5 I THE PEOPLE £k 99 



have made many scientists think twice before openly discussing their ideas 

 and innovations; thus cutting off free discourse. Science changes, and so do 

 the individual scientists' roles. Today there are some administrative leaders, 

 some brilliant fund-raisers, and some world-class scientists. Very few people 

 have the time or energy to excel in all areas. 



In those earliest years. Whitman, Lillie, and tlie others could represent 

 MBL leadership both scientifically and administratively. These were all 

 exceptionally strong men, with a conviction as to what a biology program 

 should be like and about how to effect such a program at the MBL. Those 

 were simpler times, when they could feel confident about what they were 

 doing and could urge inclusiveness rather than always being forced to make 

 exclusive decisions. These men towered far above the others in leading the 

 MBL and American biology. They took canoeing and hiking trips together, 

 attended meetings together vvdth long train rides to talk things through, and 

 they edited the Journal of E^erimental Zoology together. These men were 

 close friends and made up the sort of unique group that rarely comes 

 together. They were also recognized as world leaders in biology generally. 

 Their presence at the MBL helped show the international scientific world 

 that this was a leading place for both research and teaching excellence. 



MBL Personaiities 



There were others who stood out through force of personality as well as 

 scientific excellence. Columbia's Thomas Hunt Morgan was highly re- 

 garded, for example, not only for his work on regeneration, heredity, sex 

 determination, and later genetics, but also as a popular member of the MBL 

 crowd. He was known, at least to some of the Woods Hole community, for 

 his clean white shirts. The story, greatly exaggerated according to his 

 daughter Isabel but told by several local sources, was that his mother 

 insisted that her son's shirts should be a priority for laundering. He must 

 have clean white shirts, rather than the more typical detachable collars, to 

 wear each day to the lab. This vehement demand impressed the launderers 

 in town. 



Even such prominent people could be the subject of friendly jokes. 

 Paul Reznikoff recalled a party at Columbia attended by a number of MBL 

 people. Morgan, who was later to win a Nobel Prize, appeared at the door 

 and asked what people were drinking. Cocktails, was tlie reply. Morgan 

 asked for one, though it seemed to the partyers that he was not used to such 

 drinks. As he began to feel the effects, he asked Reznikoff, "Young man, why 

 don't you change your name?" "Well, Dr. Morgan, I really don't see why I 

 should, " Reznikoff answered. Morgan rejoined with alcoholic wisdom, "Oh, 

 I see, I see; that's your name and you want to keep it." "Well," Reznikoff 

 responded, 'tliat's probably a good reason. Now you tell me. Dr. Morgan, 



