Eric Davidson, friend, colleague and mentor

Abstract

My interactions with Eric Davidson started later in his life; first when he invited me to teach in the Embryology Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory and solidifying after I joined the Caltech faculty in 1996. Then in his 50's, Eric was still a motor cycle-riding, football-playing and overall imposing figure who did not suffer fools and said exactly what was on his mind. Needless to say, I was intimidated when I first met him—both by his insightful and piercing intellect and assertive manner. But there was also a gentle and caring side of Eric. He was always a strong supporter of women in science, before it was “politically correct” and popular. He loved nothing better than an active and lively exchange of scientific ideas and testing the boundaries of knowledge.