INDIANA UNIVERSITY MAy

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA

DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY

Professor Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetics
School of Medicine
Stanford University
California

Dear Josh:

At its meeting on April 17th, the suggestion was made to the Council of the
American Philosophical Society that the Society present, in the spring of 1965,
a program to recorpnize the centenary of Gregor Mendel's epoch-making paper in
1865. This suggestion was received with enthusiasm, and the President of the
Society, Dr. Moe, has asked Paul Mangelsdorf and me to study the possibilities of
such a program and to come up with a proposal to be presented to the Council at
its next meeting in November, We have in turn decided to canvass those geneti-
cists who are members of the Society to (1) determine whether the proposal meets
with their general approval; (2) obtain suggestions regarding subjects that might
be discussed; (3) secure names of speakers in this and other countries who might
be asked to participate, If a sufficiently large galaxy is proposed, there is a
possibility that as much as two half-day sessions plus The Penrose Lecture rel ght
be devoted to the program,

I am writing to the geneticists in the mid-west and west, Paul is writing
to those in the east,

In view of the general character of Philosophical Society audiences, both
Paul and I feel that the function of this particular symposium should be to cre-
ate for the intelligent lay scholar an account of the growth and present state
of genetics, rather than to present new and previously unpublished data, You
may wish to argue this point.

I would be glad if you would give me (1) your opinion as to the desirability
of the Philosophical Society recognizing the Mendel Centenary with a program;
(2) your suggestions regarding the nature of the programs (3) your ideas about
papers that might be presented and speakers that might be invited to participate,
On the basis of the suggestions received we will endeavor to formulate a propo-
sal for presentation to the Council.

If you know of any other programs now being planned to celebrate the Mendel
Centenary, we would appreciate having information about them,

With best wishes,

Sincerely yours,

zy

Ralph if Cleland

Professor
REC seg