First Snow: Barbara McClintock

[Michael Wigler]

My first winter at Cold Spring Harbor, 1978, we had a heavy weekend snow. Waking in the morning and eager to continue my experiments, I looked outside and found a path had been shoveled from Hooper leading up the slope to Bungtown Road. Donning my winter coat, I followed the narrow path which led up to the Demerec building where my lab occupied the top floor. "An impressive buildings and grounds crew", thought I, but no grounds man had cleared the path. At the entry, Barbara McClintock was putting the finishing touches on her shoveling, and wished me good morning.