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School plaque to a Nobel genius
A FAMOUS son of Halifax will be commemorated at his former school this summer.
Dr Oliver Smithies, who won a Nobel Prize in 2007, will unveil a plaque charting his achievement at Copley Primary School on July 5.
The scientist rose from humble beginnings to make his international mark on genealogical research.
The 84-year -old, who now lives in the US, lived at Woodhall Crescent, Copley, and attended Copley Primary and the old Heath Grammar School.
He won a scholarship to study physiology at Oxford University before completing a degree in chemistry and working towards his doctorate.
His pioneering research modifying mice genes through embryonic stem cells was acknowledged as a potential stepping stone in the creation of cures for illnesses like heart disease. He was a co-recipient of a Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his work as professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of North Carolina.
When he received the accolade he acknowledged his early education in Halifax, saying: "It was my teachers at Heath who set me on this course. They were inspiring and had a big influence on my life. I'd always wanted to be an inventor and it was they who showed me I could."
Dr Smithies will unveil the plaque at a ceremony organised by Halifax Civic Trust.
He will also speak to a school assembly and after lunch he will address a selection of pupils from 20 local schools. As well as scooping a Nobel Prize Dr Smithies has also been recognised for his role as a co-pilot in a Cessna aircraft that broke flying records crossing the Atlantic in 1980.
Calderdale is no stranger to Nobel Prize winners – two came from Todmorden.
Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson (1921 – 1996) was awarded the 1973 chemistry prize for his discovery of the "Wilkinson Sandwich", a process involving organo-metallic sandwich compounds, now used for detecting glucose in the blood.
And Sir John Cockcroft (1897-1967), splitting the atom.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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