http://oldweb.geog.berkeley.edu/PeopleHistory/faculty/HoosonMemorial/DavidHooson_Memories.html
I am very sad to learn about another vast loss to Humanity, to Academia, to UC, Berkeley and to Human Geography.
David Hooson was probably one of the men with the greatest generosity of spirit I have encountered in my life.
His courses were a 360 degree vista to human ecology with the finest sensitivity to the human condition paralleled only to the one I learned about in Bernard Q. Nietschmann’s courses at Berkeley.
David Hooson will ever have a special place in my heart for being most kind to me in several critical junctions in my career: (a) the admission to the doctoral program in the department, (b) while I was a doctoral student at UC, Berkeley, 1978-1983, as an international student in his courses, in need for TLC while facing the liability of newness to the academic landscape at UCB (c) meeting with me when my doctoral advisor, Prof. Allan Pred was on Sabbatical and I was writing my thesis, (d) his most WARM greetings at the end of the graduation ceremony, 5/1983, when I held my 18 month old son in my arms, he said to me, “Aviva, you are the only PhD we had, to have a baby while a doctoral student, and to graduate in five years, our average used to be 7 1/4 years” (e) a lengthy conversation during an Open House weekend in the Department in the late 80s, (f) a conversation during the Memorial to James E. Vance, Jr., (g) a conversation at a Memorial Lecture to Professor Carl O. Sauer, and on our last meeting at the Centennial celebration to the department.
David Hooson and no other man, has let me feel during the moments he offered his undivided attention to me, that for me, I deserve to be on the stage and for him, he ought to offer himself to this dyad encounter without reservation, unconditional and the time can and should flow, how much it is needed to complete an intellectual exchange, with content, merit and otherwise, unmet European style, as only an Englishman is natural in, as Prof. Hooson showed us all what is it all about.
To Prof. Hooson’s family, I say to you, His expressive face is in front of my eyes and I am tearing. His legacy as a Humanist will remain eternal in the minds of all his colleagues and all his students — a touching smile just to comfort the other’s heart. He put so many at peace with themselves, he has reached Cosmological Peace now.
Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD’83
http://oldweb.geog.berkeley.edu/PeopleHistory/faculty/HoosonMemorial/DavidHooson_Memories.html
This is very insightful. There is no doubt that there is the bias you refer to. 42 years ago, when I was postdocing in biochemistry/enzymology before completing my residency in pathology, I knew that there were very influential mambers of the faculty, who also had large programs, and attracted exceptional students. My mentor, it was said (although he was a great writer), could draft a project on toilet paper and call the NIH. It can’t be true, but it was a time in our history preceding a great explosion. It is bizarre for me to read now about eNOS and iNOS, and about CaMKII-á, â, ã, ä – isoenzymes. They were overlooked during the search for the genome, so intermediary metabolism took a back seat. But the work on protein conformation, and on the mechanism of action of enzymes and ligand and coenzyme was just out there, and became more important with the research on signaling pathways. The work on the mechanism of pyridine nucleotide isoenzymes preceded the work by Burton Sobel on the MB isoenzyme in heart. The Vietnam War cut into the funding, and it has actually declined linearly since.
A few years later, I was an Associate Professor at a new Medical School and I submitted a proposal that was reviewed by the Chairman of Pharmacology, who was a former Director of NSF. He thought it was good enough. I was a pathologist and it went to a Biochemistry Review Committee. It was approved, but not funded. The verdict was that I would not be able to carry out the studies needed, and they would have approached it differently. A thousand young investigators are out there now with similar letters. I was told that the Department Chairmen have to build up their faculty. It’s harder now than then. So I filed for and received 3 patents based on my work at the suggestion of my brother-in-law. When I took it to Boehringer-Mannheim, they were actually clueless.
This is very insightful. There is no doubt that there is the bias you refer to. 42 years ago, when I was postdocing in biochemistry/enzymology before completing my residency in pathology, I knew that there were very influential mambers of the faculty, who also had large programs, and attracted exceptional students. My mentor, it was said (although he was a great writer), could draft a project on toilet paper and call the NIH. It can’t be true, but it was a time in our history preceding a great explosion. It is bizarre for me to read now about eNOS and iNOS, and about CaMKII-á, â, ã, ä – isoenzymes. They were overlooked during the search for the genome, so intermediary metabolism took a back seat. But the work on protein conformation, and on the mechanism of action of enzymes and ligand and coenzyme was just out there, and became more important with the research on signaling pathways. The work on the mechanism of pyridine nucleotide isoenzymes preceded the work by Burton Sobel on the MB isoenzyme in heart. The Vietnam War cut into the funding, and it has actually declined linearly since.
A few years later, I was an Associate Professor at a new Medical School and I submitted a proposal that was reviewed by the Chairman of Pharmacology, who was a former Director of NSF. He thought it was good enough. I was a pathologist and it went to a Biochemistry Review Committee. It was approved, but not funded. The verdict was that I would not be able to carry out the studies needed, and they would have approached it differently. A thousand young investigators are out there now with similar letters. I was told that the Department Chairmen have to build up their faculty. It’s harder now than then. So I filed for and received 3 patents based on my work at the suggestion of my brother-in-law. When I took it to Boehringer-Mannheim, they were actually clueless.