Herman Michael Serota, M.D., Ph. D. collapsed at his home in La Jolla, California on Saturday, September 5, and died shortly thereafter without regaining consciousness. He is survived by his widow, Hermia, and a host of friends.
Before moving to La Jolla in 1974, Mike's home had been in Chicago, Illinois, where he was born on May 1, 1914. During his outstanding academic career, he was honored by membership in Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Omega Alpha, and Sigma Xi.
His psychoanalytic training, beginning in 1939 at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, was interrupted by service in the Medical Corp., A.U.S., from 1942 to 1946. He then returned to private practice, psychoanalytic training, and academic positions in Chicago, graduating from the Chicago Institute in 1948 and being elected in 1951 to Active Membership in the American Psychoanalytic Association. In 1956 he was appointed a Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst of the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis and continued in this capacity until his move to La Jolla. He was a highly regarded member of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Society and was its President during the 1965-1966 term.
Mike was on various committees of the American, was a Councilor-at-Large for several years, chaired panels, and presented papers. In 1973, he was nominated for the office of President of the American Psychoanalytic Association and, although he lost the election, it was a signal honor to receive the nomination.
Mike and Hermia, his charming wife, had visited La Jolla frequently during the years from their marriage in 1957 until their move here in 1974. We have fond memories of these visits. By the time of their move, we had a budding psychoanalytic community and a provisional Institute. Mike was immediately appointed a Training and Supervising Analyst, and continued to make a significant contribution to psychoanalytic education.
During his 67 years Mike had constructed a remarkable psychoanalytic career, demonstrated a keen, creative intellect, and pursued a wide range of cultural and scientific interests. Dr. and Mrs. Douglass W. Orr, long-time friends of Mike and Hermia, were unable to come to our memorial meeting but said in a note: “We shall remember Mike as a learned man of great integrity. For us the combination is important because, as Dr. Samuel Johnson said: ‘Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.‘ This too is what is expected of a psychoanalyst.”
Mike was a distinguished and devoted psychoanalyst. He was also a good friend. We have been enriched by his presence, and we will miss him deeply.
James T. Thickstun, M.D.
La Jolla