Thursday, March 29, 2012

I remember Josh editing some papers with me


As I start writing this, I get a remembrance of Josh editing some papers with me. We worked on a couple of publications and his revisions were always so elegantly crafted. He was a very good scientific writer. Of course, this was just a manifestation of his special mental capacity for parsing out problems, details, and information in scientifically meaningful ways. Clearly he possessed special talents that benefited his work and career.

I walked into Josh’s 7th floor lab in 1979. He gave me my first job out of college. He had just secured a large research grant and I was one of his first research assistants. It quickly became evident that one doesn’t work for Josh, one works with Josh. He had an irresistibly collaborative nature and treated almost everyone as a colleague. This brought many researchers into the Lab from all over the world for either casual visits or special projects.

The Lab that Josh nurtured brought to life many of the things he believed in: fairness, excellence, devotion, community, and joy.

Actually, he also made it a full life for many of us. What a fun place it was, and sometimes 24/7. The place was always active with several lines of oculomotor and accommodation research, grad students, and visitors. Often we would congregate around the table and make exotic lunches or dinners with delicacies that Josh brought from some gourmet shop he happened to have been passing by. (If not that, then we would wind up at some off the beaten path restaurant, or at his Brewster place.)  I can still see him entering the Lab in the morning - plop goes the briefcase full of articles, a quickly brewed a pot of Bustelo coffee, then straight to briefing us on his latest experiment ideas.

Josh, I think, never liked parting with people. After six years at the Lab, I sought opportunities in industry. Research work is never really done, and I think I let him down. I don’t know if he ever forgave me, but we would catch up every now and then and he was, as usual, very warm and receptive. Truth is, Josh was a very significant part of my life. I always hope that some of the skill and acumen that he shared with me has stayed with me. To this day, he remains the most intelligent and interesting individual I have had the pleasure to work with. Goodbye Josh and thank you.

Jose Velez
Boston, MA
March 29, 2012

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