The Marshall W. Nirenberg Papers

Title:

Letter from Xandra Breakefield to Marshall W. Nirenberg

Description:

Breakefield thanks Marshall Nirenberg for her experience observing his work in the NIH laboratory and the "real impact [it has] on the individual." She also extends her admiration for the "sense of personal achievement that you seem to glow with." She hopes that she will also be able to use her talent "in a way that will profit me and others."

Item is handwritten.

Number of Image Pages:

2 (86,585 Bytes)

Date:

1962-03-25 (March 25, 1962)

Creator:

Breakefield, Xandra

Recipient:

Nirenberg, Marshall W.

Rights:

Reproduced with permission of Xandra Breakefield.

Exhibit Category:

Public Reactions to the Genetic Code, 1961-1968

Relation:

Letter from Xandra Breakefield to Marshall W. Nirenberg (February 19, 1962)

Letter from Marshall W. Nirenberg to Xandra Breakefield (March 12, 1962)

Box Number: 4

Folder Number: 31

Unique Identifier:

JJBBGD

Accession Number:

2001-009

Document Type:

Letters (correspondence)

Language:

English

Format:

application/pdf

image/tif

Physical Condition:

Good

Series: Series II: Correspondence, 1953-1993

Folder: General, 1953-1977

Transcript:

March 25, '62

Dear Dr. Nirenberg,

I want to thank you for really showing me what research is to the individual engaged in it. I can't tell you how impressed I was with the sense of personal achievement that you seem to glow with. And this is what I wanted to know, not facts and figures that my lack of education would render unmeaningful [sic], but the real impact on the individual. I needed some kind of proof that all this memory that I'm filling full of facts is going to be used eventually in a way that will profit me and others. You showed me what I was hoping was there. Now I just

[END PAGE ONE]

[BEGIN PAGE TWO]

have to sit down and start studying. There's something so challenging about a profession that you must prepare for.

Thank you again. You'll probably be hearing from me when I need advice again.

Sincerely,

Xandra Breakefield

Metadata Last Modified Date:

2007-02-26

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