Giving Thanks in a Tough Year
Letters from Our Chair and Immediate Past Chair
This time each year, our founder, Dr. William H. Danforth, would send a Thanksgiving letter to supporters of the Danforth Center. Since the Center’s founding, Bill used these letters as an opportunity to share news and express his gratitude to those who make the work possible. In light of his recent passing, I wanted to express my own gratitude—gratitude for Bill’s vision, and gratitude for your support that keeps his legacy alive.
Amidst our sense of loss, we reflect on the legacy of an individual who was a shining example of selflessness, humility, and dedication to the greater good. Even as the pandemic, economic turmoil, and racial unrest have challenged our country, the Danforth Center has continued to make progress toward delivering on Bill’s promise. Whether it’s the Danforth Center scientists who have been able to continue critical work to feed the world with improved black-eyed peas, or the recent grants dedicated to bioenergy with a focus on healing the planet, the Danforth Center continues the project Bill set in motion: harnessing plant science to improve the human condition.
Todd and Julie Schnuck (left) with Dr. William Danforth (right), Teri and Dr. Jim Carrington, and Danforth Service awardee Brett Begemann at Plantasia 2019.
The Danforth Center is having an impact in St. Louis too. I am particularly proud of the new BRDG Park building, EDGE@BRDG, which opened on time this year and is already enhancing the St. Louis region as a world center for plant science, bringing hundreds of jobs to our city. Also, there is the new partnership with the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation in East St. Louis that will connect schoolchildren with careers in agtech, providing life-changing opportunities and catalyzing greater diversity in STEM fields.
While we may not be able to gather with large groups of family and friends this year, I will be thinking about the inspiration of my parents and grandparents. Through their generosity, I learned that Thanksgiving is about much more than celebrating what we have in our own lives. It is also a time to remind ourselves of the many who are suffering and hungry, and how we must all do our part to help.
The Danforth Center was founded on this idea. Thank you for helping us carry on the mission.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Todd R. Schnuck
Chair, Board of Directors
Bill Danforth was a very special human being who brought out the best in everyone around him. Words that come to mind are visionary, trail blazer, selfless leader, mentor, wise advisor, and most of all, a true friend. Bill was the rare individual who had the vision to foresee what would be needed for the future, the perseverance to blaze the trail, the leadership to marshal the resources (human, intellectual, and physical) to make it happen, and the wisdom and humility to pass the leadership to others at the right time.
Under Bill’s soft-spoken, mild exterior, he had steely determination to achieve worthy goals. Part of Bill’s genius was his ability to convince others of the importance and lofty purpose of these endeavors and to enlist their active support. I’m sure many of us have experienced that phenomenon, as noted by Bob Virgil in founding the fanciful “ICSNTBD” Club – that is, the “I Can’t Say No to Bill Danforth” Club.
Bill also had a gift for delivering gentle advice. While I was Chairman and CEO of McDonnell Douglas, I had the habit of writing inspirational letters of encouragement to all “teammates” in the quarterly internal magazine. After reading one, Bill told me simply, “I find it more effective to minimize the use of ‘I’ and ‘me,’ and instead talk about ‘you’ and ‘we.’” Of course he was right, and his phrasing was typical of his understated style.
It is no coincidence that the seeds of the St. Louis innovation resurgence were planted in the late 1990s shortly after Bill “retired” as Chancellor of Washington University. That was when he turned his powerful intellect and imagination to how our region could become a leader in the 21st century, while making our world a better place. From his insights and vision flowed many new enterprises – Cortex, BioGenerator, BioSTL, venture capital, and most daring of all the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. In the two decades since then, the many seeds he planted and nurtured have grown into sturdy trees bearing much fruit.
Thank you for being part of this very special community that Bill created at the Danforth Center. As we enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday (as best we can this year), we can all give special thanks for having our lives touched by such a marvelous human being. Now we have the privilege and responsibility to carry forward Bill’s wonderful legacy.
Best regards,
