[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 41 (Friday, March 3, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E175-E176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING DR. PAUL BERG

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 3, 2023

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the many contributions 
of Dr. Paul Berg to the science community. Dr. Berg passed away on 
Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at age 96. This loss is deeply felt 
across our community.
  Paul Berg was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1926 to a Russian Jewish 
immigrant couple, Harry and Sarah Brodsky Berg. While he grew up in 
modest circumstances, his mother encouraged his passion for science. He 
graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1943. Penn State 
University in 1948 with a B.S. in Biochemistry, and from Case Western 
Reserve University for his PhD in Biochemistry in 1952.
  After his graduate work, Dr. Berg became a postdoctoral fellow with 
the American Cancer Society from 1952 through 1954. He worked at the 
Institute of Cytophysiology in Denmark and the Washington University 
School of Medicine. From 1955 through 1959, he was an assistant 
professor at the Washington University. Then, he was asked to help open 
a new biochemistry department at Stanford University. He was a 
professor at Stanford, where he was named Robert W. and Vivian K. 
Cahill Professor of Cancer Research Emeritus. He taught from 1959 
through 2000. While he was a professor teaching biochemistry to 
graduate students, I was an undergraduate who was a friend to some of 
those grad students. Dr. Berg inspired them, tremendously. I remember 
well the optimism and excitement his teaching inspired his students, my 
friends.

[[Page E176]]

  While at Stanford, Dr. Berg helped raised $50 million to build the 
Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine, of which he was the 
director from 1985 through 2000. Furthermore, in 2004, he became a 
leading advocate for CA Prop 71 which replaced federal stem cell 
research dollars with state taxpayer money when it was passed.
  Dr. Berg's dedication to research changed both the drug production 
industry and the overall biotechnology industry, as well as the 
advancement of cancer research. He played an instrumental role in the 
1975 Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA on the potential biohazards 
of recombinant DNA molecules, as well as leading research on gene-
splicing and stem cells. Especially as the first scientist to use the 
gene-splicing technique using two different species' DNA, Dr. Berg 
paved the way for modern-day genetic engineering. One of his highest 
achievements, however, was earning a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1980 
alongside Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger for their research on 
nucleic acids. His contributions to science will continue to impact 
research and continue to save lives.
  When I served on the Board of Supervisors of Santa Clara County, we 
were asked to approve a land use designation for a research facility on 
the Stanford Campus over which the County had land use authority. There 
being some community concern over the proposal, Dr. Berg came to meet 
with members of the Board (and public) to provide information. We were 
treated to a multi-hour personal seminar on biotechnology which is one 
of my treasured moments from my service on the Board of Supervisors.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to recognize and commend Dr. Paul Berg 
for his awe-inspiring achievements. His legacy will endure for 
generations.

                          ____________________