RICHARD RIFKIND

RIFKIND--Richard. The Board of Directors, staff, and community of affiliated scientists of the New York Structural Biology Center are deeply saddened by the loss of Dick Rifkind. Dick was a founding member of the Center and served as the first Chairman of the Board from 1999, when the Center was still only a concept not a brick-and-mortar reality, through 2005. During those early years, the Center faced existential challenges and it was Dick's conviction and strength that held the fledgling Center together. Dick was dedicated to the vision of a shared research enterprise among New York's scientific institutions. The idea of a Center owned and operated collectively by nine highly competitive academic institutions was a pioneering social experiment that many viewed as unrealistic. Its overwhelming success created a model that was subsequently replicated. Dick Rifkind's vision, his strength and steadfastness of purpose formed the bedrock on which the Center was built. We are grateful to him and we will miss him dearly. The NY Structural Biology Center