Dr. Myron Halpern Obituary (1924 - 2023)

Myron H. Halpern was born May 12, 1924 in The Bronx New York, NY. He attended the local public school system until secondary school, then was accepted at Townsend Harris High School, the preparatory school of CCNY. He graduated after 3 years during which time he was a member of the Fencing Team. Since his weapon of choice was the epee (dueling sword), he became a member of the 3-man epee squad which won the National Intercollegiate Championship. After 2 years his parents felt he was sufficiently mature to transfer to the college of first choice out-of-town. He transferred to Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana' where he chose a double major in Zoology and Comparative Philology for which he received the B.A. Degree. By this time WWII had broken out. When the war ended, he enrolled in West Virginia University from which he received the M.S. Degree in Zoology after a year of study. He did a research project here on the effects of osteoarthritis on the vertebral column of anthropoid apes. This paper was presented before the annual meeting of the West Virginia Academy of Sciences. Halpern continued his education at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor toward a Ph.D. After 3 years of intensive study of Human Anatomy, Neurology, Embryology, Physiology and writing his thesis, he received the Ph.D. Degree in Medical Sciences. In the post-War years of the 1940's, in Philadelphia, Hahnemann Medical College was undergoing a transformation from a homeopathic institution to one teaching allopathic medicine. To achieve this end, the administration of Hahnemann was searching the country to replace their faculty with bright young scholars who could teach and do research. Dr. Halpern was approached and offered the position of Professor of Anatomy. He accepted this position as well as research associate in medicine. He remained at Hahnemann until the 1960's. While at Hahnemann, he published 25 research papers appearing in such Journals as the Anatomical Record, The American Journal of Anatomy, Circulation, American Heart Journal. One of the reasons Dr. Halpern chose Hahnemann was that it was in Philadelphia, the home of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Dr. Halpern's secret desire was to be a painter. The proximity of Hahnemann Medical College to the PAFA was perfect. This gave him the opportunity to take classes at PAFA and improve his artistic skills. This proved to be invaluable to him in the presentation of his anatomical lectures. In 1960 he married Mira Bokros and in 1961 moves to a new home in Mt. Laurel, NJ where they lived for 42 years and raised their family. In 1962 David was born and in 1963 Donald arrived. Today David is an executive with a pharmaceutical company and has 3 children. Donald also has 3 children and is a successful entrepreneur owning his own company. With the appearance of the Space Program, Dr. Halpern became involved in aerospace medicine. His research and training in this field was supported by NASA and the US Air Force. Additional post-doctoral training was received at the School of Aerospace Medicine at San Antonia: Aerospace Technology Training, U. Virginia, Wallops Island; Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Ft. McNair. In 1955 he represented the U.S. at the International Congress of Anatomists in Paris where he presented a paper on his cardiovascular research. In 1963 he gave a paper at the annual convention of the Aerospace Medical Association on biomagnetic effects on man in space. His definitive work on the effects of magnetic fields on living organisms was published in Nature. By the time 1967 rolled about, funding for space related research was getting sparser and sparser. Dr. Halpern decided that this would be a good time to return to academia. A new college opened in Blackwood, NJ. This looked intriguing; so he applied for a teaching position. As a result, he accepted the position of Professor of Biology & Health Sciences at Camden County College. He set up the curriculum for the Biology Department, and established the programs in Nursing, Lab. Technology. Animal Science, and Dental Hygiene. He became president of the Faculty Assn. and later became Dean of Instruction. The personal life of Halpern was equally active. He participated regularly in swimming, tennis, and handgun marksmanship. He received two Presidential citations for swimming and marksmanship. He was equally active in municipal affairs, being appointed chairman of the Mt. Laurel Board of Health. His interest in painting had not waned, He actively exhibited his paintings and for several years was president of the Burlington County Art Guild. In 1993 he retired from Camden County College and now had time to paint and exhibit his work. He won many awards including Best of Show, and first-place ribbons. By 2002, his children married and moved away from the local area. The Halperns realized that their home was now too large and difficult to maintain. It was time to downsize; they moved to a smaller home in Delanco, NJ to an over-55 community. Here, Halpern was elected to the Board of the Homeowners Assn. He volunteered to teach painting classes to the Township's senior citizens. In 2012 the Township awarded him with a Bronze Plaque for his volunteer work in developing a painting program for its senior citizens. Shortly thereafter, he was struck with a severe heart attack. This forced him to cancel all his activities. The remaining years were spent in relative solitude, painting, and reading. He left us at age 99. He is survived by his wife, Mira Halpern, two sons, David (Naomi) Halpern and Donald Halpern and grandchildren, Asher, Sam, Jordan, Miriam, Ethan and Morgan. Relatives and friends are invited to graveside services on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 1:00 pm at Crescent Memorial Park, (Sec. G) Pennsauken, NJ. Contributions in his memory can be made to either Samaritan Hospice, samaritannj.org or the Food Bank of South Jersey, foodbanksj.org.