To: My respected Professor Abraham Eisenstark,
On the occasion of your 95th Birthday
I am touched by the information that you have recently celebrated your 95th birthday. May God give you even longer life so that you can continue serving science even longer time to come.
At this occasion I wish to add few things from my memory for you to add to your autobiography whenever you decide to write.
As already acknowledged in my book on Neurodegenerative diseases published by Springer in 2012 that you are one of the three professors in this world who have played major roles in my academic careers. If I summarize, it started in 1967/68 when I first met you at the Leicester University and you taught me the microbiological techniques like a father teaches his son how to take the first step of his walk. Then in 1973 I was appointed as lecturer here in UK. Our communication started when I learnt that your wife collected postage stamps and British Philatelic had printed Bicentennial stamps on Leicester University. I sent you a set and in reply you wrote me on June 10, 1976 (I am still retaining that letter) to send you another set of this stamps and enclosed a $ note. I did send the stamp but treasured the $ note which is still with me as a token of appreciation. The letter also stated that in the near future you will have a vacancy for a Post-doc in your laboratory and at any time if I wish to visit your lab you will be happy to receive me.
That invitation led me to enter a major breakthrough of my academic career and to cut the story short, I visited your laboratory in 1978 for about 10 months (that much sabbatical I could get then). In those 10 months I made a major breakthrough to find the reason for the phage T7 killed by Near UV and hydrogen peroxide. It was the production of superoxide anions having lethal effect on the phage. You presented the work at the next Microbiological Society in US. It must be very unusual of me and a valuable year that from the work I did in your lab for 10 months resulted in 4 papers published e.g.
Thymidine sensitivity ….E. coli: MGG 172, 229, 1979
Isolation and analysis ….endoneclease I constitutively: J. Gen. Microbiol, 117, 419,1980
Then in 1998 we published the review article in the prestigious Journal of Microbiological Reviews on
Thymineless death, Microbiol Rev. 52, 591, 1998
During 1978 and 1979 I managed to come to your laboratory 3 more times by using my Easter and summer holidays as I was unable to get any more sabbatical so soon.
Then when you moved to Cancer Research Centre in Columbia, I visited once more to your laboratory for a short visit which was very enjoyable.
Dear Abe, I consider very lucky to meet with you at Leicester and subsequent, under your kind supervision, changing of my research direction which turned out to be extremely important topic still now. Due to continuing my interest in this topic I managed to publish a number of very important research papers; the total publications reached to about 55.
Furthermore, this is what I know the other side of you. you are so kind, loving and caring, soft spoken (I wonder if ever you became angry on anybody) non-prejudicial, and very knowledgeable and hardworking scientist who has given a lot of valuable services to the scientific community and hoping to come more in the future.
My very best wishes go for your good health and long life.
Shamim Ahmad
On the occasion of your 95th Birthday
I am touched by the information that you have recently celebrated your 95th birthday. May God give you even longer life so that you can continue serving science even longer time to come.
At this occasion I wish to add few things from my memory for you to add to your autobiography whenever you decide to write.
As already acknowledged in my book on Neurodegenerative diseases published by Springer in 2012 that you are one of the three professors in this world who have played major roles in my academic careers. If I summarize, it started in 1967/68 when I first met you at the Leicester University and you taught me the microbiological techniques like a father teaches his son how to take the first step of his walk. Then in 1973 I was appointed as lecturer here in UK. Our communication started when I learnt that your wife collected postage stamps and British Philatelic had printed Bicentennial stamps on Leicester University. I sent you a set and in reply you wrote me on June 10, 1976 (I am still retaining that letter) to send you another set of this stamps and enclosed a $ note. I did send the stamp but treasured the $ note which is still with me as a token of appreciation. The letter also stated that in the near future you will have a vacancy for a Post-doc in your laboratory and at any time if I wish to visit your lab you will be happy to receive me.
That invitation led me to enter a major breakthrough of my academic career and to cut the story short, I visited your laboratory in 1978 for about 10 months (that much sabbatical I could get then). In those 10 months I made a major breakthrough to find the reason for the phage T7 killed by Near UV and hydrogen peroxide. It was the production of superoxide anions having lethal effect on the phage. You presented the work at the next Microbiological Society in US. It must be very unusual of me and a valuable year that from the work I did in your lab for 10 months resulted in 4 papers published e.g.
Thymidine sensitivity ….E. coli: MGG 172, 229, 1979
Isolation and analysis ….endoneclease I constitutively: J. Gen. Microbiol, 117, 419,1980
Then in 1998 we published the review article in the prestigious Journal of Microbiological Reviews on
Thymineless death, Microbiol Rev. 52, 591, 1998
During 1978 and 1979 I managed to come to your laboratory 3 more times by using my Easter and summer holidays as I was unable to get any more sabbatical so soon.
Then when you moved to Cancer Research Centre in Columbia, I visited once more to your laboratory for a short visit which was very enjoyable.
Dear Abe, I consider very lucky to meet with you at Leicester and subsequent, under your kind supervision, changing of my research direction which turned out to be extremely important topic still now. Due to continuing my interest in this topic I managed to publish a number of very important research papers; the total publications reached to about 55.
Furthermore, this is what I know the other side of you. you are so kind, loving and caring, soft spoken (I wonder if ever you became angry on anybody) non-prejudicial, and very knowledgeable and hardworking scientist who has given a lot of valuable services to the scientific community and hoping to come more in the future.
My very best wishes go for your good health and long life.
Shamim Ahmad