Sumner Berkovich

Sumner was the youngest of four sons born to Morris and Lena Berkovich. He was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts on July 18, 1927, and graduated from Haverhill High School in 1945.

He joined the Army after graduation and served as a radio intercept operator until his discharge. In 1948 he entered McGill University in Montreal and graduated with “great distinction” earning a Bachelor of Science degree.

In 1952 Sumner entered Boston University Medical School. He graduated in 1956 as a medical doctor. He continued his training specializing in pediatrics and infectious disease. He completed his internship at Buffalo General Hospital in 1957 and a residency in pediatrics at Buffalo Children’s Hospital in 1959. From 1959-1961 he was the National Science Foundation fellow in Research Division of Infectious Diseases, Dr. John Enders’ lab at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston, and research fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School. In 1961 he took a position at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and for the next ten years he was assistant professor in pediatrics, a noted researcher, lecturer, and writer contributing more than 35 articles to professional journals based on his research in viral diseases. In 1971 Sumner left medical research to open a pediatric practice in Portland Maine. He was part of the pediatric attending staff at Maine Medical Center and Mercy Hospital, a clinical associate professor of Pediatrics for Tufts University Medical School and the University of Vermont Medical School.

In 1951 Sumner married Barbara Levitt who also grew up in Haverhill, Massachusetts. They have three daughters and were married and best friends for more than 61–years. When Sumner retired from practicing medicine he turned his attention fulltime to his passions- raising animals and gardening. He went to medical school, he was a respected researcher and teacher, and he practiced medicine but his heart was a Master Gardener. Sumner and Barbara have spent the past twenty years putting a lot of hard work and gaining much joy from their acres of gardens in Cumberland. His delight was in those gardens and they will continue to be his living legacy.

Sumner’s life should be celebrated; his passion for research and medicine; his commitment to the thousands of children he cared for, his love of family, and his joy in the animals he raised, and the gardens he cultivated in Cumberland, Maine.

Friends and relatives are invited to attend services for Sumner at Temple Bethel on Thursday January 10 at 12:00P.M. with Rabbi Carolyn Braun officiating. On line condolences can be made to Sumner’s Family at www.jonesrichandhutchins.com.

Sumner Berkovich, 85, died on January 6, 2013, at his home in Cumberland, Maine.

Sumner was the youngest of four sons born to Morris and Lena Berkovich. He was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts on July 18, 1927, and graduated from Haverhill High School in 1945.

He joined the Army after graduation and served as a radio intercept operator until his discharge. In 1948 he entered McGill University in Montreal and graduated with “great distinction” earning a Bachelor of Science degree.

In 1952 Sumner entered Boston University Medical School. He graduated in 1956 as a medical doctor. He continued his training specializing in pediatrics and infectious disease. He completed his internship at Buffalo General Hospital in 1957 and a residency in pediatrics at Buffalo Children’s Hospital in 1959. From 1959-1961 he was the National Science Foundation fellow in Research Division of Infectious Diseases, Dr. John Enders’ lab at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston, and research fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School. In 1961 he took a position at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and for the next ten years he was assistant professor in pediatrics, a noted researcher, lecturer, and writer contributing more than 35 articles to professional journals based on his research in viral diseases. In 1971 Sumner left medical research to open a pediatric practice in Portland Maine. He was part of the pediatric attending staff at Maine Medical Center and Mercy Hospital, a clinical associate professor of Pediatrics for Tufts University Medical School and the University of Vermont Medical School.

In 1951 Sumner married Barbara Levitt who also grew up in Haverhill, Massachusetts. They have three daughters and were married and best friends for more than 61–years. When Sumner retired from practicing medicine he turned his attention fulltime to his passions- raising animals and gardening. He went to medical school, he was a respected researcher and teacher, and he practiced medicine but his heart was a Master Gardener. Sumner and Barbara have spent the past twenty years putting a lot of hard work and gaining much joy from their acres of gardens in Cumberland. His delight was in those gardens and they will continue to be his living legacy.

Sumner’s life should be celebrated; his passion for research and medicine; his commitment to the thousands of children he cared for, his love of family, and his joy in the animals he raised, and the gardens he cultivated in Cumberland, Maine.

Friends and relatives are invited to attend services for Sumner at Temple Bethel on Thursday January 10 at 12:00P.M. with Rabbi Carolyn Braun officiating. On line condolences can be made to Sumner’s Family at www.jonesrichandhutchins.com.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to,

Coastal Maine Botanical Garden

P.O. Box 234

Boothbay Harbor, Maine 04537

http://www.maine gardens.org

Or

The Animals Refuge League of Greater Portland

P.O. Box 336

Westbrook, Maine 04098

http://www.arlgp.org/donations/