 He was the son of Hungarian immigrants.He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois in 1939 and his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1941 and went on to pursue his medical internship and surgical orthopedic residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans.He served as an orthopedic surgeon in the United States Army during World War II (from 1943 – 1946) before returning to finish his orthopedic residency in New Orleans.