Dedication
This book presents the work and reflections of the participants in the TWENTIETH YEAR of the Biomedical Sciences Exchange Program (1979-1999). It therefore seems appropriate to dedicate it to the founders of the program, who were essentially our first American mentor and our first young German scientist:
JOHN BOYLAN, M.D.
and
HILMAR STOLTE, M.D.
Accompanying their photos are excerpts taken from their respective comments on the occasion of the Tenth Anniversary of BMEP. They tell, better than anyone else could, the special dynamics at work in the lives of these two men, with the far reaching results now manifest twenty years later in the lives of over 1200 young German and American scientists.
May all BMEP participants, past, present, and future, find the success that lay at the end of "des roten Fadens" followed by Drs. Boylan and Stolte!

 

"You probably have heard the expression Man findet und folgt dem roten Faden.

"You followed a thread here, not knowing where it was going to take you but knowing there was something right about the direction. Perhaps you thought you knew the destination or the purpose of your adventure but now I will tell you this: No matter what plans you had or what you anticipated or what you were determined to do, the greatest benefit to you will be unexpected. What will be worth remembering in your life, as a result of this experience is, at the present time, completely unknown."

John Boylan

   

"I started to realize that this man had a secret.."ein Geheimnis"...which was worthwhile looking at. After studying John Boylan for so many years, I think I can begin to summarize this secret: His goal was to increase his knowledge in order to enrich his wisdom, as opposed to the modern trend where all too often we are rich in knowledge but poor in wisdom.
"I discovered another one of John Boylan's secrets: In order to achieve the enrichment of wisdom through a scholarly approach, he showed almost no competitive attitude. He didn't need to, because he had already his own identity. Thus he could relax and not be offended by other opinions or life styles.
 "I am every mindful that one important red thread in my life led me to John Boylan, his professional guidance, and the warm hospitality which I always experienced in the Boylan home. I shall be forever grateful for this particular roten Faden."

Hilmar Stolte
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