Strange Loops - Prothalamion
To: "Meg" <thatcher.m@lmb.nu.edu>
From: Charles Underhill < c.underhill@sackler.org >
Sent: Monday, July 10, 1995 4:09 PM -0400
Subject: Atlanta Conference
Meg,
It was good to see you last week, although they could have chosen a more pleasant
venue than Atlanta in July, for God's sake. I'm looking forward to the
meeting publications. Of course, there is never enough time to talk at length,
but there was something I wanted to follow up with you about.
You mentioned how challenging it is to work with Dr. Kowalski, your "genius-in-residence,"
and I imagine it is. It sounded like you're looking for an assistant for him
and if you are, I think I might know someone. Before I bother you with
the details, let me know if you have a position open.
Charlie
To: Charles Underhill <c.underhill@sackler.org>
From: Thatcher, Margaret <thatcher.m@lmb.nu.edu>
Sent: Monday, July 10th,
1995 3:43 PM -0500
Subject: Re: Atlanta Conference
Charlie,
You must have been reading my mind! If you can find me an assistant for Dr.
Kowalski, I'll MAKE a position - we're once again short a research assistant,
and I'm at the end of my tether. Dr Kowalski just won't co-operate in recruitment
and he either frightens them or they terrify him. He really does need someone
and the funding is secure. The difficulty is finding the right person.
I need details, Charlie! Why the hell didn't you attach his c.v.?
Meg
To: "Meg" <thatcher.m@lmb.nu.edu>
From: Charles Underhill <c.underhill@sackler.org>
Sent: Monday, July 10, 1995 5:09 PM -0400
Subject: Re: Re: Atlanta Conference
Att: FraserCV.doc
All right, Meg, calm down!
Several years ago we had a very promising doctoral student here, Benton Fraser,
who came to us with an impressive string of articles and an MSc from Columbia
so we were able to find him a fellowship with no difficulty. He's a personable
fellow, and a real team player with solid research and histochemical skills.
What he's doing now is a waste of a great mind - he's essentially pushing
paper at the Ireland Cancer Center in Cleveland - and I would love to see
him in a pure research environment again. From what I know of him he'll
be able to get on with Dr Kowalski; he's quite good with people.
I've attached his c.v. It's the most current that I have. I'll
be happy to answer any questions that I can. Think about it. Let
me know. It would be nice to catch up with you again, if you're in New York
any time soon..
Charlie
To: Charlie Underhill <c.underhill@sackler.org>
From: Thatcher, Margaret <thatcher.m@lmb.nu.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, July 11th,
1995 12:31 PM -0500
Subject: Re: [3] Atlanta Conference
Charlie,
I'll gladly see your Mr. Fraser - at the moment, I'd try Long John Silver
if I thought Dr. Kowalski would accept him. I've put in a call to him; I hope
to have him here next week for a preliminary interview.
I must say his c.v. is impressive. Why did he give up the PhD? Still, if you're
recommending him, that's enough for me. As for his references, I've been in
touch with Gairdner already but Dr. Cahill at Sackler seems to be out of town
at the moment.
> It would be nice to catch up with you again, if you're in New York any
time soon..
Sadly, no. But I might see you in November, at the Long Island conference.
Are you attending?
All the best,
Meg
To: "Meg" <thatcher.m@lmb.nu.edu>
From: Charles Underhill <c.underhill@sackler.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 11th,
1995 3:22 PM -0400
Subject: Benton Fraser
Dear Meg
I have known Benton Fraser for quite some time. Our families have connections
and so I have known him outside an academic capacity. I was, of course, delighted
when he chose Sackler for his doctoral work after what he'd done at Columbia.
I do hope he works out for you - he's an asset.
> I must say his c.v. is impressive. Why did he give up the PhD?
The PhD ran into data difficulties, and I gather his supervisor was not very
supportive. It happens, as you know. And he wanted to start earning a living
and pay off some of his student loans, which is very understandable. In addition,
he has a strong sense of honor and ethics. He is, for example, the type of
person who would be unable to condone preliminary data being used as conclusive
evidence in a research report. Should he ever find himself privy to that type
of information, I imagine he would feel compelled to make that information
public and that he would expect the proper governing bodies to investigate
and ultimately retract the reported findings. If such a situation were ignored
or minimized, I imagine he would disassociate himself from the organization
he felt was acting unethically.
> > It would be nice to catch up with you again, if you're in New York
any time.
>
> Sadly, it won't be until next year. But I might see you in November,
at
> the Long Island conference. Are you attending?
Long Island is a foreign country to us, true, but I'll have my passport in
order by then, I trust.
Thanks for your help on this
Charlie
To: Andrew P. Cahill, M.D. <a.p.cahill@mail.bme.nyu.edu>
From: Charles Underhill <c.underhill@sackler.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 11th,
1995 3:44 PM -0400
Subject: References
Priority: Highest
Return receipt requested
Dear Dr. Cahill,
I've been in contact with Margaret Thatcher at Northwestern - she's looking
for a grant writer/research specialist to work with Dr. Raymond Kowalski, whose
research she oversees. Yes, Kowalski, the Alzheimer's expert, the one who discovered
prodementin few years back. She's considering Benton Fraser for a position
working with him and wanted to know who she should speak with. I gave
her your name. I know you'll be fair and objective; we both know Benton did
the right thing in the end, after all.
We also know that he never should have had to leave here. I think the
best thing we can do at this point is give him a glowing recommendation: after
all, it's no less than the truth. He is a good scientist; he did good
work while he was here, and I have every confidence that he will do good work
at Northwestern. We owe him that much. And it would be good for him too:
he'll be at Northwestern, working in a different field. The sooner his
name becomes associated with something else, the sooner it becomes unassociated
with us.
Charles Underhill
=================================
Dr. Charles T. Underhill, Director
Sackler Insitute
Department of Microbiology
New York University, Stonybrook
(814) 652-1427
To: Dr. Henri Laurier <h.laurier@sackler.org>
From: Charles Underhill <c.underhill@sackler.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 11th,
1995 4:10 PM -0400
Subject: pending recommendation
Henri,
Heads up - I've found a position that might open a door for young Fraser. He's
got an interview next week with Margaret Thatcher at Northwestern - she's looking
for a grant writer/research specialist to work with Dr. Raymond Kowalski, their
star player and genius in residence. He's done good solid work at Gairdner,
better than solid work in Cleveland and you know as well as I do that he's wasted
there. I told her you could give her the inside dope on the Sackler situation
as an uninterested third party.
I've written rather bluntly to Dr Cahill; I trust you to hold your end up.
Give me a call, we haven't hit the links in far too long.
Charlie
To: Charles Underhill <c.underhill@sackler.org>
From: Dr. Henri Laurier <h.laurier@sackler.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 12th, 1995 11:13 AM -0400
Subject: Re: pending recommendation
Charlie, I'm only too happy to hear that Benton Fraser has this kind of opportunity
- I'd always thought it was a hell of a waste. I've already talked to Margaret
Thatcher - thanks for the heads up. She sounded quite satisfied. I gather
he'll be in within the next week for a preliminary interview. I took the liberty
of having two or three of the staff who were here at the time prepare letters
of recommendation as well; of course, all of them would be overkill, but I've
faxed her the nicest of the lot, from Andy Cahill - pretty impressive name,
very impressive letter.
You're absolutely right - it will feel good to put this behind us once and
for all. How's the 21st
sound for nine holes at Riverbend?
Henri
To: Charles Underhill <c.underhill@sackler.org>
From: Thatcher, Margaret <thatcher.m@lmb.nu.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, July 11th,
1995 2:44 PM -0500
Subject: Re: Benton Fraser
Charlie,
Just to fill you in - although he seemed a little taken aback, Mr. Fraser's
coming in, probably late next week, for a preliminary interview; I'm trying
to put a rush on the travel request. Thanks for filling me in on the Sackler
situation; I don't foresee a problem. After all, he has two masters' and he's
done better than good work at Ireland and Gairdner. If he works out, Charlie,
I owe you. I'll buy you dinner every night of the Long Island conference.
Meg
To: Benton Fraser <Fraser.B@icc.uhc.cwu.edu>
From: Thatcher, Margaret <thatcher.m@lmb.uic.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, July 19th, 1995 3:22 PM -0500
Subject: Details
Att: SRKCV.doc
Dear Mr. Fraser,
I've left you a voice mail and I'm emailing this to ensure you get one or
the other. We would like to invite you to come and talk to us about the research
specialist position with Dr. Kowalski on Monday, July 24th.
I've attached Dr. Kowalski's c.v. to give you an idea of the sorts of papers
he's been publishing. His primary funding at the moment comes from Willsie Aebischer
although a portion of it is matching funds from a university endowment; the
grant writing for WA is, between you and me, mostly pro forma and the
university is even less of a problem.
Dr. Kowalski is an energetic and highly interesting person to work with; I
look forward to introducing you to him.
Please call me as soon as you get this if we haven't already spoken.
Sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher
================================
Margaret Thatcher, Ph.D.
Professor and Head
Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology
Northwestern University
(513) 347 -1111
From: Fraser.B@icc.uhc.cwu.edu
To: Hockey_1@megsnet.ca
Sent: Wednesday, July 19th,
1995 3:05 PM -5:00
Subject: Re: New schedule
Mark,
I trust the email problems have ironed themselves out since I received your
revised play schedule this morning.
Yes, I'll be making the usual August trek to Inuvik; certainly you're welcome
to come with me. Diefenbaker is looking forward to it. My father may well
be too; we'll never know.
Interesting: I had a call today from a department head at Northwestern University;
apparently she heard about me from Underhill (yes, of NYU fame). She's got a research
specialist position available with Raymond Kowalski; I won't bore you with the
ins and outs of his research but it's certainly an interesting field. I've mulled
it; I'll sleep on it; but experience has shown that I don't belong in an academic
setting. Reading between the lines, she seems unable to retain assistants. We
know what that means: Difficult, with, yes, a capital D; and undoubtedly arrogant
to boot, and I've had enough Godlike scientists to last me ten lifetimes.
I don't know, Mark - it sounds like a good opportunity, certainly no worse
than here; but the prospect of dealing with another 'genius,' with all the
arrogance and self righteousness that that word implies, is not a heartening
one. I daresay I can make it work: as you have so often remarked, I usually
do. Whether I want to is, I suppose, the real question. And this is all undoubtedly
moot: they seem to be leaping at straws and I doubt anything serious will
come of it.
Yours,
Benton Fraser
From: Hockey_1@megsnet.ca
To: Fraser.B@icc.uhc.cwu.edu
Sent: Wednesday, July 19th,
1995 6:23 PM -5:00
Subject: Re: New schedule
Get the fuck off your computer and answer your goddamned phone!
From: Hockey_1@megsnet.ca
To: Fraser.B@icc.uhc.cwu.edu
Sent: Wednesday, July 19th,
1995 6:32 PM -5:00
Subject: Re: New schedule
God damn it, Fraser, get off the fucking computer. What the hell do you mean
you're not even going to fucking talk to her? Go to the fucking interview,
you idiot! Research? Instead of paper pushing? So what if he's a self-involved,
egotistical prick? What else is new? You work with him for a year or two,
get your goddamn feet wet again, publish some papers, and move on - and get
your damned PhD while you're at it. Or did you plan to spend the rest of your
life in a bureaucratic cocoon playing toady to the FDA and begging for money
from government assholes who only care about the bottom fucking line? Get
out of your fucking rut!
Get off the goddamned computer, Fraser. If you don't go to the interview I
will be on the next fucking plane to Cleveland and I will kick your sorry
self-pitying ass from your apartment to the lake and back.
You're Bob Fraser's son. Aren't you?
M
PS You'd better go buy yourself a damn cell phone tomorrow.
From: Fraser.B@icc.uhc.cwu.edu
To: Hockey_1@megsnet.ca
Sent: Wednesday, July 19th1995
6:45 PM -5:00
Subject: Re: New schedule
Mark,
Point taken.
B
From: Fraser.B@icc.uhc.cwu.edu
To: Hockey_1@megsnet.ca
Sent: Thursday, July 20th, 1995 2:17 PM -5:00
Subject: Chicago
Mark,
I thought of entitling this, "I hope you're happy." I finally looked
at the c.v. and precis she sent. Good God: he had an MD and a PhD from Stanford
- Stanford, Mark! - by the time he was 27; he's my age and he's won the Rodbell,
for God's sake. He got a fucking postdoc with Johns Hopkins, in a field I've
never even heard of: computational medicine and biology. I knew his name sounded
familiar: he's been doing some ground-breaking work in Alzheimer's disease.
I've agreed to go in for a preliminary interview and don't flatter yourself
that it was in any way because of your rather colourful threat; but nothing
will come of it. No wonder she can't keep assistants. I doubt Einstein could
work with the man.
Benton Fraser
P.S. I'm looking into cell phones, and your house is almost entirely glass.
You didn't even own a computer a year ago.
From: Hockey_1@megsnet.ca
To: Fraser.B@icc.uhc.cwu.edu
Sent: Thursday, July 20th,
1995 7:32 PM -5:00
Subject: Re: Chicago
Ben,
You have two fucking masters' degrees and you won scholarships out the wazoo
to Cornell. Don't hand me any more bullshit, you think I don't know you? You're
drooling all over yourself at the thought of working with someone like that.
He might actually understand how you could desert hockey for electron microscopes.
Go to the goddamned interview, do the whole thank-you-kindly routine, get
your foot back in the door. You don't have to be Einstein. You just have to
be Benton Fraser.
I'll be off email for a couple days; I'm going to a friend's cabin up by Great
Slave for a long weekend. I'll see you in less than two weeks; and you'd better
have this fucking job squared away by then. And I'm writing your goddamned
resignation letter to Ireland.
Mark
PS I only got a computer because you never answer your fucking phone, Mr.
E-mail.
From: Fraser.B@icc.uhc.cwu.edu
To: Hockey_1@megsnet.ca
Sent: Sunday, July 23rd,
1995 9:32 PM -5:00
Subject: I'm off!
And I'm quite aware of all the fun you'll have making jokes about that subject
header so I left it. You're easily amused.
You'll be back tomorrow; I'll be en route to Chicago so I'm sending this on
tonight. Leaping at straws wasn't quite the phrase; I had ticket in hand Friday
morning by express delivery.
Unfortunately, I can't find anyone willing to endure Diefenbaker for more
than an hour or two so I'm taking him with me, much as he dislikes flying.
He can, I suppose, find ways to amuse himself until we're finished. I don't
expect much to come of this interview: enough, perhaps, to see if they want
me back to actually meet the genius-in-residence, as Dr. Thatcher calls him.
At any rate, I'm meeting with her tomorrow morning, and then possibly some
other suits as well. My flight back is Tuesday morning.
I hope your weekend did you good. I'm missing Canada at the moment. And you
may psychoanalyse that to your heart's content, Mr. Smithbauer.
Benton Fraser
Director, E-mail Institute of Cleveland
Strange
Loops - the first 115 pages or so. (It's
in PDF format - you can download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader at the
Adobe website.)
StrL II - the next 100 pgs or so. (PDF format)
A graphic I did for StrL.
