"I was born in the small town of Ft. Kent, Maine, on September 26, 1919, to Meyer Blumberg and Minnie Klein Blumberg." Thus begins the autobiography of Mendel Blumberg, as told in his own wry, understated, reflective style. As a member of the Greatest Generation, he experienced the Great Depression as a teenager and then fought in World War II through the brutal campaigns in North Africa and southern Europe. Vowing that "I would...