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A visionary scientist and a great man
28
Bob Edwards Nobel Laureate
It is rare to be a part, however small, of an intellectual endeavour that changed the course of human development. So I have to thank you personally and via all the talented individuals you inspired, for one of the most creative periods of my life. You also provide a great role model through your relentless perseverance in the face of huge, often cruel, opposition. I relish that fact that you were not only vindicated in the end but internationally honoured. Yours is one of the truly great stories in modern biology and your worldwide family will ensure that you will never be forgotten. Love from Hester A visionary scientist and a great man Victor Gomel Vancouver, BC, Canada The European Sterility Congress (ESCO) was held in Athens in October 1972. Professor Robert Edwards presented data on having successfully grown a human oocyte fertilized in vitro to a blastocyst. The implications of this achievement were evident. The same evening we met and spent some time together. I expressed interest in his work, and he offered to train one of our technicians. What an opportunity! I was excited; this work was at the cutting edge of reproductive medicine. On my return to Vancouver, I reported on the work of Professor Edwards, our meeting and his offer to have one of our technicians in his laboratory to the Chair of our department. His look in response said it all: ‘what is this crazy young man up to?’ Work in this field did not commence in Vancouver until almost 10 years later, after I became Chair of our department. Despite our very late start, with a committed small group and some luck, we had the first IVF baby in Canada in 1983. I kept in touch with Professor Edwards, and we met often at meetings. He had many interests and our conversations frequently were outside of our professional activities. In June 1982 I was one of the invitees to the Axel Munthe Award Ceremony in Capri, where Bob Edwards and Patrick Steptoe were the recipients of the award. After smaller initial meetings on in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1980, 1982 and 1984, the World IVF Congress was held every two years in various continents. Bob attended all of them. In 1991, Vancouver was selected for the 1997 World Congress site and I was asked to organize and to preside at this event. The preparations commenced in 1994, and we faced enormous challenges in securing funding. Nonetheless, with the strong support of Bob and other important figures, we decided to go ahead. The congress proved to be very successful, and had the largest attendance to date. Bob was the honorary president of the congress and gave a keynote lecture during the opening ceremony. Bob strongly believed in the necessity and importance of having a Society dedicated to IVF that brought together members of the various disciplines involved in this field. The International Society of In Vitro Fertilization (ISIVF) was formed and registered in 2005. Bob was one of the founding members and attended all of the executive meetings that led to the formation and registration of the society. He remains patron of the society.
Fig. 1. Victor Gomel presenting Bob with Eskimo soapstone carving at the opening ceremony of the 10th World Congress of IVF and ART in Vancouver 1997.
The Jacques Salat-Baroux prize, awarded every two years by the French Academy of Medicine, is given as recognition of lifetime achievement in reproductive medicine. The selection committee (of which I am a member) chose Bob to be the recipient in 2007. But some of us felt he deserved national recognition, and pursued the possibility of him receiving the L´ egion d’honneur at the same time. This received approval from the President of France. I was asked to convey the news of the two awards to Bob. I called him at home, and as usual he was friendly and inquisitive. I told him that I was calling with good news. I said ‘You have been awarded the Jacques Salat-Baroux prize; it has a monetary award, which should be sufficient to provide you with enough claret to last the rest of your life.’ He was delighted, and said so. Then I said ‘I have something else to tell you. On the same day you will be receiving another award, which is strictly honorific with no stipend.’ He said ‘What is it?’ I replied ‘You will be receiving the L´ egion d’honneur.’ His immediate reply was ‘You’re pulling my leg.’ When I insisted that it was true, I could feel how overjoyed he was. He called me a week or so later. He said ‘Were you pulling my leg the other day about the L´ egion d’honneur?’ I replied ‘Absolutely not.’ I told him that the
1970s
Fig. 2. After award of the L´ egion d’honneur, the highest decoration in France, Paris, January 2007.
29
Fig. 5. At dinner with Victor Gomel on the evening of the award of both the Jacques Salat-Baroux Prize and the L´ egion d’honneur in January 2007.
‘I would not miss it for my life.’ I do not need to tell you how touched he was to receive this award. The pictures accompanying this tribute speak for themselves. It has been a distinct privilege to know Bob Edwards. He has been a visionary scientist and a great man. My life has been enriched by his friendship. Tribute to Robert G Edwards Robert E Gore-Langton Principal Investigator, The EMMES Corporation, Rockville, USA
Fig. 3. Dr Ruth Edwards with four of their five daughters at the ceremony where Bob was presented with both the Jacques SalatBaroux Prize and the L´ egion d’honneur medal.
Fig. 4. Bob with Ruth after the Award ceremony.
ceremony would be held at the Academy of Medicine in Paris, and that he would receive the award from one of the cabinet ministers. He asked ‘Will you be there?’ I replied
As a doctoral candidate in the Marshall Laboratory with Bob Edwards from 1973 1978, I joined a talented group of individuals that aspired to his very high standards. This was before his major success in IVF and I think most of his students, including myself, had at sometime wondered what they had got themselves into. IVF was not then universally accepted as an important medical or scientific research topic in the broader research community. Furthermore, Bob’s approach to supervision was to challenge ideas and inspire excellence, for between his frequent trips to Oldham to work with Patrick Steptoe, prodigious writing (i.e. dictating), editorship and Labour Party activities, he had little time for formal supervisions. Bob’s approach, much like Sir John Hammond’s before him, was to throw research students in at the deep end, provide some bench space (not much) and encouragement and expect them to do ‘marvellous’ things. Ultimately your success or failure was up to you, and Bob made that clear. Self-reliance and ingenuity were essential and this was truly the most important lesson I learned from Bob; it has served me well over 30 years in academic, hospital and government research. Finding a time when you could discuss your research findings with Bob was always a challenge, so you planned in advance and (hopefully) came well prepared or were liable to be shot down in flames, usually rather gently but leaving no doubt you must do better next time. I think my most successful uninterrupted discussion with Bob was in his VW bus on a road trip to London, with him captive at the wheel!
Bob Edwards Nobel Laureate
It is rare to be a part, however small, of an intellectual endeavour that changed the course of human development. So I have to thank you personally and via all the talented individuals you inspired, for one of the most creative periods of my life. You also provide a great role model through your relentless perseverance in the face of huge, often cruel, opposition. I relish that fact that you were not only vindicated in the end but internationally honoured. Yours is one of the truly great stories in modern biology and your worldwide family will ensure that you will never be forgotten. Love from Hester A visionary scientist and a great man Victor Gomel Vancouver, BC, Canada The European Sterility Congress (ESCO) was held in Athens in October 1972. Professor Robert Edwards presented data on having successfully grown a human oocyte fertilized in vitro to a blastocyst. The implications of this achievement were evident. The same evening we met and spent some time together. I expressed interest in his work, and he offered to train one of our technicians. What an opportunity! I was excited; this work was at the cutting edge of reproductive medicine. On my return to Vancouver, I reported on the work of Professor Edwards, our meeting and his offer to have one of our technicians in his laboratory to the Chair of our department. His look in response said it all: ‘what is this crazy young man up to?’ Work in this field did not commence in Vancouver until almost 10 years later, after I became Chair of our department. Despite our very late start, with a committed small group and some luck, we had the first IVF baby in Canada in 1983. I kept in touch with Professor Edwards, and we met often at meetings. He had many interests and our conversations frequently were outside of our professional activities. In June 1982 I was one of the invitees to the Axel Munthe Award Ceremony in Capri, where Bob Edwards and Patrick Steptoe were the recipients of the award. After smaller initial meetings on in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1980, 1982 and 1984, the World IVF Congress was held every two years in various continents. Bob attended all of them. In 1991, Vancouver was selected for the 1997 World Congress site and I was asked to organize and to preside at this event. The preparations commenced in 1994, and we faced enormous challenges in securing funding. Nonetheless, with the strong support of Bob and other important figures, we decided to go ahead. The congress proved to be very successful, and had the largest attendance to date. Bob was the honorary president of the congress and gave a keynote lecture during the opening ceremony. Bob strongly believed in the necessity and importance of having a Society dedicated to IVF that brought together members of the various disciplines involved in this field. The International Society of In Vitro Fertilization (ISIVF) was formed and registered in 2005. Bob was one of the founding members and attended all of the executive meetings that led to the formation and registration of the society. He remains patron of the society.
Fig. 1. Victor Gomel presenting Bob with Eskimo soapstone carving at the opening ceremony of the 10th World Congress of IVF and ART in Vancouver 1997.
The Jacques Salat-Baroux prize, awarded every two years by the French Academy of Medicine, is given as recognition of lifetime achievement in reproductive medicine. The selection committee (of which I am a member) chose Bob to be the recipient in 2007. But some of us felt he deserved national recognition, and pursued the possibility of him receiving the L´ egion d’honneur at the same time. This received approval from the President of France. I was asked to convey the news of the two awards to Bob. I called him at home, and as usual he was friendly and inquisitive. I told him that I was calling with good news. I said ‘You have been awarded the Jacques Salat-Baroux prize; it has a monetary award, which should be sufficient to provide you with enough claret to last the rest of your life.’ He was delighted, and said so. Then I said ‘I have something else to tell you. On the same day you will be receiving another award, which is strictly honorific with no stipend.’ He said ‘What is it?’ I replied ‘You will be receiving the L´ egion d’honneur.’ His immediate reply was ‘You’re pulling my leg.’ When I insisted that it was true, I could feel how overjoyed he was. He called me a week or so later. He said ‘Were you pulling my leg the other day about the L´ egion d’honneur?’ I replied ‘Absolutely not.’ I told him that the
1970s
Fig. 2. After award of the L´ egion d’honneur, the highest decoration in France, Paris, January 2007.
29
Fig. 5. At dinner with Victor Gomel on the evening of the award of both the Jacques Salat-Baroux Prize and the L´ egion d’honneur in January 2007.
‘I would not miss it for my life.’ I do not need to tell you how touched he was to receive this award. The pictures accompanying this tribute speak for themselves. It has been a distinct privilege to know Bob Edwards. He has been a visionary scientist and a great man. My life has been enriched by his friendship. Tribute to Robert G Edwards Robert E Gore-Langton Principal Investigator, The EMMES Corporation, Rockville, USA
Fig. 3. Dr Ruth Edwards with four of their five daughters at the ceremony where Bob was presented with both the Jacques SalatBaroux Prize and the L´ egion d’honneur medal.
Fig. 4. Bob with Ruth after the Award ceremony.
ceremony would be held at the Academy of Medicine in Paris, and that he would receive the award from one of the cabinet ministers. He asked ‘Will you be there?’ I replied
As a doctoral candidate in the Marshall Laboratory with Bob Edwards from 1973 1978, I joined a talented group of individuals that aspired to his very high standards. This was before his major success in IVF and I think most of his students, including myself, had at sometime wondered what they had got themselves into. IVF was not then universally accepted as an important medical or scientific research topic in the broader research community. Furthermore, Bob’s approach to supervision was to challenge ideas and inspire excellence, for between his frequent trips to Oldham to work with Patrick Steptoe, prodigious writing (i.e. dictating), editorship and Labour Party activities, he had little time for formal supervisions. Bob’s approach, much like Sir John Hammond’s before him, was to throw research students in at the deep end, provide some bench space (not much) and encouragement and expect them to do ‘marvellous’ things. Ultimately your success or failure was up to you, and Bob made that clear. Self-reliance and ingenuity were essential and this was truly the most important lesson I learned from Bob; it has served me well over 30 years in academic, hospital and government research. Finding a time when you could discuss your research findings with Bob was always a challenge, so you planned in advance and (hopefully) came well prepared or were liable to be shot down in flames, usually rather gently but leaving no doubt you must do better next time. I think my most successful uninterrupted discussion with Bob was in his VW bus on a road trip to London, with him captive at the wheel!