Barbara McClintock
 

My memories of Barbara include young newly arrived scientists relating how surprised they were about the depth of her knowledge about biology.

I used to get to the Development Office at the Lab at about 7:30 most mornings and would frequently pass Barbara on her way to the
library. We would pause and taken the view, and when the tide was right, watch the fish school against the shore.

One morning I said that I had heard that the DNA of corn was almost twice as long as a human's. I couldn't understand why as a corn seed germinates, the plant grows, produces a few ears and then dies. Pretty simple. It doesn't move about, but just grows up and dies.
Barbara answered in a wonderful simplistic way that the fact that the plant couldn't move about or protect itself meant that its survival depended on its ability to develop built in protection.

On another occasion on a sparkling Saturday morning we met on the sea wall and she said to me, "Why are you working on such a beautiful Saturday morning?" and I asked her why she was working on this morning. She replied, "Well I guess we both like what we are doing."

These two little peeks into Barbara's life are minor, but always will be memories of mine.

George W. Cutting