John J. Kepes, MD (1928–2010)

Abstract

John J. Kepes, MD, Professor Emeritus of Pathology at the University of Kansas, died after a long illness on February 2, with his daughter by his side. He was preceded in death by his wife, Dr. Magda Kepes, and is survived by his daughter, Marta Kepes. John's early life was one of challenges. He and his family survived the Nazi occupation of Budapest because of sanctuary given by the Portuguese embassy. John, his pockets stuffed with glass slides from “interesting cases,” escaped from Hungary on foot with Magda and Marta in 1956. To assist the family's entry into the United States, Dr. Paul Yakovlev of Harvard Medical School wrote a letter about these “well-trained Hungarian pathologists,” attesting that “Dr. John Kepes and his wife will have no difficulty finding employment in their specialty once they are in this country.” How right Dr. Yakovlev was! John completed part of his training at the Mayo Clinic, which he always affectionately called the WFMC or the World Famous Mayo Clinic , under the mentorship of James Kernohan. He spent the rest of his career at the University of Kansas. At the University of Kansas Medical Center, he single-handedly conducted biweekly neuropathology conferences for 25 years. The conferences were meticulously presented tours de force of common, uncommon, and rare diseases. “How did he get a case of Alexander disease or Canavan disease?” his trainees wondered. Dr. Kepes also presented weekly at the community-wide neurosurgery conference, with definitive slides prepared and the answer always at hand. He was so good at these conferences that he was invited to join the neurosurgery department as their pathologist. The residents and neuropathology fellows at Kansas spent months in the carefully organized clutter of his office, with shelves of books and stacks of papers throughout. When Dr. Kepes read …