Biographical feature: Henry D. Isenberg, Ph.D.

The year was 1975; the first issue of Journal of Clinical Microbiology (JCM) was published. The advertisers included Microbiological Associates, Clinical Sciences, Inc., and General Diagnostics. Fifty U.S. dollars bought a 1-year subscription. The subjects of the published articles included Proteus morganii, a novel satellite test for Haemophilus spp., and rapid hippurate hydrolysis testing of Streptococcus agalactiae. How apropos it is that as JCM commemorates its 40th anniversary, the subject of the February 2015 biographical feature is Dr. Henry Isenberg, one of the original editors of the journal. Henry D. Isenberg was born in Germany in 1922. He emigrated alone to the United States at the age of 14 to escape Nazi persecution and settled in New York City with a distant relative. According to his son, Gerald A. Isenberg, M.D., Henry Isenberg “always had an inquisitive mind and was always curious about things. He was interested in the ‘why’ of things.” Such impetus drove his baccalaureate education at the City College of New York, from which he was graduated in 1947. Over the next 12 years, his additional scientific training resulted in master’s and doctorate degrees from Brooklyn College and St. John’s University, respectively. Gerald Isenberg noted that his father possessed “unbelievable drive, determination, and dedication.” Henry Isenberg was a lifelong learner; Lynne Garcia, editor in chief of the third edition of Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook, spoke of the phenomenal breadth of Isenberg’s knowledge, stating that “he was skilled and very knowledgeable, regardless of the topic.” During the course of his graduate studies, Isenberg obtained