Two of 20th Century's Most Influential Scientists Honored for Breakthrough that Revolutionized the Biological Sciences and Has Led to Major Advances for "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"
PHILADELPHIA, May 24, 2000 - On the eve of the completion of the Human Genome project, James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick, who, working together at Cambridge University in the early 1950s, discovered the double helix structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and how changes in genes are produced, have been named recipients of the 2000 Philadelphia Liberty Medal by its distinguished International Selection Commission. Dr. Watson will accept the Medal and its accompanying $100,000 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia as a focus of the city's Fourth of July celebration. The Philadelphia Liberty Medal, established in 1988 to heighten recognition of the principles that founded this nation and to serve as a lasting legacy to the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution, honors an individual or an organization from anywhere in the world that has "demonstrated leadership and vision in the pursuit of liberty of conscience or freedom from oppression, ignorance, or deprivation." It is administered by Greater Philadelphia First, the regional business and civic leadership organization. Bell Atlantic Corporation is the chief underwriter of the 2000 award.
Professor Martin Meyerson, Chairman--since 1988--of the Medal's International Selection Commission and President Emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania, said, "In the 20th century the extraordinary record of the natural sciences and the technologies that they inspired is one the grand achievements of human liberty. Watson and Crick and their work on DNA are symbols of the tremendous impact of science on our lives and welfare and on our public policies. Together, their work substantially altered the biological sciences and their application, and the implications of that work will extend well into the new century. Indeed, in this very year-as a kind of gift to the new millennium--the Human Genome project is on the verge of deciphering the sequence of as many as 100,000 genes, which in turn are being encoded by billions of chemical pairs of DNA. The results-in medical diagnosis, treatment, and the extension of life-will be fantastic. And these results will extend well beyond health and medicine to the discovery of substitute raw materials such as fuels from agriculture, new methods of environmental protection, and other substantial benefits to mankind. The work initiated by Crick and Watson and their colleagues and colleagues still to come demonstrates the importance of the enlightened scientific process and the freedom of scientists to collaborate across national borders. This progress of science is a major contributor to the goal of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," as first defined for our nation in 1776."
The British biophysicist Francis Crick was born in 1916, studied at London and Cambridge, and began research in molecular biology at Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratories in 1949. James Watson, born in Chicago in 1928, began his studies at age 15 at the University of Chicago. He went on to Indiana University (Ph.D., 1950) and the University of Copenhagen before joining Crick at the Cavendish Laboratories. Using the X-ray diffraction studies of DNA done by biophysicist Maurice Wilkins, Watson and Crick were able to formulate a molecular model for DNA-the building block of all life on earth-and explain how the DNA molecule could duplicate itself. This led to the understanding of how genes, and eventually chromosomes, duplicate themselves and answered one of the fundamental questions of genetics. Watson and Crick published their discovery in the British journal Nature in 1953. They, along with Wilkins, were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.
Watson later taught at Harvard University and, in 1968, assumed the leadership of the Laboratory of Quantitative Biology at Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, NY, which he made a world center for research in molecular biology. He also wrote The Double Helix (1968), a best-selling account of the DNA discovery that revealed much about the personalities and politics in scientific research. From 1989-1992, Watson served as director of the National Center for Human Genome Research at the National Institutes of Health. Crick continued his research in DNA and taught and lectured widely in the U.S. and the U.K. He also wrote two books: Of Molecules and Men (1966) and What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery (1988). In 1977 he was appointed as distinguished professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, California, where he now resides. (The late Dr. Jonas Salk, founder of the Salk Institute and discover of the polio vaccine, served on the Medal's International Selection Commission from 1990-1995).
Mayor John F. Street will present the 2000 Liberty Medal on Tuesday, July 4 at 10 a.m. at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Dr. Watson will accept the award on behalf of both scientists as Dr. Crick (who will send taped comments) has not traveled outside California in several years. Street said, "Philadelphia has a rich history in scientific discovery and medical research, and we look forward to honoring two of the century's most influential scientists in our city on the Fourth of July. I salute the Liberty Medal Commission on its selection of Dr. Watson and Dr. Crick. They continue the distinguished roster of Medal winners who have helped change the world." Bell Atlantic-Pennsylvania President and CEO Daniel J. Whelan said, "The achievements of Doctors Watson and Crick have revolutionized the study and application of the biological sciences. The 19,000 men and women of Bell Atlantic in Pennsylvania are honored to join Mayor Street and the citizens of greater Philadelphia in saluting these giants of science -- the first Philadelphia Liberty Medal recipients of the 21st century."
Previous winners of the Philadelphia Liberty Medal are Polish Solidarity founder--and then President--Lech Walesa in 1989; former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1990; former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias and the French medical and human rights organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in 1991; the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in 1992, South African Presidents F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela in 1993; Czech President Václav Havel in 1994; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, in 1995; former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and the late King Hussein of Jordan in 1996; the global news network CNN International in 1997; Irish Peace Negotiator Senator George Mitchell in 1998; and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung in 1999.
The International Selection Commission is made up of leaders from government, world affairs, education, culture, and business. The current members of the Commission are: Martin Meyerson, Commission Chairman, President Emeritus and University Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Honorary President, International Association of Universities, Paris; Oscar Arias, former President of Costa Rica, Nobel Peace laureate, 1991 Liberty Medal co-recipient; Joanne de Asis, of the Philippines, Chairman, Asia Pacific Capital Partners; William H. Gray III, President, College Fund/UNCF and former U.S. Representative; Peter Harf, former CEO, Joh. A. Benckiser, GmbH, Frankfurt; Shirley Hufstedler, Esq., first U.S. Secretary of Education and former Circuit Court Judge; Lord Roy Jenkins, Chancellor, Oxford University, former Chancellor of the Exchequer and President of the European Community Commission; Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, Georgetown University and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Robert McNamara, former President, Ford Motor Company and World Bank and former U.S. cabinet member; Mary Patterson McPherson, Vice President, Mellon Foundation, former President, Bryn Mawr College; Andrea L. Mitchell, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, National Broadcasting Company; Joseph Neubauer, Chairman and CEO, ARAMARK Corporation; Ambassador Olara A. Otunnu, U.N. High commissioner for Children in War, former Foreign Minister of Uganda and former head of the United Nations Security Council; Ambassador Hisashi Owada, President, The Japan Institute of International Affairs and former Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations; P. Anthony Ridder, President & CEO, Knight-Ridder, Inc.; Jerome Shestack, Esq., former Ambassador and Past President, American Bar Association; Adele Simmons, former President, MacArthur Foundation; Maurice F. Strong, Senior Advisor to the President, World Bank and former Chairman, Ontario Hydro; Franklin Thomas, former President, The Ford Foundation; Richard Thornburgh, Esq., former U.S. Attorney General and former Governor of Pennsylvania; and Henry Wendt, former Chairman, SmithKline Beecham. Liberty Medal underwriter Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information industry. With more than 44 million telephone access lines and more than 20 million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations and investments in 23 countries. The jewelers Bailey, Banks and Biddle design and strike the Philadelphia Liberty Medal.
The Liberty Medal presentation is a highlight of Sunoco Welcome America! -- a 12-day extravaganza celebrating America's Birthday in America's Birthplace with more than 80 FREE events including tall ships, fireworks, dozens of concerts, parades, two international awards, evening outdoor film screenings, historic reenactments, plenty of fun for the whole family, and lots of red, white, and blue. This year's Celebration of Our Nation will run from June 23 through July 4.