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Born in 1925, Herbert (Bert) M. Sommers grew up in Colorado Springs, Colo, and spent much of his childhood as a helper in Sommers Market, a fine-food grocery store located on Tejon Street. This market was built by his grandfather, Edward, in 1885 and was in operation until 1950. Many of Bert's childhood years were during the Great Depression, and lessons learned from that experience undoubtedly played out during his later years in his attention to conservation and fiscal prudence.
While at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, Bert performed with a dance troop that traveled coast-to-coast and also served as manager of the school basketball team. After graduating from high school in 1943, and following a brief enrollment at the University of Colorado, he enlisted in the US Army, joining the 343rd Infantry in the 85th Black Hawk Division, and he fought as a foot soldier in both the European and Pacific theatres.
After honorable discharge from the military, Bert took advantage of the student loan program under the GI Bill of Rights, and earned a BS degree from Northwestern University, Chicago, in 1949. he later earned his MD degree from the same institution in 1952. Following an internship and residency training at Wesley Memorial Hospital in Chicago, he earned American Board of Pathology certifications in anatomic (1958) and clinical (1959) pathology. Bert spent the rest of his professional career at the Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, and became a leading practitioner and scholar in the fields of pathology and microbiology. he...