THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY

1230 YORK AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10021
March 17, 1980

 

JOSHUA LEDERBERG

PRESIDENT

Dr. Martin Kamen

University of Southern California
Ahmanson Center for Biological Research
Los Angeles, California 90007

Dear Martin:

I was very glad to get your note of March 7th indi-
cating that your committee is considering an honorary
degree for Max Delbruck. It is hard to imagine anyone 2
better qualified for such a distinction. His magisterial
contributions to the development of quantitative biology
and genetics were already recognized in a signal way by
the Festschrift in his honor, Phage and The Origins of
Molecular Biology, not to mention the Nobel Prize. He has
continued to be a productive investigator in his own field
of specialized interest.-- the genetics and phototropism
of Phycomyces: I was interested to see a contribution quite
germane to my own interests in a recent issue of Genetics.

The only reservation that I can imagine being lodged
against the proposal is that he has already received many
worthy honors; but it is often true that one's local com-
munity is the last to offer appropriate recognition! So
you would be depriving yourself of an extraordinary oppor-
tunity not to make this overture at this time.

You sincerely,

Jos Lederberg |