Insults of Varmus Reflect Arrogance

"Dr. Who" indeed! As the Washingotn Post pointed out in its article, a case of intellectual arrogance seems to have stricken the Harvard Class of 1996, not to mention your editorial staff.

Your gratuitous insults of this distinguished scientist (1996 Commencement Speaker Dr. Harold E. Varmus) were unfair as well as undeserved. As you must have known, but apparently chose to ignore, Varmus is a past winner of the Lasker Prize, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1989. As the Post put it so well, he is an internationally recognized expert on the genetics of cancer. In recognition of his research abilities, as well as his ability to lead and administer, President Clinton chose him to direct the National Institues of Health in 1993.

Harold Varmus is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College, Class of 1961, where he majored in English. He was also the editor of your counterpart, the Amherst Student.

He followed on by obtaining a master's in English literature from none other than Harvard in 1962. He then turned to medical school, graudating from Columbia in 1966.

On Friday, May 31, a standing-room-only crowd at Amherst for Reunion Weekend heard Hal describe the latest developments in his field, as well as answer questions concerning the future of health care, medical research and related topics.

I hope that the Harvard Commencement crowd was as enthusiastic as the Amherst Reunion crowd in giving all due recognition to Hal Varmus for his achievements and his leadership, not to mention his ability to explain complex scientific principles to the less-conversant, which apparently includes the Crimson editorial staff. --James W. Greene   Amherst Class of 1961