Dr. Boris Senior
Formerly of Newton, MA and Johannesburg, South Africa, passed away on April 26th, 2012 at Newbridge on the Charles, Dedham, MA. He was 89 years old.
He leaves his loving wife of 57 years, Dorrit, his son Alan and Daughter-in-law, Paula of Bellevue, WA., his son Jeffrey and daughter-in-law Beth of Newton, Ma., son Paul and daughter-in-law Tracy of Greensboro, NC., and six grandchildren, Jessica, Jamie, Karla, Julia, Elijah, and Arin.
Born in the Ukraine, Dr. Senior grew up and was educated in South Africa. In his early twenties, in 1948, he joined the South African Mahal, and went to Israel to fight in the Israeli War of Independence. Between 1949 and 1954 his time was spent furthering his medical career in pediatrics first at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and then at University College Hospital in London, England.
He returned to South Africa in 1954 where he married, and joined a specialist pediatric group for five years in Johannesburg. Realizing the constraints of living in South Africa, he with his wife and 3 sons immigrated to the United States in 1960 where he lived until his death. Dr. Senior went onto a long and distinguished medical career as the Chief of Pediatric Endocrine Metabolic Service at the now Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA for 27 years after which he retired and became Professor Emeritus.
His contributions in the field of medicine are significant, and he is recognized worldwide for his scholarly activities. His research interests, both clinical and basic, spanned a broad range of problems including kidney disease, lipodystrophy, Glycogen Storage Disease, Hypoglycemia, fetal Alcohol syndrome, and Senior-Loken syndrome for which his name is still used.
He was elected to many learned professional societies including the American Pediatric Society, the Endocrine Society, the Association of Glycogen Storage disease and the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (London). He served on the Board of Examiners of the American Board of Pediatrics for almost 20 years, and on the editorial board of the Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology since its inception.
Throughout his life Dr. Senior had a sharp and inquisitive mind. A lover of the arts, sciences and culture, his interests spanned the spectrum from language studies to fly fishing, and fly tying, to global travel, tennis and enjoying and collecting African art. But, most of all, Boris’s real happiness and joy was sharing the love and activities of his family. For them, Boris was special and loving, a man who will be remembered as always ready with a smile, a helping hand, and a word of encouragement. He will be greatly missed by all those who came to know and love him, but especially by Dorrit and his immediate family.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 31 Arsenal St., Watertown, MA 02472.
.Graveside services will be held at Temple Emeth Memorial Park ,776 Baker St. West Roxbury on Sunday April 29, 2012 at 10:00 am .Following services family and friends are invited to the Senior residence until 6:00 pm on Sunday April 29.