Columbia Gniversity
inthe City of HewPork

(NEW YORK 27, N. Y.]

DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY

October 13, 1952

Dr. Joshua Lederberg
Devartment of Genetics

The University of Wisconsin
Madison 6, Wisconsin

Dear Josh,

I guess, Josh, I'm just not as intellectual
as Norm. We obviously made a bad choice of a word
but, under the circumstances, what Norm suggests is
Silly. Since "prototrophic" will still be used,
despite his spleeny I, too, do not propose to engage
jn an MGB volemic.

I'm glad you are hapvy Tom is with you and hope
you both have a very productive yesr. Although
Phyllis is no Tom, she does resemble Lil in many good
wayse I'm pleased to have her with me and she is
taking hold fast. Lil and Stan sre now at Chalk River
and the place strikes them as o-k.

Alaska, for Betty and me, was terrific. We had
a good time visiting Hez and Marge Shaw in Fairbanks.
I think Hez's reaction against the plece stems from
his being bored stiff at the airbase. Hez is a true
intellectual while, as I said before, I'ma physical
type. And it is true the interior is not as lovely as
the seacoast. wrat really bowled me over wes the
fishing --- thirty-six-inch salmon for the taking.
Betty wes stunned by the birds, many of which come
from Africa and Asia to breed in the summer. The
large mammals were also ubiquitous (2s were mosaui-
toes) and the mountsins, tundra, forests, rivers, and
seacoest, glorious. wWe ‘now just where we're going
to homestead when I throw in the towel. We sold our
car up there, came by boat along the inland vassage-
way to Seattle and flew home. Temperatures un there
were ca 55° to 70° night and day---a delight. when
we got back to New York, we went into solution. Just
starting to cool off again.

Best to Esther and Tom.

Sincerely,
Francis J. Ryan
FJR: kk