Donald Kennedy spoke at Stanford University’s 1998 commencement while serving as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
By Jeffrey MervisDonald Kennedy would probably be amused by an old friend’s tribute to him as “very close to being a Renaissance man.”It’s hard to argue with the facts.
The 8 years he served as editor-in-chief of Science was only the final chapter in a long and very distinguished career. He spent most of it at Stanford University, including 12 years as its president, interrupted by a 2-year stint as head of the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration under President Jimmy Carter. But the Harvard University-trained neurobiologist wore those and other honors lightly, driven by an insatiable curiosity about the