Forever Altered
"Maurice J. Bessman [professor of biology in the Krieger
School of Arts and Sciences and a Johns Hopkins faculty
member for 50 years], known familiarly as Moishe, is an
exceptionally gifted biochemist. Here's how I know Moishe the
person.
"It's 1968. I had received a PhD in electrical engineering
from JHU, and in support of my dissertation Moishe had
generously provided me space in his lab, as did Howard
Seliger. As I was about to accept a job at Bell Labs, I went
to thank Moishe and say goodbye. He asked: 'Where you
going?'
"Me: 'To take a job at Bell Labs.'
"'How much they gonna pay you?'
"'Thirty-thousand bucks.'
"'Why not do a postdoc here? I can pay you $6,500.'
"The Bell Labs job was literally a dream job: freedom,
potential prestige, first-rate colleagues. But I
instinctively knew that I simply was not enamored with
quantum electronics.
I didn't know anything about biochemical enzymology, which
I'd be doing on the postdoc, but I flat out enjoyed and was
challenged by Moishe, and figured in a short period of time
I'd begin thinking creatively in this new area. This was the
turning point for me. It launched me on the career that I
continue to have, and still the fire burns in my belly.
"The third day into my postdoc, I asked some innocuous
question. Moishe's response: 'I ain't here to spoon-feed ya.'
Here was tough love in action, the beginning of a sustained
friendship and my career in biology. Five years went by far
too fast. The Hop has no better example of class,
independence, exceptional intellect, teaching, mentoring,
and, not incidentally, a JHU lacrosse fanatic. Bob Scott will
no doubt back me on that."
Myron F. Goodman, Eng '68 (PhD), is professor of
biological sciences and chemistry, as well as chairman of the
Department of Molecular and Computational Biology, at the
University of Southern California.