Warsaw street scenes; Pilsudski Square

Benjamin Morris Gasul (1898-1962) was born in Latvia. He traveled to the U.S. on the "Empress of Russia" ship at the age of 16 and settled in Kenosha, WI. He graduated from Rush Medical School in Chicago and continued his studies in Vienna where he married American Lala Rosenzweig (she sang in the opera house). Dr. Gasul practiced pediatrics until 1945 when he became focused on heart disease in children. He developed an academic training program in pediatric cardiology at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, published a textbook, and established a monthly meeting where physicians consulted each other on the diagnosis and treatment of childhood heart disease. Named Gasul Club Meetings, these informal sessions still occur today. Dr. Gasul and Lala had three daughters: Gloria Gasul Gottlieb (b. 1928), Sandra Gasul Dreyfuss (b. 1934), and Judith Gasul Simon (b. January 1939; the donor).