Chapter 7, Cold Spring Harbor Summary and Analysis

When the United States entered WWII, McClintock was struggling being unemployed. She spent time with her good friend Marcus Rhodes. He was going to Cold Spring Harbor to plant corn to study and McClintock decided to follow him. It was easy to acquire an invitation for her. Milislav Demerec, a geneticist there, was a friend of McClintock's. Eventually Demerec became director of the genetics department at the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Cold Spring Harbor. He offered McClintock a one-year position and then tried to make the appointment permanent. She resisted losing her freedom, but eventually agreed. Evelyn does not know exactly why McClintock resisted such a wonderful offer. Perhaps she would have felt too protected.

The laboratories at Cold Spring Harbor were world class, exceeding many other prominent labs in its accomplishments. In winter...