I was reading Corie Lok’s blog a few moments ago wherein she asked a few interesting questions. It made me think of one of my heroes, Florence Sabin. Now, I don’t imagine too many folks out there know about Florence and what she did for science, but she ranks mighty high in my esteem. Florence did some amazing work in the first part of the 20th century to describe the cells of the blood system. She was an early proponent of the monophyletic school which believed that all blood cells came from a common progenitor. The detail with which she described her observations is amazing. Added to this are the facts that she was the first woman admitted to Johns Hopkins Med School, first graduate, first female faculty member there, and the first female member of the US National Academy of Sciences. She was also from a tiny town in rural Colorado. Florence showed them how it was done, that’s for sure.
Anyway, I am a person with all sorts of lists rattling around in my head. Favorite books, favorite songs, favorite beers (Shiner Bock = #1 if you are keeping track). I also have a long list of heroes, mostly scientists, authors, and few guitar pickers thrown in for good measure. Am I too old to have heroes? I hope not. I wish to never be so old as to not need a hero or two. Beyond the obvious ones (Darwin, Mendel, Einstein, Johnny Cash) there are folks like Thomas Kuhn, Marie Curie, Dody Orendurf, E.O. Wilson, and Dmitri Mendeleev… I have so many. They’ve taught me just about everything I know (or rather, think I know).
Do you have a hero? Who is it and why?
Barbara McClintock. Because of her pertinacity.
hi William, i have alot of heros in hematopoiesis,
let’s make a “Hematopoiesis” group/blog
My hematopoietic hero would have to be Don Metcalf (I am allowed to wear my geographical and instituional biases on my sleeve aren’t I?) Following initial, seminal discoveries into hematopoietic regulatory molecules he drove them over several decades all the way into the clinic. An inspiring example of the metaphorical inspiration and perspiration.
And as far as beer goes, I love a Kilkenny.
McClintock and Metcalf rock. Stephen, I assume you’ve read “Summon Up the Blood”? Eh?
More beers:
Obsidian Stout
Haystack Black
Polygamy Porter (Why have just one?)
Paul J. Flory
francis collins…he came from a rural area too. His background is pretty much physical chemistry before doing genetics…