Perspectives
Copyright 2004 by the Genetics Society of America Perspectives Anecdotal, Historical and Critical Commentaries on Genetics Edited by James F. Crow and William F. Dove A Centennial: George W. Beadle, 1903–1989 Norman H. Horowitz,* Paul Berg,† Maxine Singer,‡ Joshua Lederberg,§ Millard Susman,** John Doebley** and James F. Crow**,1 *Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, †Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, ‡Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20005, §The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021 and **Genetics Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 EORGE BEADLE was a quadruple-threat man— Keim, stayed on for several additional months. At that G scientist, teacher, administrator, and public citi- time he was interested in ecology, and his first publica- zen. He excelled in each. Furthermore, he did what tion dealt with pasture grasses (Beadle 1927). He loved very few geneticists did in his time: he studied three the rural life and originally expected to be a farmer. He different organisms and made outstanding discoveries never abandoned these roots and maintained a lifetime in every case. He followed his interests and undertook interest in agriculture. No matter how busy his life, he his diverse responsibilities with zeal, confidence, cheer- almost always had a garden. fulness, and equanimity. Maize: In 1926 Beadle entered the graduate school In October 2003 a centennial symposium was held at at Cornell University, where he was exposed to the ex- the California Institute of Technology at which several citement of genetics. He soon joined the maize genetics of Beadle’s colleagues spoke.
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