 DR.
LELAND HARTWELL Age 64In October 2001, former
GCC student Leland Hartwell received the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine
for his cancer-related research on cell function. He pioneered the use of
genetics to define the cell cycle and understand it’s control and role in
carcinogenesis, and he discovered a specific class of genes that control the
cell cycle. From 1973 to 2000, Hartwell received over 20 professional awards
in his field.
Hartwell grew up in Glendale, and had an insatiable
desire to understand how things worked. He hung out in the public library,
collected bugs, and disassembled and reassembled radios which led to his
interest in electricity. In 1957 he came to GCC from high school with no
particular plan and a spotty academic record. He took physics and math
classes in the engineering tract. After a year at GCC, his academic advisor
suggested that he meet with a recruiter from Caltech. Things began to
really change for him at this point. He was excited over this new prospect
and took the entrance exam and was accepted. He started out studying
physics, and then microbiology, eventually earning his Ph.D. from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964. He is currently president of
the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. His most recent
passion has switched his focus from research to leadership. He also loves to
teach and has taught genetics and cell biology at the University of
Washington.
Hartwell says, “I came from a non-academic family, and
I would have never gone to Caltech if it hadn’t been for a couple of key
people at Glendale College. I’m impressed at how much impact people who are
really dedicated to the teaching profession contribute, and they probably
never even know it.” |
