Lerlhy, Ww, Kk,

THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY

1230 YORK AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10021
October 12, 1978

 

JOSHUA LEDERBERG

PRESIDENT

Mr. William K. Reilly
President

The Conservation Foundation
1717 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D. C. 20036

Dear Mr. Reilly:

This is to respond to your letter of September
25. I was sorry to learn that you have had to post-
pone the 1978 Osborn Lectureship.

If there is a timely plan to develop a Fairfield
Osborn Lecture in the near future I do not think we
should quibble on the exact timing of it. However, I
trust that you will take care to coordinate with Mr.
Conway at the New York Zoological Society so as to
mitigate any interference with their established plan
for an Osborn Lectureship in 1979. On the other hand,
if there is a prolonged delay in the crystallization
of your own plans I suggest that you return the dis-
bursement to the fund so that it can be dealt with in
any orderly way.

“As an alternative, let me offer to you the possi-
bility that the Conservation Foundation take its turn
in 1980 to be followed by the Rockefeller University
in.1981, and so forth. I agree with Mr. Conway that
it is most desirable that we adhere to the original
intentions of the endowment of this Lectureship and
proceed to an orderly schedule on an annual basis as
expeditiously as possible. Understandably it imposed
certain difficulties to get this all in order in 1978
just as we had agreed on an implementation of this re-
solve.

Please let me know, when you can, whether you will
be presenting a 1979 Fairfield Osborn Lectureship with
Mr. William K. Reilly
October 12, 1978

~-2-

a plan consistent with the New York Zoological Society,
or whether you would prefer to wait until 1980.

Yours Sincerely,

Jogspua Lederberg

cc: Mr. William Conway

bee: RWN
DJL