Dr. Gerald S. Reisner, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Allegheny College (1958-1996) passed away, on Thursday, September 28, 2017 at Crawford County Care Center.

Dr. Reisner was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on April 10, 1926, a son of Dr. Irving and Bessie Reisner. A brother, Robert, preceded him in death.

He attended Townsend Harris and Boys High School in Brooklyn, and Cornell University from 1943-1944 as a member of the ASTP of the Army Reserves. After serving in the group for a year, he was called up for duty in the Army of United States as a private in the infantry. He was then transferred to the Advanced ASTP at Virginia Polytechnic Institutes at Blacksburg, V.A. where he studied electrical engineering for one year. In 1945 he was transferred to the Signal Corps and honorably discharged in 1946. He then entered the N. Y. State College for Teachers at Brockport, transferring to the N.Y. State College for Teachers at Albany from which he received the A.B. and M.A. degrees. In August of 1949, he married Estelle Siegel. They are the parents of four children, Judge Susan Reisner, Dr. Andrew Reisner, Bruce Reisner and Rebecca Reisner; grandparents of Aurora, Sophie, David and Alyssa. After teaching for three years at Altamont H.S., he transferred to Cornell University, where he received a M.S. in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology, Biochemistry and Microbiology.

His doctoral research was carried out as a research aide in the Department of Agriculture, Ithaca, N.Y. under John F. Thompson, Ph.D.

He did graduate and postgraduate research on the relationship between mineral nutrition and nitrogen metabolism in the alga Cholrella viridian, publishing papers in the journals Plant Physiology, Nature, Canadian Journal of Microbiology, and Applied and Analytical Microbiology.

In addition to his 38 years of teaching biology at Allegheny College, Meadville, he taught as a substitute at Meadville High and Middle School for ten years, was a reader to second graders at Seton School, and served as a CASA for Crawford Country Court. He also was active in the John Brown Society for several years and a long-term member of the Essayists. He belonged to the Meadville Jewish Center where he served in a variety of roles.

Family and friends are welcome to call on Sunday, October 1, 2017 from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. at RYAN M. WARREN FUNERAL HOME and Cremations Services, Inc., 544 Chestnut Street, Meadville, PA. Funeral service will be held on Monday, October 2, 2017 at 11:00 A.M. at the funeral home with Dr. Adrienne Krone and Martin A. Goldberg, officiating.

Burial will take place in Hebrew Cemetery, Meadville, PA.

Please take a moment to share a memory or condolence with the family on Dr. Reisner’s Book of Memories online at www.WarrenFH.com.

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