© Jeff
Matthews
(This the eighth in a
series of oral history narratives
about WW2 in southern Italy. This is
another item from Fred Hellman of
Glen Cove, New York. Also, see this link
for another item from Fred, as well
as parts 4, 6 & 8, below)
entry July 2013
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Letters from Seymour Kaufman
Fred Hellman was kind enough to send
me some interesting correspondence from WWII. Well,
not so much the correspondence as the envelopes,
embellished by cartoons of the kind that display that
wacky GI humor in the midst of grim reality. (Think of
Bill Mauldin!) Fred says: "When I entered service,
my friend Seymour Kaufman sent me letters with
cartoons on the envelopes. He claimed that he could
never make it as a cartoonist and pursued a Ph.D. in
bio-chemistry." It's hard to say if his
correspondent would have "made it" as a cartoonist.
(Probably, but at least think of all the GI mailroom
clerks whose mornings were brightened by these things
before they reached Fred!)
In any event, Seymour Kaufman (1924-2009) certainly did make it in science. He was research scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health whose work helped lay the groundwork for understanding genetic disorders such as phenylketonuria. Dr. Kaufman received the Department of Health, Education and Welfare's Distinguished Service Award in 1980 and the American Chemical Society's Hillebrand Prize in 1991. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1986 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1987.
In any event, Seymour Kaufman (1924-2009) certainly did make it in science. He was research scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health whose work helped lay the groundwork for understanding genetic disorders such as phenylketonuria. Dr. Kaufman received the Department of Health, Education and Welfare's Distinguished Service Award in 1980 and the American Chemical Society's Hillebrand Prize in 1991. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1986 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1987.
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(Photo
credits: I have been unable to trace
credit/copyright information for the
record album graphic of the stylized Mt.
Vesuvius/US flag. If anyone has accurate
information, I would be happy to list the
appropriate credit.)
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