Re: [ccp4bb] Alexander Rich
Dear Colleagues, I do not think it is "highly inappropriate" that a crucial episode in the history of crystallography is described/commmented on in this thread, and I am not sure by whom its removal will be "highly appreciated", other than by Prof. Berger. I do not know any of the protagonists of this episode, except by reputation, and the only thing I would be ready to concede is that maybe the subject was brought up a bit too close to the sad death of Prof. Rich. But if someone is that distinguished, his/her life story will be discussed, for better (mostly) or worse (occasionally). Emmanuel Dr. Emmanuel Saridakis PhD Biophysics, MSc History and Philsophy of Science Institute of Nanscience and Nanotechnology N.C.S.R. "Demokritos" Athens 15310 Greece - Original Message - From: "Edward A. Berry" To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK Sent: Saturday, 2 May, 2015 23:30:29 Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] Alexander Rich passed away Monday April 27, 2015 On 05/02/2015 12:23 PM, Imre Berger wrote: > Dear Edward - > > Would you be so kind and explain why you went ahead to post that comment > about Alex Rich on CCP4, in a thread which announced the sad news of his > passing away? Yes- I realized after posting it that it was inappropriate. If there is any way to remove a post, I will be glad to do so. In any case an apology is due. As for the explanation, I did not intend it to be in any way derogatory. I have never met Alex Rich, but Prof Sung-Hou Kim was my mentor in crystallography, and I have no doubt that their actions were completely honorable. As explained on the page I linked, it was all a misunderstanding based on poor communications between Kim and Rich, and rapid progress on the part of Kim that Rich was not aware of at the previous meeting. There was no evidence of actual misconduct on the part of Rich or Kim, as grudgingly acknowledged in the final letter from Cambridge. If only I had pointed that out in the email, instead of linking to that first accusatory message, it wouldn't have looked so bad. I had forgotten how inflammatory that first letter was! I was thinking this followed in the lines of Bob Sweet's post, that Rich was a hard-driving man and maybe not afraid of stepping on some peoples toes in order to achieve his goals. I never meant to imply misconduct, although after reading back on my post I can see that interpretation. My sincere apologies to the community and to the memory of professor Rich, Ed Berry > > I have checked your home page and your CV and it is not obvious to me at > all what motivation or stake you could possibly have. > > Besides, knowing both Alex Rich and Aaron Klug and having discussed > with them years ago, I think it is fair to say that only those two are > concerned with the issue, and one of them has - very sadly - just died. > > In any case - in my view it is highly inappropriate indeed that you > placed those comments on CCP4. > > Maybe you could be so kind and remove your contribution from the thread > - it would be greatly appreciated. > > "De mortuis nihil nisi bonum" > > Imre > > -- > > Imre Berger PhD HDR > Professor of Biochemistry > Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator > Coordinator, EC FP7 ComplexINC project > The School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol UK > The European Molecular Biology Laboratory EMBL > imre.ber...@bristol.ac.uk > iber...@embl.fr > >
Re: [ccp4bb] Alexander Rich passed away Monday April 27, 2015
On 05/02/2015 12:23 PM, Imre Berger wrote: Dear Edward - Would you be so kind and explain why you went ahead to post that comment about Alex Rich on CCP4, in a thread which announced the sad news of his passing away? Yes- I realized after posting it that it was inappropriate. If there is any way to remove a post, I will be glad to do so. In any case an apology is due. As for the explanation, I did not intend it to be in any way derogatory. I have never met Alex Rich, but Prof Sung-Hou Kim was my mentor in crystallography, and I have no doubt that their actions were completely honorable. As explained on the page I linked, it was all a misunderstanding based on poor communications between Kim and Rich, and rapid progress on the part of Kim that Rich was not aware of at the previous meeting. There was no evidence of actual misconduct on the part of Rich or Kim, as grudgingly acknowledged in the final letter from Cambridge. If only I had pointed that out in the email, instead of linking to that first accusatory message, it wouldn't have looked so bad. I had forgotten how inflammatory that first letter was! I was thinking this followed in the lines of Bob Sweet's post, that Rich was a hard-driving man and maybe not afraid of stepping on some peoples toes in order to achieve his goals. I never meant to imply misconduct, although after reading back on my post I can see that interpretation. My sincere apologies to the community and to the memory of professor Rich, Ed Berry I have checked your home page and your CV and it is not obvious to me at all what motivation or stake you could possibly have. Besides, knowing both Alex Rich and Aaron Klug and having discussed with them years ago, I think it is fair to say that only those two are concerned with the issue, and one of them has - very sadly - just died. In any case - in my view it is highly inappropriate indeed that you placed those comments on CCP4. Maybe you could be so kind and remove your contribution from the thread - it would be greatly appreciated. "De mortuis nihil nisi bonum" Imre -- Imre Berger PhD HDR Professor of Biochemistry Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Coordinator, EC FP7 ComplexINC project The School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol UK The European Molecular Biology Laboratory EMBL imre.ber...@bristol.ac.uk iber...@embl.fr
Re: [ccp4bb] Alexander Rich passed away Monday April 27, 2015
Hola Cele, Que te parece? Yo creo que en este tipo de servicios es un poco triste que se envien estas cosas Besos, Rosario On Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 5:23 PM, Edward A. Berry wrote: > Some details of one controversy Prof. Rich became embroiled in are > available > on the wikipedia page for his colleague Sung-Hou Kim ( > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Sung-Hou). > Especially references 6-8, which are scanned copies of correspondence > exchanged with the folks at MRC, e.g. the initial accusation: > http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/SC/B/B/X/Y/_/scbbxy.pdf > > > > > On 04/30/2015 09:25 AM, Robert Sweet wrote: > >> I am really sorry to hear this. May his soul rest in peace. >>> >> >> With great respect and affection for Alex, I doubt seriously if he will >> rest in peace. My memory of him as a beamline user was that he was >> demanding and difficult to satisfy, but in the end grateful for the effort >> we exerted, and he always had interesting things to study. I suspect that >> wherever his soul is now he's found something to complain about, and is >> trying to find someone to improve it. >> >> Bob >> >> >>> Ranti Dev Shukla, >>> Doctoral fellow, >>> Structural Biology laboratory, >>> Chonnam National University, >>> Gwangju, South Korea. >>> >>> On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 7:32 AM, Ho,Shing >>> wrote: >>> >>> It is with great sadness to announce that Dr. Alexander Rich, Sedgwick Professor of Biophysics at MIT, passed away on Monday April 27, 2015 at Massachusetts General Hospital – he was 90. Alex, a member of the RNA tie club, contributed significantly to our understanding of RNA and DNA structure and function. Scientifically, he was innovative and often controversial. The list of crystallographers and structural biologist who trained in Alex’s lab is long, and of those who’s scientific lives he touched even longer. An obituary for Alex has been posted on the MIT web site ( http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/obituary-alexander-rich-dies-90-0428). P. Shing Ho, Ph.D. Professor & Chair Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 1870 Campus Delivery Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523-1870 970-491-0569 (phone) >> = >> Robert M. Sweet E-Dress: sw...@bnl.gov >> Principal Investigator, LSBR: The Life Science ^ (that's L >>and Structural Biology Resource at NSLS-II not 1) >> Photon Sciences and Biosciences Dept >> Office and mail, Bldg 745, a.k.a. LOB-5 >> Brookhaven Nat'l Lab. Phones: >> Upton, NY 11973 631 344 3401 (Office) >> U.S.A.631 344 2741 (Facsimile) >> = >> >
Re: [ccp4bb] Alexander Rich passed away Monday April 27, 2015
Some details of one controversy Prof. Rich became embroiled in are available on the wikipedia page for his colleague Sung-Hou Kim (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Sung-Hou). Especially references 6-8, which are scanned copies of correspondence exchanged with the folks at MRC, e.g. the initial accusation: http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/SC/B/B/X/Y/_/scbbxy.pdf On 04/30/2015 09:25 AM, Robert Sweet wrote: I am really sorry to hear this. May his soul rest in peace. With great respect and affection for Alex, I doubt seriously if he will rest in peace. My memory of him as a beamline user was that he was demanding and difficult to satisfy, but in the end grateful for the effort we exerted, and he always had interesting things to study. I suspect that wherever his soul is now he's found something to complain about, and is trying to find someone to improve it. Bob Ranti Dev Shukla, Doctoral fellow, Structural Biology laboratory, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea. On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 7:32 AM, Ho,Shing wrote: It is with great sadness to announce that Dr. Alexander Rich, Sedgwick Professor of Biophysics at MIT, passed away on Monday April 27, 2015 at Massachusetts General Hospital – he was 90. Alex, a member of the RNA tie club, contributed significantly to our understanding of RNA and DNA structure and function. Scientifically, he was innovative and often controversial. The list of crystallographers and structural biologist who trained in Alex’s lab is long, and of those who’s scientific lives he touched even longer. An obituary for Alex has been posted on the MIT web site ( http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/obituary-alexander-rich-dies-90-0428). P. Shing Ho, Ph.D. Professor & Chair Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 1870 Campus Delivery Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523-1870 970-491-0569 (phone) = Robert M. Sweet E-Dress: sw...@bnl.gov Principal Investigator, LSBR: The Life Science ^ (that's L and Structural Biology Resource at NSLS-II not 1) Photon Sciences and Biosciences Dept Office and mail, Bldg 745, a.k.a. LOB-5 Brookhaven Nat'l Lab. Phones: Upton, NY 11973 631 344 3401 (Office) U.S.A.631 344 2741 (Facsimile) =
Re: [ccp4bb] Alexander Rich passed away Monday April 27, 2015
I am really sorry to hear this. May his soul rest in peace. With great respect and affection for Alex, I doubt seriously if he will rest in peace. My memory of him as a beamline user was that he was demanding and difficult to satisfy, but in the end grateful for the effort we exerted, and he always had interesting things to study. I suspect that wherever his soul is now he's found something to complain about, and is trying to find someone to improve it. Bob Ranti Dev Shukla, Doctoral fellow, Structural Biology laboratory, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea. On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 7:32 AM, Ho,Shing wrote: It is with great sadness to announce that Dr. Alexander Rich, Sedgwick Professor of Biophysics at MIT, passed away on Monday April 27, 2015 at Massachusetts General Hospital – he was 90. Alex, a member of the RNA tie club, contributed significantly to our understanding of RNA and DNA structure and function. Scientifically, he was innovative and often controversial. The list of crystallographers and structural biologist who trained in Alex’s lab is long, and of those who’s scientific lives he touched even longer. An obituary for Alex has been posted on the MIT web site ( http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/obituary-alexander-rich-dies-90-0428). P. Shing Ho, Ph.D. Professor & Chair Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 1870 Campus Delivery Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523-1870 970-491-0569 (phone) = Robert M. Sweet E-Dress: sw...@bnl.gov Principal Investigator, LSBR: The Life Science ^ (that's L and Structural Biology Resource at NSLS-II not 1) Photon Sciences and Biosciences Dept Office and mail, Bldg 745, a.k.a. LOB-5 Brookhaven Nat'l Lab. Phones: Upton, NY 11973 631 344 3401 (Office) U.S.A.631 344 2741 (Facsimile) =
Re: [ccp4bb] Alexander Rich passed away Monday April 27, 2015
I am really sorry to hear this. May his soul rest in peace. Ranti Dev Shukla, Doctoral fellow, Structural Biology laboratory, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea. On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 7:32 AM, Ho,Shing wrote: > It is with great sadness to announce that Dr. Alexander Rich, Sedgwick > Professor of Biophysics at MIT, passed away on Monday April 27, 2015 at > Massachusetts General Hospital – he was 90. > > Alex, a member of the RNA tie club, contributed significantly to our > understanding of RNA and DNA structure and function. Scientifically, he was > innovative and often controversial. The list of crystallographers and > structural biologist who trained in Alex’s lab is long, and of those who’s > scientific lives he touched even longer. > > An obituary for Alex has been posted on the MIT web site ( > http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/obituary-alexander-rich-dies-90-0428). > > > P. Shing Ho, Ph.D. > Professor & Chair > Biochemistry & Molecular Biology > 1870 Campus Delivery > Colorado State University > Fort Collins, CO 80523-1870 > 970-491-0569 (phone) > >
[ccp4bb] Alexander Rich passed away Monday April 27, 2015
It is with great sadness to announce that Dr. Alexander Rich, Sedgwick Professor of Biophysics at MIT, passed away on Monday April 27, 2015 at Massachusetts General Hospital – he was 90. Alex, a member of the RNA tie club, contributed significantly to our understanding of RNA and DNA structure and function. Scientifically, he was innovative and often controversial. The list of crystallographers and structural biologist who trained in Alex’s lab is long, and of those who’s scientific lives he touched even longer. An obituary for Alex has been posted on the MIT web site (http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/obituary-alexander-rich-dies-90-0428). P. Shing Ho, Ph.D. Professor & Chair Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 1870 Campus Delivery Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523-1870 970-491-0569 (phone)
