THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Madison 6

DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS

Dean BR. XK. Froker
Agricultural Hall

May 23, 1949

 

 

RECEIVED
MAY 23 1949;

Oftce of Dean
Collere of Agriculture

 

 

Dear Dean Froker:

. On emerging from your office on Friday, after discussing

the departmental budget, Professor Perry Wilson of the Depart-
ment of Agric. Bacteriology stopped me in the hall to say that
he hoped we were making every effort to protect Wisconsin's
position with reference to Dr. Lederberg. Wilson had just
returned from the annual meeting of the American Society of
Bacteriologists at Cincinnati where Lederberg presented an
invitation paper in the symposium on enzymology and a paper

on some other phases of his work in one of the special sessions.
Wilson told me that the Lederberg paper was the outstanding one
in the symposium and that the man's work is attracting consider-
able notice among leading bacteriologists. Wilson warned that
other institutions on the lookout for an exceptionally pronising
young man are likely to desire his services.

I pass this comment on to you because it is the eame re-
action that I had from a group of geneticists discussing re-
cent developments in our field informally at the meeting of
the National Academy of Sciences in Washington a few weeks BZ.

We would be remiss in our responsibility if we did not
pass such facts on to you in connection with the budget plan-
ning. The departmental request that Lederberg's salary be in-
creased $1000, we realize, is an extreme recommendation. Never- |
theless, we feel his case justifies this special consideration.
Lederberg was started at a low salary two years ago ($3500 for
the academic year) compared to what many men are receiving on
completion of their Ph.D. work. It behooves us now to make up
as rapidly as we can the deficiencies in view of the exception-
al merit which Lederberg has demonstrated.

Very truly yours,

QC. Np

R. A. Brink
Professor of Genetics

RAB/s