from J: Other researchers have talked to Dr. Mirand, who said the
dismissal was because of violating a housing regulation (on Aug. 25th).
Here is my statement concerning these matters:
Statement by Judyth Vary Baker, April 26, 2008
The Indiana Biological Association was an organization of doctors and
scientists in Indianapolis organized for the purpose of attracting young
scientists to study the biological sciences in Indiana. This was my home
state, so I was included in their lobbying efforts. They met me at the
International Science and Engineering Fair in Indianapolis and helped put
together a scholar****p package for me.
I next met with members of that association at Notre Dame University, at
the beginning of the second week of October, 1961, where I presented my
paper on melanogenesis, at their invitation. My aunt drove me there, as
she lived nearby. She drove me back to St. Francis the next day. My
family in that area -- cousins-- still remember my one-day visit there.
The association had contacted Mrs. Georgia Watkins of the Florida ACS, and
local newspapers, on October 5, 1961, a few ays earlier, as it was
considered good publicity for the American Cancer Society. Articles about
the paper to be presented to the association reached the papers on the
6th. The doctors then contacted st. Francis and recommended my attendance
at the Academy of Science conference at Terre Haute. St. Francis was given
funds to drive me up to Terre Haute: three nuns did so. This is the
conference where a researcher found a record of the paper --- the second
time, not the first time -- that it was presented, in mid-October.
Mrs. Georgia Watkins referred to the IBA meeting in a newspaper article
dated October 6, and to my presentation of a paper to that organization in
a letter to me a week later, whereas this second presentation was held at
in mid-October. At that time, Sister Claire was a co-presenter because I
had established my lab at St. Francis only six weeks earlier, and she had
vetted my new work. The title of the paper I presented at the Academy
bespeaks of the advanced level of my work, which even after forty-five
years would be impossible for a layman to understand. I presented every
word of it personally.
I previously didn't mention the Terre Haute experience because I couldn't
remember enough details, and had no do***ents to prove it. This was
because that same day, after hours of discussion with the three nuns while
on the long car trip to and from Terre Haute, I agreed to become a nun,
and this decision overwhelmed memories of the conference experience there.
Two weeks later, my parents, upset over my decision, removed me at
midnight on October 31st, in their haste taking a room-mate's clothes, and
leaving behind all my money, do***ents, papers, and the precious melanoma
cancer cells, and SV40 virus cultures I'd been working on. My parents
refused mail contact with St. Francis, and I was unable to get the paper
published: in the journal, for publication wasn't guaranteed until it was
submitted for reviews, but that was now impossible.
In 1999, I tried to locate the paper without success, and thank Barb J.
for finding a record of its presentation, actually the second time it was
presented. I also learned in 1999 that the Indiana Biological Association
was no longer in existence, or had changed its name. Created to attract
biology students to Indiana, most likely it would be called a lobby today.
One of its members was a scientist from Eli Lilly's at Fort Wayne,
Indiana. I had already given his name to researchers previously, as
sup****ting my research while at St. rancis College.
As to Dr. Mirand's statement that I was dismissed from the Roswell summer
program due to a housing violation, Dr. Moore intervened, and I was kept
on, without a word. I never saw nor signed any dismissal papers. I had
moved from the "Y" the final week of the program because I was isolated,
even though Dr. Mirand said there were 9 girls at the "Y" -- I saw none of
them. Besides, I worked in Dr. Moore's private lab, separate from those
who worked on lower floors in the building, or in bigger labs. I also
needed some sleep, which I wasn't getting at the "Y.". Across from my
room, a woman had nightly epileptic seizures due to her brain cancer, and
I spent about an hour every night with a stick between her jaws. The
woman next to her was a black opera singer dying of throat cancer, whose
groans kept me awake. A friend told me about a room near campus where I
felt I could get a decent night's sleep.
I moved there for the final week of Aug. 25-Sept. 1st, but before I spent
a single night there, Dr. Mirand arrived, white-faced and upset. I didn't
have funds for the week of Aug. 25-Sept. 1st, as the landlord kept the
money, so Dr. Mirand accessed a special fund to pay the bill for the final
week of Aug. 25-Sept. 1st. I kept the receipt as a souvenir of his
generosity, and because of the private fund's number written on the
receipt, which I tought interesing. Dr. Mirand was angry with me, yes, and
rumors spread that I was in the doghouse over the incident, but
nevertheless I presented my paper on August 31st - as did others in the
program-and he grudgingly praised the paper. It's possible Dr. Moore may
have intervened to keep me in the program. Or, being a very kind man, Dr.
Moore may have decided not to tell me that Dr. Mirand dismissed me from
the program so close to the finish. My work was too im****tant to simply
drop, and I ended up receiving awards, including a $1,300 stipend from NSF
funds provided to the program.
Dr. Moore remained in contact with me until I went to New Orleans in 1963,
and authorized some standard lab equipment to be sent to St. Francis
College in September, including 200 plastic flasks for tissue culture
purposes. I hope that Dr. Mirand will look into the records, as I was
never told I was dismissed from the program, nor did I ever sign any
release papers at any time. I apologize for any inconveniences this has
caused Dr. Mirand, who has done so much for so many students in cancer
research. Judyth Vary Baker
2) Reily Co. told her that the green gl***** were only offered as premiums
in 1959-60.
Question: how would I have known that green gl***** were EVER offered as
premiums by Reily? Pure guesswork? Bob Vernon is on record as going a
few years ago to Wm. B. Reily and giving him a heads-up about me. It is
then easy to claim that green gl***** weren't sent out as premiums in
mid-1963, only earlier. Just as the 'error' saying I was at Roswell in
1962, this seems another convenient 'error.' Once again, how would I have
known about green gl***** as premiums, especially three or four years
earlier? Nobody ever brought out such a detail. Go ahead, take the
company's word for it, but common sense should tell you that actually
admitting such a premium existed at all goes far.
3) She found do***ents indicating that the Russian course couldn't have
been created for you, that it was in existence from an earlier time.
I think I was enrolled in Dr. T Concevitch's MJC class in Fall of 1960,
and later audited the class, when I could, in 1961. But in 1959,1960, and
1961, I was being sent around to help raise funds for the new technology
building at Manatee High School, and our science projects. Some newspaper
articles exist mentioning my work to raise such funds. Since this had
nothing to do with research, I haven't made those articles public. I was
missing a lot of school, though, and when I was at the Sarasota Air Force
base at a luncheon, in 1959, I was asked by the retired officers there to
learn Russian. They wanted me to read re****ts on science progress in the
USSR.
Col. Doyle brought up the suject t them because David Tracy and Dave
Deitrich, at Manatee County High School (then so named) were pu****ng,
along with me, for Russian cl***** at our high school. Dave Deitrich is
now a lawyer who can be contacted to verify that he helped lobby not only
for the science seminar to be created, but also for Russian to be taught.
The three of us got the science Seminar, but not the high school Russian
cl*****, as we simply didn't have enough electives time for both.
Deitrich and Tracy went on to enroll in Russian at the University of
Florida, which is on record. I think Dave Tracy minored in Russian.
Back in 1959, I said I'd be happy to study Russian if they would find
me a teacher who could teach the class at night. I believe they located
Dr. Concevitch, who was teaching cl***** in an extension program, possibly
with New College, and got him to start teaching at Manatee Jr. College.
See the attached statement showing I had personal correspondence with Dr.
Concevitch (envelope) and my mother's statement showing I attended in 1960
and 1961, not just 1960, and that my instruction was privately funded.
They are only looking at my official attendance record for Fall of 1960, I
believe, while Concevitch may have started teaching at the Jr. College
that spring or summer. But it was my talk at the air force base that
created the demand for a Russian class in 1959. I had such a hectic
chedule that I was unable to attend night cl***** in 1959 and had to wait
until 1960, but I still had many absences and had to end up auditing that
course, too.
At least they must now admit there was a paper presented, and that no
layman or hig school science student 45 years ago could have done that
kind of research-- that it is genine cancer research-- something they
claimed I did not accomplish. of course Sister Claire, knowing me only
six weeks, did none of that research herself, but was needed to sponsor
the paper and vett it. And 'dismissed' at Roswell, which I was never told,
if true was due to a housing violation, not lack of resarch ability, and
that decision was overturned, or at least changed so I could continue my
work under Dr. Moore alone, who was sup****tive the whole way. ==j==
|
