The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine mourns the passing of Maurice (Maury) D. Kogut, M.D., who passed away on November 25, 2019. Dr. Kogut was the founding chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, serving in the position for 18 years. He was 89 years old.
Kogut graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn in 1948 and he earned a B.A. (1951) and an M.D. (1955) from New York University. He later joined the U.S. Air Force and spent two years as a pediatrician stationed at a base in Fukuoka, Japan, where he met and married June Wenzel, a schoolteacher from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, who taught at the same base.
In 1959, Kogut and his wife moved to Los Angeles, where he became chief resident in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Kogut later became a fellow in pediatric endocrinology and joined the full-time faculty at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. At the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and USC School of Medicine, Kogut was program director of the Clinical Research Center (1968-1979), head of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism (1968-1980), and associate chairman of the Department of Pediatrics (1975-1980).
In 1980, he became professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Wright State University School of Medicine (1980-1998) and the medical director of the Children’s Medical Center (1980-1997), in Dayton, Ohio.
In 1998, Kogut retired from his positions in Dayton, and moved to Centerville, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, to be closer to their three daughters. Soon after their move to the Cape, Kogut was appointed to the faculty of Boston University School of Medicine and taught first- and second-year medical students through 2017. He was nominated by his first-year students to win a teaching award, and was delighted by this recognition.
Over the years, Kogut was a member of several test committees of the National Board of Medical Examiners and also served on several test committees of the American Board of Pediatrics. In 2007, the National Board of Medical Examiners selected Kogut to receive the Edithe J. Levit Distinguished Service Award, recognizing his more than 20 years of outstanding volunteer service as a member and chair of many committees. He received numerous teaching awards throughout his career.
In addition to his wife, children and grandchild, Kogut is survived by his sister-in-law Kathleen (Kitty) Kogut, his sister-in-law Leah Van Buskirk, and his nieces and nephews and their families. His older brother, Stanley Kogut, preceded him in death. He was very grateful for the care and company provided by Dean Sennett and Elizabeth Loiselle in his final years.
In lieu of flowers, Kogut’s family asks that condolences be made as contributions in his honor to organizations and charities. Graveside services were held at Mosswood Cemetery in Cotuit, Massachusetts, on Friday, November 29, 2019. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
