A memorial service to celebrate the life of Dr. Van Rensselaer Potter was held on Wednesday, November 7, 2001, at 5 p.m., in the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street, Madison. Dr. Potter died on September 6, 2001 following a brief illness. He had recently celebrated his 90th birthday. Dr. Potter joined the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research in 1940 as one of the founding members of this department. In addition to his many contributions to cancer research - including developing the concept of combination drug therapy to treat cancer - Dr. Potter was instrumental in helping to establish our Laboratory's strong reputation and the culture of collegiality and sharing. Dr. Potter was honored with membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. Although Dr. Potter closed his laboratory and "officially" retired in the early 1980s, he continued to come to the Laboratory almost daily until his death to work and study. During the last 30 years of his life, the focus of his studies was "bioethics", a term he coined in 1970. He wrote the book "Global Bioethics: Building on the Leopold Legacy" in 1988. You may wish to read Dr. Potter's final message.