peeve 3, NM 23 (1O70j

Edward Lawrie Tatum

1909 - 1975
Samson R. Gross

Edward L. Tatum died on November 5, 1975, ofter a long ond painful illness which he had borne with fortitude for several
years. To those of us who knew him well, Ed Tatum's death is an irreplaceable loss. His main scientific contributions, as all
of you know, formed the basis for modern molecular genetics. He was justly honored at the highest levels for his roles in estab-
lishing gene-enzyme relationships in Neurospora and discovering recombination in E.coli. However, his quiet personality and
his determination to remain a bench scientist kept him out of the limelight and in the laboratory. It is unfortunate that the younger
generation of Neurosporologists thus never had the opportunity to know this man who laid the foundations upon which we are all
building.

Ed's involvement of the frontiers of the new biology in the 1940's and 1950's was consistent with the scientific attitude that
characterized his career, which was to concern himself only with those fundamental biological problems requiring some key ob-
servation or new methodology for eventual solution. Once having opened up the broad areas of biochemical genetics and bac-
terial genetics, he moved on to other problems -- leaving the fields he had opened for exploitation by others. For about a decode
prior to his death, he devoted much of his time to the use of genetic technology in the study of morphogenesis.
this work almost to the day of his death.

Ed's virtues went for beyond the laboratory. He was a kind person == almost to a fault -- and remained calm ond unflappable
even under severe provocation. He assumed considerable administrative responsibility under very difficult circumstances, but
chose to work hard and quietly in the background for the good of biologists as a whole, for which efforts he sometimes received
scant thanks.

In keeping with his retiring attitude, Ed never attended the Neurospora Information Conferences andso most of you have never
enjoyed the benefits of his lucid exposition and his clear insights into experimental strategy. He certainly felt that the virtues
of Neurospora os an experimental organism had not been fully realized and would have encouraged us all to continue working as
hard and as imaginatively as we could,

He was active in