19 November 1952
Dr. Jerry Donohue
Cavendish Laboratory
Cambridge University
Cambridge, England
Dear Jerry:
I thank you for sending your letter, with mention of Crick's letter to Nature "Is
α-Keratin a Coiled Coil?".
I remember that when I was in Cambridge Crick asked me if I had thought about the
possibility of α helixes twisting around one another, and I said that I had - I don't
remember that we said any more about the matter. In fact, I have been trying to
account for the x-ray data, etc, for the α -keratin proteins on this basis, and after
considerable work felt that the answers had been found. Corey and I sent a paper
to Nature about two months ago, on this subject, but it has not yet appeared, I
wrote to the editors last week, asking when it would be published. We are writing
several detailed papers about these compound helixes now.
I didn't have a chance to say anything to Stanley about the Berkeley job, when I was
up there, I judge that things are not too promising, from what you say. I have
accordingly just written to Professor Stanley J. Cristol, at the University of Colorado,
Boulder, Colorado, recommending you for appointment there. They want a man who would
accept appointment to the staff and also be willing to serve as Department Chairman,
for a limited term. They are interested only in men eligible for the rank of Associate
Professor or full Professor. I think that Colorado is a fine place, and that this
would be a good job for you — the University is in Boulder. Why do you not write
to Cristol, giving him detailed information about your career.
I hope that you finish up the cysteyl glycine sodium iodide structure.
I'm glad to learn that you have a good house. We were disturbed to know that you
were having trouble. I know that housing is a problem in Cambridge.
Dr. Jerry Donohue
Page 2 November 19, 1952
Thanks for the news about Peter. He writes to me once in a while -- not very often,
however. I hope that he is settling down to work.
With best regards, I am
Sincerely yours,
Linus Pauling:ka
