I. Robert Lehman : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- I. Robert Lehman, PhD is the William M. Hume Professor, Emeritus, in the Stanford School of Medicine. His research work in biochemistry has yielded important contributions to the understanding of DNA replication, recombination, and repair, including foundational work on the enzymes DNA polymerase and DNA ligase. Lehman describes early formative experiences, including service in World War II, university studies, and his connection to the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington in St. Louis, which was a dynamic center for DNA research and discovery in the 1950s. As part of Arthur Kornberg’s team, he came to Stanford in 1959 as an assistant professor in the then new Department of Biochemistry. He describes the department’s collaborative research culture, teaching curriculum, and administration. Lehman explains his work on DNA enzymes, in teams that included then and future Nobel laureates, and how contemporary technologies are now building on earlier discoveries. He reflects on the increasing complexity of biochemistry as well as on growth and change at the Stanford School of Medicine.
- Summary
- Birth in the Memel territory of Lithuania and emigration to the United States at age three • Childhood and family life in Baltimore during the Great Depression • High school years including American entry into World War II • Baltimore’s Jewish community • Entering the US Army at age eighteen • Assignment to the 3rd Infantry Division • Invasion of southern France in August 1944 • Fighting at the Colmar Canal • Encountering “werewolves” (German snipers) near Weilheim at the end of the war • Reflections on daily life as a soldier • Brief stint in postwar military government in Bavaria • Return to Baltimore • Reflections on PTSD and army contacts • Undergraduate studies in chemistry at Johns Hopkins with support from the GI Bill • Impact of Professor William McElroy in stimulating Lehman’s interest in metabolism and biochemistry • Graduate work at Johns Hopkins on T-2 bacteriophages and metabolism with advisor Roger Herriott • Postdoctoral position at McCollum-Pratt Institute • Presentation at the 1954 Biochemistry Society conference connects Lehman with Arthur Kornberg • The exciting state of DNA research in the early 1950s • Invitation to join Kornberg’s lab at Washington University in St. Louis • Work on hydroxymethylcytosine • Kornberg’s experiments on the formation of DNA • Collaboration with Kornberg, Maurice Bessman, and Ernest Simms in the discovery of the enzyme DNA polymerase • Measurement and purification as keys to understanding biochemical processes • Sylvy Kornberg’s contributions • The Daily Journal Club debates • The mid-1950s as period of regular, extraordinary discoveries in St. Louis • Meeting and falling in love with his future wife, Sandra • Kornberg’ invitation to chair the new Department of Biochemistry at the Stanford School of Medicine • Moving the entire Washington University Microbiology Department to Palo Alto • Effects of departure on Washington University • Wife Sandra’s background and nursing career • Restarting research • Establishing a biochemistry curriculum at Stanford • Kornberg’s leadership style and preserving a collaborative departmental culture • Kornberg’s Nobel Prize in 1959 • Lehman’s research on enzymes that degrade DNA • Research on DNA ligase and its role in DNA replication • Graduate student Paul Modrich, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on DNA repair • Isolating and purifying the RecA protein • Work on DNA replication in herpes simplex type- 1 virus • CRISPR • How scientific discovery is recognized • Reflections on the increasing complexity of biochemical investigations and the department’s shift to cell biology • Use of isotopes in research • Reflections on classroom and laboratory teaching • Administrative roles including chairing the Department of Biochemistry • Importance of recruitment and interaction with other departments • Serving on the School of Medicine’s Committee for Appointments and Promotion and the Ethics Committee, which dealt with issues including improper use of data and sexual harassment • Building a home and living on the Stanford campus • Reflections on memorable scientific and personal moments • Reflections on growth of Stanford School of Medicine • Retirement • Progress in understanding complexities in the field
Description
Type of resource | moving image, sound recording-nonmusical, text, still image |
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Extent | 4 video files; 4 audio files; 1 text file; 1 photograph |
Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Date created | June 6, 2019 - 2019-06-13 |
Language | English |
Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
Interviewee | Lehman, I. Robert | |
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Creator | Lehman, I. Robert | |
Interviewer | Marine-Street, Natalie J. | |
Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
Subject | Lehman, I. Robert |
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Subject | Stanford University. Department of Biochemistry |
Subject | Stanford University. School of Medicine |
Subject | Recombinant DNA |
Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
Biographical Profile |
After serving as an infantryman in Europe during World War II, I. Robert Lehman received his BA in chemistry and PhD in biochemistry from Johns Hopkins University. He worked with Arthur Kornberg as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Microbiology at the Washington University School of Medicine where he was part of the team that discovered DNA polymerase. Along with Kornberg and the rest of the department, he came to Stanford in 1959 to form the new Department of Biochemistry in the School of Medicine. He chaired the Stanford Department of Biochemistry from 1974 to 1979 and 1984 to 1986.
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Transcript |
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Finding Aid | |
Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/yd733mc3479 |
Location | SC0932 |
Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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