KW: Columbia College transcript;
As might be expected, this document stores a great deal of information.
Some items of note: Years 1-2 were fairly conventional in time
duration: Sept. 1941- June 30 1943. By second semester freshman yr,
I was enrolling in graduate courses (Botany 124 - morphogenesis,
taught by Gordon Whaley; and there I met Evelyn Maisel [Witkin], then
a grad. student. If not sooner, I certainly heard about Neurospora
biochemical genetics there -- cf class notes and bibliographies.
Chem 41 (intro organaic chemistry) and CC (history) were "achieved"
namely passed by examination. Summer '42 I took Chem 42 (organic)
taught by a visiting professor, Frank Stodola, who was so wonderfully
supportive of me thoughout.
By Year 2, I was into many graduate courses: Zoo-117 (Embryology:
Ballantine, Barth); and Zoo-125 (a world-famous Cytology course -
Franz Schrader); advanced math and physics; adv organic.
Then, July 1 1943., inducted into Navy V-12 but assigned right back to
Columbia though now in barracks, and accelerated schedule, startig that
summer. Advanced physics and Phys-Chem. But having completed most
pre-med requirements was assigned to service at US Naval Hospital
St Albans, as hospital corpsman (in fact parasitology lab.)
Shuttled back to Columbia when it was discovered I need to complete
prerequisites in Literature, and took philosophy (logic: Nagel; Buchler;
Gutman), and back again to USNH July 1 - Oct 1 when my medical school
admission (Columbia P&S) took effect. D-day was of course June 6, 1944.
Setting advanced levels of courses aside, My grades oscillated between
A's and B's, except Navy Phys Ed, which I failed a/c swimming test.
That nearly earned my expulsion from the V-12, but I eventually recouped.
Actually from Sept. 1942 on I was spending most of my time in Francis
Ryan's lab, first on Neurospora, later bacteria. But see other
research reports on colchicine; physiology of mitosis; nucleolus (and
other cytochemistry; "theory" of fixation;); and in medical school
and with Tony Iannone, liver regeneration. And courses were a thin
veneer over auto-didacticism.
jl 2/25/99
