Burt Berkson was born on March 9, 1939, in Chicago, Illinois. He had, in current lingo, a free-range childhood spent listening to patrons’ stories in his father’s tavern on Rush Street, saving all sorts of little animals, learning to fix cars, and having fun with friends. At 20-years-old, and against her family’s initial wishes, he married Ann Stern after seeing her at a social and soon thinking that she’s the person with whom to share a family and a lifetime together. They remained married for 64+ years.
Burt’s father dreamt that his son would be a policeman, but Burt lasted one day at the Chicago Police Academy and, after a series of short-lived jobs (maybe twenty in his first year of marriage), he instead pursued a career that started in academics. He received a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and then a PhD in cellular biology with an emphasis on mycology from the University of Illinois. By the time he was 33-years old, Burt was the department head for biology at Rutger’s University.
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