Duke University
Medical Center
Intercom
VOL. 25, NO. 22
JUNE 2, 1978
DURHAM, N.C.
Weekend of golf good for health of many children
By John Becton
Between Duke graduates who've made
it big in professional sports, some of their
teammates and show business
personalities from A to Z (well, actually A
to W, Chet Atkins to Woody Woodbury),
there was a group of celebrities on Duke's
golf course lasUweekend that must have
impressed even the most sophisticated
spectator, media representative or fellow
golfer.
That's appropriate, since the event was
tl
LITTLE MAN WITH A BIG HEART—Mickey Rooney, who's no taller
than many of his younger fans, returned to the Children's Classic this
year to the delight of spectators and golfers. Other celebrities who were
here Included Donald O'Connor, Chi Chi Rodriguez and former
professional baseball star Enos Slaughter. For more stars, see page 3.
I Photos by john BeclonI
the fifth annual Children's Classic,
celebrity golf invitational, and by
definition, to have a celebrity tournament
— or a celebrity anything — you've got to
have celebrities.
Music and comedy
Perry Como and Chet Atkins were
here, as they have been every year.
Mickey Rooney announced his own
arrival on the first tee Saturday by
shouting "Here comes macaroni!"
A1 Freeman Jr. turned to the crowd as
Dr. James Morris approached the tee and
said, "Show us how you operate, doc."
Jackie Vernon's experiences on the
course, his first time to play golf, provided
material for his deadpan comedy routine.
Fred MacMurray showed up at one tee
without the rest of his fivesome. He
looked a little bewildered, just as he had at
least once during every episode of "My
Three Sons."
Strategy session
National Football League quarterbacks
Sonny Jurgensen (retired) and Billy
Kilmer of the Washington Redskins and
Jim Hart of the St. Louis Cardinals were
overheard discussing where you should
send your wide receivers if the opposing
team's linebackers are dropping back.
And speaking of linebackers, there
were Duke graduates Mike Curtis of the
Redskins and Bob Matheson, whose
jersey number provided the name for the
Miami Dolphins' "53 defense."
Alumni
Duke also was represented by
Jurgensen, Steve Jones of the Cardinals,
and former professonal basketball players
Jeff Mullins and Jack Marin.
And along with the pros, there were
IContiiiiieJ on ra)(f .^1
Geneticists reconsider ^rules*
after hybrid lemurs reproduce
By Bob Wilson
Duke News Service
Geneticists concluded a long time ago
that hybrids produced from the mating of
different primate species could not
reproduce.
The number and type of chromosomes
carried by the different species would
prevent hybrids from being fertile.
Then along come Monte the lemur.
And then along came his sister, Gaia.
Researchers at the Center for the
Study of Primate Biology and History say
both are living proof that a cross between
two primate species with widely varying
chromosome numbers and types can
produce offspring with normal, viable
sperm.
Some South American hybrid monkeys
with parents whose chromosome
numbers differed by nine are known, the
researchers say, but until now there have
been no fertile hybrids from primates
whose chromosome numbers differ as
much as the Duke lemurs—16.
The researchers say they are confident
Monte and Gaia are the only known
second-generation hybrid lemurs in the
world.
The fact that they exist at all in the face
of almost insuperable genetic barriers
probably will cause the role of
evolutionary chromosomal changes in
the development of primate species to be
reassessed, the researchers say.
"It's the same as a mule producing
offspring," Dr. Elwyn L. Simons, primate
center director, explains. "It's something
that almost never happens."
Hybrid father
Eleven-month-old Monte and one-
month-old Gaia were fathered by
Cronus, a first-generation hybrid from a
Lemur fulvus male with 60 chromosomes
and a Lemur macaco female with 44.
Cronus mated with Huni, a normal
Lemur fulvus female, to produce Monte
and Gaia. The infant female shows such
strong "hybrid vigor" that she doubled
(Continued on page 4)
1
MR. GUITAR—A youngster gets the authograph of Chet Atkins during last weekend's Children's
Classic. "Mr. Guitar" has participated in the event each year, to help raise money to fight
children's diseases.