‘

January 3, 196}

Mr. Jerry A. Schur
45 Barnes Street
Long Beach, New York

Dear Jerry:

Esther and | have, of course, admired 8. 0. Dodge since way back, and
were glad to have your rememberance from him. If the rest of us could do
half so well starting at the age of 40, we could have reason to be proud
of ourselves.

1 was very happy to return the reference form for your NSF fellowship
and | hope this can be of some help to you.

| would not have included the following remarks on you If | did not
have to comment on the question In reply to question 2 but looking at your
intended program for the next three summers, | could not help but wonder
whether they are the best calculated to accomplish what you are seeking,
“updating my knowledge of science." {| am speaking with my prejudices now
but would be inclined to doubt that hematology and microtechnique or the
physfology of the endocrine glands are really so much in the forefront of
the contemporary blological scene. Perhaps | am overlooking some of your
special interests and possibly what other background you have already accumulated
but | would urge you to try to consider a somewhat different program, perhaps
along the following lInes: (1) biochemistry to start with (2) microbiology,
developmental physiology, cell physfology and genetics, and then research.
There may be some constralnts | don’t know about here and of course, if you
are bound to do this work in the summer, it would also make matters more
difficult. New York University may be able to deal with some of these topics
well enough but the overall program at Columbia, though stil] not very good,
strikes me as considerably better. What ! don't know Is how well adapted the
various programs are to specific need like your own. Are you constrained to
do this on the basis of summer fellowships? If there is NSF fellowship support
for It, and perhaps there is, | would think you would do very much better to
spend a full year at It at a place like Berkeley and 1! think you would enjoy It
too. Anyhow, the very best of luck.

Yours sincerely,

_ Joshua Lederberg
Cre . a / Professor of Genet!cs