Nicola M. Di Ferrante M.D.

Nino, as he was known to his friends, was born on the 26th of January 1925, in Fontana Liri, Italy, the only son of Generale Vincenzo Di Ferrante and Lina Di Ferrante (nèe Beccarini-Crescenzi).

Nino spent his early years at the Military Establishment of Fontana Liri where his father was Director. During World War II, he was forced, along with his family, to hide from the Germans in the homes and fields of friendly farmers in the outskirts of Fontana Liri. During this period of hiding, Nino continued to study his medical books, and, at war’s end, he graduated first in his class of a thousand students at University of Rome.

In 1952, Nino, as one of the first ever Fulbright Scholars, came to the United States to study medicine in Rochester, New York. Nino believed the future of medicine lay in the United States so he decided to remain in the U.S. He chose medical research as his specialty and was appointed to a prestigious faculty position at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York City. There, he isolated a new line of human biochemical aberrations: the buildup of mucopolysaccharides causal to the syndrome subsequently named for him, the “Di Ferrante Syndrome”.

After the Rockefeller Institute, Nino became an attending physician at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island. He was awarded a grant from the American Heart Association and earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Rochester. He took a faculty position at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, and subsequently a position with The Retina Foundation in Boston.

In 1965, Nino and his family moved to Houston where he worked and taught at Baylor College of Medicine, in the Department of Biochemistry, until his retirement as tenured full professor in 1984. During his years at Baylor, Nino helped train countless physicians and researchers, and he received many grants and accolades for his research into human biochemistry. For one of his sabbatical terms, he was awarded yet another Fulbright Scholarship to continue his research in Brazil.

In 1982, Nino was appointed Honorary Consul of Italy in Houston where he focused his efforts on assisting Italian nationals who had come to The Medical Center for treatment. Nino was proud of his Italian roots, returning often to Italy. He was an avid supporter of Italian art and food, and was an early member of Houston’s Italy in America Association. He established the Di Ferrante Importing Company to import small production wines from Italy. Known for his charm and courtly manner, Nino was a symphony, opera and classic movie enthusiast. He had many interests but was never happier than when he was out hunting with his sons and his friends.

Nino will be faithfully remembered and mourned by his children, Barbara Di Farrante and husband Henry Popkin of Seattle, Washington, Stephen, Christian, and Paola Di Ferrante, all of Houston, Texas; former spouse, M.T. Di Ferrante of Houston, Texas; sister, Elvira Di Ferrante of Rome, Italy; grandchildren, Rachel Popkin of Seattle, Washington, and Matthew Popkin of San Francisco, California; niece and nephew, Nicoletta and Lamberto Funghi, both of Rome, Italy; as well as many friends and colleagues. The family wishes to acknowledge and thank those “more-than-friends” who were so dear to Nino in his recent years, most especially Maria Scalia, John Alexander Calpakis and his mother Careen Plummer, Drs. Martin and Ruzica Hrgovcic, and Dr. Mark and Joyce Mehaffey. The family also wishes to express gratitude to the staff and residents of the Village of Tanglewood for their many kindnesses to Nino.

A Mass of Christian Burial is to be offered at ten o’clock in the morning on Monday, the 30th of March, at St. Michael Catholic Church 1801 Sage Road in Houston, where the Rev. Msgr. Frank H. Rossi is to serve as celebrant.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be directed to The Italian Cultural & Community Center of Houston, 1101 Milford St., Houston, TX 77006, www.iccchouston.com; or to Friends of Big Bend, P.O. Box 200, Big Bend National Park, TX 79834, www.bigbendfriends.org/how-to-help/fund/ .