerety, MD, and wife, Lynn Longfield, MD, of Albuquerque; four grandsons, Patrick, Christopher, Peter and Matthew; daughter, Meghan Gerety, MD, and her husband, John Alberts; four grandchildren, Shannon, Joseph, Sam and Hannah and two great-grandchildren, David and Michaela; son, M. Colin Gerety, a small businessman, and wife, Sarah Fishburn of Fort Collins; four grandchildren, September, Corina, Sierra and Silver, and eight great-grandchildren Dante, Sebastian, Billy, Trinity, Marcus, Kayla, Ezra, and Elspeth; daughter, Moira Gerety, an IT executive, and husband, Steve Summers of Albuquerque; six grandchildren, Celeste, Melina, Danelle, Adam, Mario and Shannon and two great-grandchildren, Corbin and Christian; and daughter, Brigid Gerety, MD, and husband, Carl Hawkins of Athens, GA and two grandchildren, Georgia and Charlotte. All who knew Ed saw him as a formidable man who inspired others all his life. He was unique, a force of nature. He believed in the spiritual growth of man, the maturation of human society and a better future. He will be missed by all. Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, September 16, 2012, 1:30 pm at the Newman Center, 1815 Las Lomas Road NE. Following the mass, at 4:00 pm, a wake/reception will be held at 2041 Los Poblanos Place NW. Private burial will take place with military honors at the Santa Fe National Cemetery.