A Tribute to Seymour Benzer, 1921–2007

Extract

Anecdotal, Historical and Critical Commentaries on Genetics

Edited by James F. Crow and William F. Dove

NOVEMBER 2007 was marked by the loss of Seymour Benzer, long considered the father of the field of neurogenetics. Benzer's scientific contributions are broad and span from physics (his Ph.D. training) to molecular biology (defining the linearity of the gene) to behavioral genetics (establishing the field). Benzer's unswerving devotion to science led him to continue running a vibrant laboratory at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, until his death at the age of 86. Quite astonishing was his ability to recreate himself multiple times in widely different disciplines and to achieve remarkable scientific insights and discoveries in each of these fields.

I had the privilege of being a postdoctoral scientist with Benzer—or Seymour as he was generally known—in the late 1980s to early 1990s and am one of a large number of scientists whom he mentored in his long career. In many respects, these scientists whom Seymour trained and sent off to pursue rewarding careers are collectively one of his greatest and most enduring accomplishments and a testament to his commitment to science.