Biography

Gordon Kenneth Moe was born in Fairchild, Wisconsin, on May 30, 1915. He received his undergraduate degree and part of his graduate training at the University of Minnesota working under Morris B. Visscher. On April Fool's Day, 1938, he eloped with his hometown sweetheart, Janet Woodruff Foster, whom he had met in 1933; they married again on August 6 of the same year and became lifelong companions bringing into this world two daughters and four sons.

Dr. Moe received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1940 and then moved to the School of Medicine at the Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he completed one year of postdoctoral work in the laboratory of Carl J. Wiggers as a porter fellow of the American Physiological Society.

In 1941, Gordon pursued a medical degree at Harvard while working as an instructor of pharmacology under Otto Krayer. He received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School, graduating cum laude in 1943. After an additional year as a pharmacology instructor, he went to the University of Michigan where he was appointed Assistant Professor of Pharmacology. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1946 and in 1950 moved to Syracuse to assume responsibilities as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Physiology at the College of Medicine, State University of New York. He spent 10 years at the Upstate Medical Center and in 1960 accepted the position of Director of Research of the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory.

(image) This portrait was painted by Sally Moe

Dr. Moe's introduction to the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory was through Dr. Fred Hiss, a prominent Syracuse physician and a member of the Laboratory's Board of Directors. Dr. Hiss asked Dr. Moe to assist the Board in finding a qualified Director for this Laboratory. The focus of the research at the Laboratory was to be on Gerontology. Moe assisted Hiss and the Board of Directors in identifying two potential candidates for the Directorship. Both candidates declined the offer, at which point Dr. Moe indicated to Dr. Hiss that he would be interested in the position if the Board of Directors was willing to accept his definition of Gerontology. In accordance with ancient Chinese tradition that life begins with conception and terminates with death, he asked them to accept his concept that any experiment performed on any living organism between its conception and death properly is within the realm of Gerontology. The Board accepted this definition and he became the new Director of Research at the MMRL.

The Laboratory quickly grew and went on to specialize in a variety of fields including Cancer, Immunology Molecular Biology, Gerontology and its most prominent program Experimental Cardiology. Dr. Moe served as Director of the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory for 25 years until his retirement in 1984. Gordon Moe passed away on October 24, 1989.

Gordon left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of many friends and colleagues the world over. His fundamental and insightful contributions to the understanding of the physiology and pharmacology of cardiovascular function gained him the recognition and admiration of scientists and scholars, as well as a place among the great men of science.

Gordon Moe was many things to many people. To most who knew him, he was a world class scientist dedicated to excellence. His devotion to biomedical research was unsurpassed. His research is widely recognized as contributing importantly to the delineation of both normal and abnormal mechanisms of heart function. His findings and those of his colleagues have without doubt greatly enhanced the modern day practice of cardiology.

Gordon Moe was the recipient of numerous awards including the Award of Merit from the American Heart Association, Honorary Fellowship from the American College of Cardiology and the Harry B. Van Dyke Memorial Award from Columbia University College of PS.

In May of 1984, an international symposium was organized by Dr. Zipes and Jalife in Moe's honor in Amelia Island, Florida. This symposium, which brought together some of the most eminent electrophysiologists and cardiologists from all over the world, was heralded as the most significant scientific event of the decade in the field of cardiology. In 1986, in recognition of his contribution to science and humanity, the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory established the Gordon K. Moe Chair in Experimental Cardiology as a means of honoring a man whose devotion to science and to the MMRL were unequalled.

To many, he was a teacher, and a fine one at that. Gordon Moe is credited with training nearly forty young scientists from over a dozen countries. Today many of his students are themselves at the forefront of biomedical research in either basic or clinical cardiology. In addition to teaching, he authored or co-authored over 200 articles on various cardiovascular subjects published worldwide and translated into several languages. Through his writings he has had a major impact on the education of physicians and scientists throughout the world.

To many, he was a friend; an energetic, charismatic, affable, loyal friend with uncompromising ideals and a vision of the future unique among men. His modest, humble yet shining existence meshed exceptionally well with his self-deprecating humor and unmatched wit.